My writing career started at the end of a gravel driveway lined with tall pines and sun-dappled daffodils. Although it was more than 30 years ago, I recall that day with the fiercest clarity: walking up to the massive oak door with a hand-forged handle, tugging on its surprising weight, and entering a world of art and craft, music and writing. I was visiting the Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, where I got a job writing newsletters and press releases, articles and ads. Once I saw my first published article, I was hooked. I haven’t stopped writing since.
I’ve gone on to write more than 1,200 articles for major magazines, hundreds of newsletters, and dozens of blogs. I'm proudest of the 15 books I’ve written, including my latest: A Life for a Life. The way I see it, books are to writers what pentathlons are to athletes: Endurance.
Other books include Words at Work, which I wrote straight from my heart, a much-needed response to all the questions and concerns people have about writing today. (It won top honors from the National Best Books Awards.) That same year, I wrote Contemporary Hawai’i Woodworkers: the Wood, the Art, the Aloha, a coffee-table art book featuring 35 artists; it won several awards, too, and sold out quickly. Since then, I’ve written two Amazon Bestselling Books: How Not to Sound Stupid When You Write and Write Your Book Now! In 2015, I wrote Aloha Expressionism by Contemporary Hawai'i Artists featuring 50 more artists living on those beautiful islands.
For the past 10 years, I've also enjoyed coaching others on how to write well at work and on their own books. I learn a lot from my clients, too, and together we're brining our writing dreams to fruition.
What's next? I'm busy with the sequel to A Life for a Life so I get to enjoy Abit's, er, I mean V.J.'s company again. You can too—just sign up below for more stories, updates, and tips for your own writing.
