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Here’s a little tidbit from my life that might shock you. When I was younger, I read voraciously, right up until I finished high school. I read mostly science fiction, Heinlein, Asimov, Del Ray and every Star Trek book I could get my hands on. Alistair MacLean and Tom Clancy would sneak in there as well, when my dad was finished with his copy.
Then I stopped reading.
Completely.
No time in college to do it, nor as a young adult. There was a ten year void in my life where I didn’t read a single fiction book. I read technical manuals for work, but nothing else.
So how the hell did I become a writer?
Easy. The discount book table in the food court of a building I worked at.
I had become hooked on watching Agatha Christie’s Poirot TV series, and as I rode down the escalator, to the right was a Japanese place called Edo where I planned to grab teriyaki chicken for lunch, and to the left, set up against the escalator, was the same discount book table I had seen dozens if not hundreds of times.
But this time, right on the corner, in plain sight, was a full size hardcover book with Agatha Christie’s name emblazoned on it, titled Black Coffee.
I grabbed it, bought it, and started reading that night.
Though I was disappointed to find she hadn’t actually written it (it was a novelization of a play she had written), it had reintroduced me to reading.
I’ve read almost every single night since, for over fifteen years.
So when I saw this review of my book Rogue Operator go up today, it warmed my heart more than any other of the thousands of reviews I’ve received in the past. Though I love almost all my reviews (hey, there’s a few bad ones), this one stood out. I can think of only one other thing as a writer that I have received—a direct email—that had as much of an effect on me as this new review. It was when a soldier sent me an email telling me how he loved reading my books because they helped him forget the misery of being out in the field when they were off duty—in South Korea (where, incidentally, my new book, Kill Chain, takes place).
But this review, I think, is the greatest thing a writer can ever hear:
5* This book got me into reading again June 10, 2016
I am a 19 year old who used to absolutely love reading, but then high school with all the assigned books ruined it for me. My mom tried really hard to get me back into reading, so finally I gave in and she gave me her kindle, which had a book she had already picked out for me. I don’t even know what book she picked out, because I accidentally clicked on the wrong book and started reading that instead. A few chapters in I realized I was reading the wrong book, but I liked it so much that I just forgot about the other book and kept on reading it. This book was so good and thrilling that it gave me my love of reading back. 10/10 highly recommend.
Great review, huh?
So if anybody sees a mid-forties gent with a huge smile today, it just might be me!
Rob, great to hear..did you replace your wife’s BMW:-)
Not yet. I’ll have to put a few more books out first!
It’s funny….I read the same books and still have all of books written by Alistair McLean, Delray, Heinlein, Asimov, etc. I did stop reading too, though not for quite the same reason…mostly because I was working so many hours and it was easier to zone out watching TV. I retired in 2010 and now have over 400 books (including all of yours) that have been loaded on my Kindle, then removed when I was done. And there are so many new, undiscovered authors that I am now discovering and enjoying. Keep up the good work…waiting on your next book!
I still read almost every night, though quite often it’s my own stuff (editing). I’m looking forward to retiring at some point too so I can finally get to read other people’s books!
As a retired teacher and university professor I can relate to what you are experiencing. The notes, letters and cards that I received days, weeks, months, and years later from students that I taught telling me how much they appreciated what I had taught them and how it has affected their lives made my day every time I received one.
Congratulations! You are a teacher, and what you wrote made a difference in someone’s life.
Thanks Michael, that’s exactly what made me feel so good about that review. To know I influenced somebody to once again take up something as significant as reading is a wonderful feeling.
And speaking of teachers, my greatest influence was my Grade 8 & 9 Language Arts teacher, Miss Susan Boss. I was able to track her down years later, and to my delight, she was still teaching, though she has since retired. I managed to get her address from her husband, and send her signed copies of a book I had dedicated to her, and another where I had named a character after her, along with a letter explaining her influence on my life, and how my life had turned out, twenty years later. Needless to say she was surprised and touched, and told me that she brought the books and the letter to her class and showed them to her students who were extremely excited.
We’ve kept in touch now for almost five years.
Teachers teach, but great teachers influence, and Miss Boss, you were one of the greats, and Michael, you must have been as well–I know I’ve only ever written one teacher in my life, and I have a feeling those who have written you feel the same way I do.
Congrats to you too!
Rob