Writers With Day Jobs: Vic Watson

From all the way across the pond, as they say, I welcome Vic Watson. She is among the new crop of U.K. writer who seem to be storming our shores of late. But what does she do for the filthy lucre in between writing stories like the ones in her collection, Letting Go? 

Let's find out, shall we?

What do you do as your day job?

I’ve been a jack of many trades. At the moment I work in the insurance industry, dealing with customers. 

When do you find time to write?

Due to a health condition, I’m only working 20 hours a week for now. I used to work full-time but I had to reduce my hours. I have to admit I still struggle to find time to write. With working, medical appointments, day-to-day life and so on, I usually write when my partner is at work or in the evening. I’m not very disciplined though. I spend a lot of time on Twitter and Facebook, as well as maintaining my blog and reviewing other people’s work. 

Has your job or coworkers ever influenced a story?

I wouldn’t say any of my stories are directly influenced by people or situations I’ve experienced. However, I think most writers would agree that they may use a facet of someone’s personality or particular circumstances in a story. The beginning of ‘I Should Have Seen it Coming’ (which is available in my collection of short stories ‘Letting Go’) was influenced by my time working in a banking call centre when it was announced that they were moving operations to India. That’s where the idea for Carol’s story came from. 

What would it take for you to quit and write full time?

I’d love to write full-time. As long as I earned a living wage – nothing flash – I’d be happy to write full-time. Writing full-time is my dream job. 

Do your coworkers know you write? Do they know you write dark crime fiction? What do they say about it?

The first thing my co-workers ever knew about my writing was when I released ‘Letting Go’ and emailed everyone on the team the link to my work. That afternoon, two or three of them sat reading the free sample and were really shocked at how different my stories were to what they were probably expecting. I’m generally a happy, bubbly person so I think the fact that I write about things like crime, suicide and some shady characters gave them a surprise! 

Do you think people respect writing as a job, or does it come off as less "work" than a labor or office job?

I think most people see it as a hobby. I know some people think because I do it, they’d be able to do it but until you actually try and write, you have no idea how difficult it is. One of the many joys of writing is that you can do it at your own pace, when it’s convenient to you. Plus you’re doing something you really want to do so to me, it’s definitely not as hard as working a job that you’re not as passionate about. However, that’s not to say you have to put any less effort into writing – if anything it requires more time and dedication. 

Be honest, if you wrote full time, do you think you'd be disciplined about it?

I like to think so but I can be a bit of a flibberty-gibbert where my writing’s concerned. If it was my sole income, I think I’d realise how important it was to be disciplined. At the moment, I think I’m not as hard on myself as it’s not my main source of income and I can use my main job as an excuse not to write – “I’ve had a really hard day. I’m tired, etc, etc.”

What job, other than writing, would you most like to have?

Does Lotto winner count? If not, I’d love to have a career teaching or lecturing. I’d either like to teach English as a Foreign Language or Creative Writing. That said, I wouldn’t mind being a proof reader or full-time reviewer. 

What has been your best job? Your worst?

I think all of the jobs I’ve had have been useful in one way or another. However, I have to say I loved working in the Jobcentre. It was where I met the love of my life (he was a member of staff too) and I met some great friends there too. There was also a wealth of characters and stories coming through the door every single day. I left that job to pursue my dream of becoming a journalist only to realise, four weeks into the training, that I didn’t have the gall to be a journalist. I couldn’t handle the thought of door-stepping grieving families or writing stories that could potentially ruin someone’s life. Realising I wasn’t cut out to be a journalist was the worst time, professionally, ever. The realisation of what I’d given up to follow that dream only compounded my sense of failure and sheer desperation. 

When do you find time to read?

You will never find me without a book or my Kindle. I will read whenever I get a spare minute. I read at my desk while I’m on my break, I read in the bath, I read in bed and any other times I have a bit of free time. If I’m in a waiting room or I’m waiting in a café to meet someone, I will dig out my book. I couldn’t live without reading. 

Have you ever, or maybe how often, have you considered quitting and shacking up to write novels, money issues be damned?

I think about it every day! But, like all of the other writers out there, I have financial commitments. I dream every day about living in a little beach house overseas, where I sit on my patio every day and write, in amongst taking walks and sampling the culture. I also dream about living in deepest Northumberland where I can sit, completely isolated and write. Sadly, at the moment, it’s just a dream but maybe one day I can make it reality. 

What is your ultimate goal with writing? Full time journeyman or millionaire? 

Or are you satisfied doing it part time?

I’d love to be a massive success story but likewise, as I’ve said earlier, if I could make enough money to live on – that would make me super happy. For now, I understand that by writing part-time, it might be a stepping stone to something more full-time. You have to do the ground work, right? 

Given what you've earned writing, dividing it by the hours spent, what would you say is your hourly wage as a writer?

At the moment, less than 1p a day. But it’s fine. I’m all about honing my craft and making some good connections. I may not have made very much money at all but I have met a great community of writers who are really supportive. I don’t see writing to be all about money – it’s about an expression of who you are, it’s an exploration of the characters and the stories you create and it’s about making connections with like-minded people. 

Do you have a spouse/partner that would support you writing full time?

My partner is entirely supportive. I think he’s still hoping that one day I’ll be the bread winner! In all seriousness, though, he’s very supportive and he understands my dream to be a full-time writer. He’s also a realist so he understands that, even if I were to become successful, he shouldn’t expect a Ferrari for Christmas! 


Thanks to Vic for stopping by. Check out her work with the I Am Woman campaign.


Scroll down for more Writers With Day Jobs posts.

Collecting shorts

So I've signed contracts for my first short story collection, A Bouquet of Bullets. It will be out with Snubnose Press some time in July. It features 21 short stories of mine from flash pieces under 1000 words on up to 7000 words beasts.

Honestly, some of my best stories aren't in there, but I didn't want to take anything away from the fantastic anthologies featured on your right. I've been so honored to appear in a host of anthologies I am truly proud of and I think you should go get them regardless of my stories. There is some amazing writing going on in each of D*cked, Discount Noir, Grimm Tales, Off The Record and Pulp Ink as well as the upcoming Pulp Ink 2.

That said, some of my best work is inside and it has been pre-screened by an expert reader so only the finest selections made the grade. So if you like to have all your stories of mine in one place, wait a month and then go get A Bouquet of Bullets. (Cover by some poor sap)

And also don't forget all Snubnose titles, including Dig Two Graves, are only .99 for the rest of June.

Officially Underrated

I woke up this morning to find I'd been voted the Most Criminally Underrated Author in this year's Stalker Awards. 


 This is exciting for me because I think the Stalker Awards are so fun, and I love Pop Culture Nerd's website in general. That anyone would take the time to write my name in or to think I'm more underrated than fellow nominees Craig MacDonald or Bill Cameron is astounding to me. 


 There are a ton of great winners in all the categories including Megan Abbott, Duane Swierczynski and Lawrence Block. I'm not sure how I will milk this award for my own benefit yet, but I'll try my hardest. And I promise to do my best to become overrated by next year's awards, because winning this award, while a honor once, to win it twice in a row would be the most depressing thing in my life. Thanks to Elyse and everyone who voted.

Writers With Day Jobs: Jimmy Callaway

Jimmy Callaway is a great writer. I think he's funny as hell. Then there's also guns and stuff. He's also a Renaissance man. A musician and frequent non-fiction blogger/commentator on the writing life, film, pop culture and anything else in his laser sights. Seriously, the guy's got wit like a post-punk Dorothy Parker.


He's been anthologized, read at our Noir at the Bar, rocked the stages all over San Diego and environs. But what does he do to make the rent? Read on.

And now welcome to Jimmy's Boring Working Life:

 

What do you do as your day job?

 

As I write this, I am a packer in the warehouse of a small kids books/fruity new-age gifts catalog.  By the time you read this, though, I will likely have stopped working there after four and a half years.  I work part-time in a comic book store, where I will still be working as you read this, and I was recently hired to work part-time at a pizza joint a dear friend of mine manages.  Also, I get a few bucks a month editing and shamelessly plugging the website Criminal Complex (http://www.boomtron.com/category/criminal-complex/).

 

When do you find time to write?

 

Mornings and evenings, usually.  It's not so much a matter of finding time to write as it is finding time to do all the other stuff I do.  Writing and/or creative (for lack of a better word) projects take priority for me.  I write more than I do anything else, I think.

 

Has your job or coworkers ever influenced a story?

 

Oh, all the time.  Nothing leaps to mind right now, but I know when I was a twenty-something, sexually frustrated 7-11 cashier, I wrote more than a couple stories about twenty-something, sexually frustrated 7-11 cashiers.  That sort of influence is a lot less obvious in my work these days, but it's still there.

 

What would it take for you to quit and write full time?

 

A more-or-less steady income.

 

Do your coworkers know you write? Do they know you write dark crime fiction?

 

Yeah, it's no secret, but I doubt if any of them really care.  Which is fine, since I barely care if they live or die, for the most part.

 

What do they say about it?

 

They rarely say anything about it to me, and I think it's unlikely they say anything behind my back, either.  Few people in my life really talk to me much about my writing, co-workers or otherwise.  And that's fine, honestly; I don't say this to sound like I feel under appreciated or anything.  People have got other things to do than wade through my writing and then stroke my ego about it afterwards.

 

Do you think people respect writing as a job, or does it come off as less "work" than a labor or office job?

 

Yeah, it doesn't tend to be taken as seriously as other "real" jobs.  I dealt with that a lot at 7-11, as well.  I worked at the same 7-11 from the age of 19 to 26, and I was often asked by people when I was going to get a real job.  My usual response to that was along the lines of either, "Huh?" or "Go fuck yourself."  And that's more or less my attitude still.  If people wanna have pissing contests about their jobs (or anything else, for that matter), they can do it on somebody else's time.  I got work to do.

 

Be honest, if you wrote full time, do you think you'd be disciplined about it?

 

Y'know, if you'd asked me that even a few years ago, I would have had my doubts, but I've become a lot more disciplined than I've ever been, with no real signs of abating.  As much as I've always enjoyed writing, it used to be kind of a chore, especially when it often felt like I was just spinning my wheels.  It feels less and less like that by the day, and if I was writing full-time, I doubt it'd feel much like that at all.  So no, that's not a worry at all, really.

 

What job, other than writing, would you most like to have?

 

Even though I've never even been up on ice skates or have even watched a game in ten years, I think it looks like a lot of fun being a hockey player.  That or some other creative pursuit--film, music, shit like that.

 

What has been your best job? Your worst?

 

When I went back to school full-time, I worked as an English tutor for those four years, and though it got to be a real drag in a lot of ways, the job itself was easily the most rewarding I've ever had, as far as day jobs go.  Instead of slinging Big Gulps or overpriced self-help CDs, I was helping supply people with something useful, something many of them were very grateful for and happy to have.  I've never really had a worst job; they've pretty much all been menial, low-paying shit jobs that suited me just fine right up until they didn't, and I quit and got another menial, low-paying shit job.

 

When do you find time to read?

 

Like with writing, it's less a matter of finding time and more a matter of making it.  I consider reading, even "for fun," to always be a form of research, and so it's not like I ever just stretch out in a hammock with some piece-of-shit romance novel, y'know?  If I can rationalize it as being work, then I can enjoy it a lot more, ironically enough.  And I won't then chide myself for being lazy.  Also, I always keep a book handy, so at work when I go out for a smoke break, I always have something to do.  No rest for the witless.

 

Have you ever, or maybe how often, have you considered quitting and shacking up to write novels, money issues be damned?

 

Oh, there's never a time that I'm not considering it.  It is rare that I actually ever consciously grasp that notion and seriously entertain it, but that's my primary goal in life, so that's always at least in the background somewhere in everything I do.  Even though my actual plan consists of little more than, "Write real good a lot."

 

What is your ultimate goal with writing? Full time journeyman or millionaire? Or are you satisfied doing it part time?

 

I don't know if I'd be satisfied with part-time, but only because I can't imagine getting to a point where I say, "Okay, that's enough."  I'm not saying it's impossible, but as it stands now, I will write part-time until I can do it full-time or die trying.  Whether I'd be a journeyman or a millionaire, I mean, obviously, I'd like to live comfortably.  But I've never been a millionaire and I've always managed to eke out an existence I'm satisfied with.  I don't think I'd miss the times when I've had to scrounge through my ashtray to smoke unfinished butts because I'm broke two days before payday.  But even if I had to do that every paycheck, I don't think I'd really care.

 

Given what you've earned writing, dividing it by the hours spent, what would you say is your hourly wage as a writer?

 

A math question, huh?  For a bunch of writers?  Lemme know how that works out.

 

Do you have a spouse/partner that would support you writing full time?

 

Financially or morally?  Well, either case is irrelevant to me at present, as I once again find myself single and ready to not mingle.  But there's very little reason for me to think that I'd ever have a spouse or partner who wouldn't support me at least morally in writing full-time.  And if I can find a pretty lady who wants to bring home the bacon while I stay home and play Times New Roman make-believe all day, I can't imagine I'd turn that down.

Link Day!

A bunch of links I've been remiss in not posting here. Let's get straight to business:


My latest Criminal Element piece. This time they asked me to talk about my collection of vintage Film Noir movie posters.

My new Crime Factory blog post about crime writing without borders.


The .99 sale celebrating the one year anniversary of Snubnose Press. Yep, Dig Two Graves is less than a dollar!


And Noir at the Bar - L.A. has our own Facebook page now. Come like it and if you have any pictures from past event, tag us. Wait until you get a look at our lineup for August. Can't wait to make it official.

Writers With Day Jobs: Keith Rawson

Keith Rawson is a highly respected writer and a pillar in the crime writing community. As one of the team who resurrected Crime Factory and now a contributor to LitReactor, it's a wonder he finds time to write. But he has managed to put out two collections of his raw, uncompromising short stories. 

This is a good time to remind you that both collections, Laughing At Dead Men and The Chaos We Know, along with every Snubnose Press release is on sale for the month of June for only .99.

You can get to know Keith's style over more than 40 stories that take you to dark and unexpected places, often with some very black humor along the way.

Keith joins us from the dusty Arizona bunker where his vivid imagination runs wild.

What do you do as your day job?

I work as a social media manager for a small magazine and book publisher 


When do you find time to write?
At this point, any time I have a free minute from family and work obligations, which is an hour or two a day during the week. Time for writing is the biggest obstacle I have at this point.

Has your job or coworkers ever influenced a story?

Not from my current job, but my previous job inspired a handful of short stories

What would it take for you to quit and write full time?

If I was making the same as I do at the day job, maybe even a little less.

Do your coworkers know you write? Do they know you write dark crime fiction?

They do know what I write, a couple of them have even bought my books.

What do they say about it?

They've never mentioned it, so they either think I suck or they haven't read them yet.

Do you think people respect writing as a job, or does it come off as less "work" than a labor or office job?

Maybe it's the people I hang out with, but most of my friends and co-workers realize that writing is hard work. Most people I know are shocked that I even have the time and energy to write and work, so they're very respectful of it as a profession

Be honest, if you wrote full time, do you think you'd be disciplined about it?

I think I would? I would just have to develop a regular schedule and stick with it.

What job, other than writing, would you most like to have?

I actually work it right now, so I feel fairly satisfied in my day-to-day life.

What has been your best job? Your worst?

Best job was working graveyard shift at a gas station/garage. I didn't make all that much, but I met a ton of interesting people and spent most nights reading and writing. My worst job is a tie between being the manager of a day program for special needs adults and children, and that mostly had to do with the hours (I typically worked 14 hours a day.) and the job I worked before my current gig. I won't mention the name of the company or what I did because the company tends to be a bit sue happy whenever they're mentioned negatively.

When do you find time to read?

An hour or so before bed and on my lunch hour. I'm a fast reader, so I can typically chew through 300 pages in the time I have for reading.

Have you ever, or maybe how often, have you considered quitting and shacking up to write novels, money issues be damned?

I think about it daily, but I don't think it would be fair for my wife to shoulder the entire burden of supporting the household while I churned out a novel.

What is your ultimate goal with writing? Full time journeyman or millionaire? Or are you satisfied doing it part time?

I'd like to just make a living at it, and for the time being, I'm content with doing it part time.

Given what you've earned writing, dividing it by the hours spent, what would you say is your hourly wage as a writer?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Next question.

Do you have a spouse/partner that would support you writing full time?

I don't know because I've never really broached the subject with my wife. I think if I felt comfortable with the money I was earning, she'd be comfortable with it too.

Writers with day jobs: Nigel Bird

Nigel Bird seemed to come out of nowhere not too long ago in the crime writing field. And he arrived fully formed. I'm sure I am underselling the years of hard work he put in before I ever heard of him, but that's how it seemed to me. He is a prolific writer who has earned high praise and has been relentless in getting material out there whether in his self published collections or getting Blasted Heath to pick up his novella Smoke, or editing and appearing in the Pulp Ink anthologies.

Wth the release of his new novel, In Loco Parentis, he's even invented a new genre - "Teacher Noir".

Does that have anything to do with his day job? Read on to find out.

What do you do as your day job?

I’m a teacher in a Primary school.  Have been for 24 years (yikes).  I’ve had a few different incarnations.  Firstly I spent 11 years in 2 schools as a class teacher.  From there, I spent 4 years at Scotland’s national school for the deaf (where I worked mainly with autistic, hearing children).  Now I’m a Support For Learning teacher, working with individuals and small groups and trying to make sure the children with Additional Support Needs are well looked after.

When do you find time to write?

I have the evenings for writing, writing-related business and reading, which means when my children have gone to bed.  I’m usually pretty drained from the work day, so I can’t stay up into the early hours. I also took Wednesdays off work so that I can see more of my own kids.  That’s great as a father and gives me a couple of extra hours.

Has your job or coworkers ever influenced a story?

  My novella, Smoke, was influenced by the area in which I work.  It’s a hard place.  There are pockets of poverty in terms of money and experience.  On the one hand, it offers material in terms of setting, on the other it makes me want to add a little hope (which reflects what I do during the day).

a  ‘In Loco Parentis’, the novel I’ve just released, is teacher noir.  It’s about as close a book as I’ll ever write about myself and my experiences.  There’s a lot of my younger self in there and it makes me wonder how I got to be an older self.

What would it take for you to quit and write full time?

  Truth is it would be money.  3 children need to be maintained in all the ways that children do.  I’d need to sell a hell of a lot of books.     That dream is probably not attainable.  Not really, even though I keep hoping.

  What occurs to me as being more feasible is changing work to earn a slice of bread and a thin spreading of butter as a librarian’s assistant, say, or doing something within the world of books.  The way I imagine it is that I wouldn’t be so emotionally exhausted that way and I’d be able to let the creative self have a bigger slice of the Nigel Bird pie.   Thing is, I’m almost burned out as a teacher.  The tank’s less than half-full.  Experience has taken over from energy, but I’ll owe it to the children I work with to make sure I get out before I’m wasting their time.

Do your coworkers know you write? Do they know you write dark crime fiction?

  Yes, they know.  A few are interested.  Some buy the odd piece and read it.  A couple even like it.  I suspect they became bored about my one topic of conversation some time ago, so I don’t bring it up much any more.

  What do they say about it?

The best things I’ve had said have related to me talking to classes about the process of writing and of building a dream.  That’s the way it makes sense to them, I think.  It’s great to be able to share that with children, whatever their talents or ambitions; fact is, where I am, even hinting that there is life outside of the streets they live on seems like a big deal.   And, I kid you not, in my back pocket right now is a story handed to me by an 8 year old boy.  He said he writes and wanted me to take a look at his work.  I’ve spoken to him and he’s going to do the next chapter in a week when he’s at his Gran’s.

  Do you think people respect writing as a job, or does it come off as less "work" than a labor or office job?

  Actually, not really.  There are always the ‘everyone has a book in them’ comments, as if it’s something everyone can do, but not everyone has the luxury or the desire to make that choice.  I suspect that respect is relative to writing success – if you’re a best seller, then you can be looked up to.

Be honest, if you wrote full time, do you think you'd be disciplined about it?

  Yes, I think I would.  I spend so much time with writing-related things that I just need another self.  Working at my own stuff after a full day’s work and fathering, I know I have the drive and the application otherwise I’d have stopped long, long ago.

What has been your best job? Your worst?

I really loved my first teaching job.  It was in Hampstead, London, and I got to meet people I never would have come across otherwise.  As an example, I stayed for a week in the home of an editor for the Washington Post because I’d taught his children.  And got into gigs because of music producers who’d worked with the likes of Springsteen.  To galleries to see the work of artists.  To conversations with intellects taller than Liberty herself.  And to get to know some of the liveliest children’ minds imaginable.   Worst?  Selling cheap jewellery in a cheap jewellery shop.  I was awful at it.  Worst experience was scratching the gold off some guy’s watch when I was haplessly trying to change a battery.

  When do you find time to read?

  Reading is part of the business of writing, I think.  It’s in the evenings, when travelling, on holidays.  Any spare moment I can find when I’m in the groove.  Just now, I’m too whacked to manage anything much.

  Have you ever, or maybe how often, have you considered quitting and shacking up to write novels, money issues be damned? I’ve thought about it every day for all the day’s I can remember.

  What is your ultimate goal with writing? Full time journeyman or millionaire? Or are you satisfied doing it part time?

  It’s to write full-time, then to produce work that is undeniably good.  The real goal is quality, I suppose.  Then sales.

Given what you've earned writing, dividing it by the hours spent, what would you say is your hourly wage as a writer?

  Brilliant question.   I’m off to do some maths.  

If you stretch back to when I put out magazines and lost money, I’d imagine I’m on about 20p an hour, or 30c.  I hate to see it written out that way.   Thing is, the hourly rate isn’t that important.  It’s the amount.   If I work for an hour on something like this and get one sale of something, that’s likely another 26p.  I won’t begrudge that because it will also mean another reader.  Being read is fab.

  Do you have a spouse/partner that would support you writing full time?

  I’m sure Isobel would support me full time if she could.  Unfortunately (from a financial perspective) she’s a student again, working on a PhD on buildings conservation.  She’s worked in the world of museums and art conservation as her career and even though she’s a Cambridge graduate, her salary has always been low. I’ve just asked her.  She says that if she was earning a stack, she’d expect me to be at home for the children and the household jobs as much as for helping me as a writer.  That’s cool.

I'm Underrated! Yeah! (I think)

It's not news to me that I fall into the category of underrated, but now I have proof. The Pop Culture Nerd is doing her annual Stalker Awards again, some of the most fun and irreverent awards out there. My name mysteriously appeared in the "Most Criminally Underrated Authors" category alongside Bill Cameron and Craig McDonald.


There are some great categories in the Stalker Awards, and they change every year. Things like Best Sidekick, Best Dialogue, Character you'd most like as a friend. Some great books to choose from too. I was thrilled to see the opener from Gar Anthony Haywood's Assume Nothing in the running for best opening line. (Heck, I nominated it and I guess some other people did too)

So get over there and vote. Bill and Craig are surely more criminally underrated than I am so vote for whoever you want. And if I don't take the prize of being voted most underrated, then I remain underrated and therefore can lay claim to the title even more than the winner. Come to think of it, doesn't winning a category like this immediately disqualify you from the category itself? Damn, that's some serious Inception shit right there.

Writers With Day Jobs: R. Thomas Brown

In this first of what will be an ongoing series of interviews with writers who do not write full time, I welcome R. Thomas Brown. A prolific short story writer, Brown has written in both the horror and crime genres and has several short story collections as well as a horror novella and the newly released novel, Hill Country (Snubnose Press).


I asked the same set of questions to a bunch of writers and over the next few weeks I'l reveal what they said about working full time, writing part or sometimes full time as well. The fact is, most writers don't make a living at it. I know I don't. Not even close. So while some out there might think having a book on Amazon is a path to riches and private yachts, these talented and really hard working writers will give a glimpse into the trenches of the day-to-day grind of putting words on paper.


So allow me to welcome R. Thomas Brown to my little corner of the web.

What do you do as your day job?

I’m a statistician. I’ve worked in different fields, banking, database marketing, telecom. Right now it’s medical billing. I don’t really have a strong tie to the field, but I do enjoy building stat models. The challenge of finding the right technique, and the right decision points is usually an interesting challenge. When it gets to be too much of a routine job, I usually look elsewhere.

When do you find time to write?

At lunch, at home when everyone else is asleep, or when some code is running (which can take an hour depending on the size of the dataset.)  I can find about 4 hours total on a good day, and less than one on a tough day. On those, I usually end up trading sleep for writing.

Has your job or coworkers ever influenced a story?

Coworkers, sure, but only in that I take little bits of backstory or personality quirks from anyone I see or know. Nothing directly. Work, some, but not literally. There are emotional connections to work that I try to work in as well as feelings about what the company does. The reality of my work would make for pretty boring stories.

What would it take for you to quit and write full time?

A huge breakout, or years of steady income that I felt comfortable with. Right now, married with three kids, the responsibilities are too great. I’d need to feel that I could step away from the income and benefits and still be able to provide what was needed. Sure, my wife could work more, but we’d still have to be able to make up the gap.

Do your coworkers know you write? Do they know you write dark crime fiction?

Some do, I don’t talk about personal stuff much at work. I pretty much either work from home, or in my office without interruption or interaction. Sure, there are meetings, but those stay on task for the most part.

What do they say about it?

The few that do usually ask why I chose to write that. I just say those are the stories that come to me. Honestly, the couple who have read anything of mine usually ask why I have to curse so damned much. (The damned was mine).

Do you think people respect writing as a job, or does it come off as less "work" than a labor or office job?

Speaking just on my own discussions about my writing, I’m so new at it, and still working, so people act as if it’s a hobby. I don’t argue with them. I think people think of writers as either hobbyists or celebrities. Neither one of those seems like “worker”.

Be honest, if you wrote full time, do you think you'd be disciplined about it?

I’d probably write 4-5 hours a day. When I don’t have much going on, and really get 4 hours in, I don’t normally feel like writing more, even if I have time. Sure, there have been the odd days where I wrote for 8, but that’s so rare as to be inconsequential. I’d probably spend time on the internet, or running errands to make for less busy weekends. Now, would that change if I never had to think about work and so wasn’t mentally as tired? Maybe, but I doubt it.

What job, other than writing, would you most like to have?

Well, I used to want to be a professor. But, my wife is one, and that doesn’t seem as appealing anymore. I’d like to just be an instructor of economics at a community college. That’s what my masters degree is in, and I’ve done some classes part time. I think once I can get in a financial place (through paying off the house, or more money writing, or just getting the kids on their own – in like 15 years) I’ll probably pursue that.

What has been your best job? Your worst?

Best job? Really they’ve all be about the same. They start off interesting. New problems, new questions, gets me thinking. In time, it gets routine and I move on.

Worst? Accounts payable for a private prison management company. Sure, there were interesting parts (almost all when I would visit the facilities to do an audit) but the job itself was pretty boring.

When do you find time to read?

At night. Often, I’m too tired to write, but not physically tired enough to sleep. That’s perfect reading time. Just get lost in a story and relax.

Have you ever, or maybe how often, have you considered quitting and shacking up to write novels, money issues be damned?

I used to. And sure, now and then I think about just chucking it all, moving out to some cheaper property, homeschooling the kids, and making a go of it. But then I realize the kids and my wife would kill me.

What is your ultimate goal with writing? Full time journeyman or millionaire? Or are you satisfied doing it part time?

For now, part time is fine. I’d like it to earn enough so that I could pick a job that I enjoyed more, without worrying so much about money. And, I hope it will someday earn me enough to make for a better retirement.

Given what you've earned writing, dividing it by the hours spent, what would you say is your hourly wage as a writer?

I won’t say. It’s too depressing and I refuse.

Do you have a spouse/partner that would support you writing full time?

She would, if it earned enough. Right now, she works part time. She’d be willing to work full time, if the writing was making enough for it all to work out.

Gutshot

I have a new short story, Gutshot, up at Near to the Knuckle, a great crime fiction site out of the UK. I figured it was about time to get some more shorts out in the world. I got an acceptance for another story, but it won't be out until January (!). So, mark your calendars now.

Of course the latest in my Revival House columns over at Criminal Element is still going strong. More to come.