Twenty Years as a Ghostwriter

 Happy Holidays. I trust everyone had a Merry Christmas. As we head into the New Year, we tend to reflect on what's happened to us during the last twelve months and see how that will stack up for what's in store. Recently, I was at a convention when another author announced that next year will bring the 20th anniversary of her first novel and mentioned that she's published twelve since then in that series, as well as several other standalones. That reminded me that in 2006, my debut novel was also released, which was later followed by six more in the Felix Gomez series, plus a YA standalone and my Cats in Quarantine memoir. Nine books under my name and a dozen-plus short stories. But compared to my author friend's accomplishments, my output seemed wanting.

However, over those twenty years, I had been very busy as a ghostwriter. When I first heard the term "ghostwriter," I asked my dad what it meant, which he explained. I thought it an odd profession, only to embrace it decades later. What interesting turns life puts in our paths.

While I enjoyed being a ghostwriter, the downside was that I was working on someone else's ideas instead of my own. It was write-for-hire with no residuals. A big positive was that the money was fairly steady. And I got to work with interesting clients on fascinating subjects I would not otherwise have explored. As a summary of that career, I've collected the covers of published works I completed as a ghostwriter or as co-author. Not every project made it to print. Several were screenplays and others stalled because of money problems or the client had second thoughts about the story. Some of our clients were very involved in the process, giving lots of feedback. Others barely read the manuscript, trusting me to produce a narrative true to their vision. 

Below, the books in the first row are novels. Good Money Gone a financial thriller set in Panama. I've always wanted to write a WW2 story but didn't have a good enough idea until Kirk Raeber hired me to help him write Forgotten Letters. My spin the classic Western was Luther, Wyoming, which suffered the sad fate of being released at the start of the Covid lockdown.

Row two are memoirs. Always Forward, one man's journey in the US Marines, from the mean streets of Detroit to the meaner streets of Mogadishu. What do I know about being a destitute Black teenager in Jamaica? My client, Petergay Dunkley-Mullings, taught me much with Can't Afford to Fail. In another project about WW2, Mark Verwiel approached Broken Destiny from a metaphysical perspective, which was how we connected. Minor-League Buzz: Major-League Life by Don Miers, a raucous, sometimes raunchy, résumé of his adventures as a baseball manager. 

Top row, below. Possibly my most unforgettable client was that high-energy tornado, Todd Saylor, with whom I wrote his Wire Differently series. Steven Schwartz outlined his business success and principles in Spiritual Consciousness. 

Second row, below. Four thrillers. Lone Justice gave me insights into the world of a Black lawyer in Dallas, Texas. Star Revelations by Steven Paul Terry, a metaphysical political thriller involving time travel, alien mentors, and Project ULTRA. The Natanz Directive, a political thriller with super-spy Jake Conlan, co-written with Mark Graham. A funny anecdote: a reviewer commented that the author Wayne Simmons showed off his CIA credentials with his detailed descriptions of Tehran when that had me using Google Maps! Writer friend Josh Viola asked me to rework his sci-fi/fantasy epic, Bane of Yoto, and amp up the violence and gore. A delightful challenge.

Below, top row. Business books. Ex-Navy fighter pilot turned investment consultant, Matthew "Whiz" Buckley showed people how to exploit stock opportunities in Covid Crash. John Manzetti presented case studies of good and bad business decisions in Small Bites of the Elephant. My last project as a ghostwriter, Patience With Patients, about the need for patient empathy, by Dr. Jim Longobardi.

Last row. Another crack at The Big One, books by Carl Haupt, a WW2 vet and an eccentric but good-hearted client who passed away shortly before we got to complete the last of his inspirations. These novels feature the adventures of Gary Catlin, who winds up in Formosa, an overlooked region during the war. Working on these stories sent me down many deep and winding rabbit holes, courtesy of vintage National Geographic magazines and maps in the Texas online university library system.

Twenty-one books in twenty years. Whew!

Back to The Scene of The Crime

 My holidays began with a visit to a client in Bradenton, Florida. When I arrived at the airport Hyatt, I found out that the hotel restaurant was closed. Upon asking the desk clerk for dining recommendations, she handed me a photo-copied map and said the closest place was Rico's. Off I went on foot. When I read the street sign at the next intersection and saw that it was the North Tamiami Trail, I said to myself, "I've been here before."

The opening chapter for my third novel, The Undead Kama Sutra, took place close to this intersection. My detective-vampire Felix Gomez had been summoned by an alien from the first book. The alien was asking Felix to find "the man who killed me." (The alien was dying from a gruesome blaster wound.) The scene:

"I sat on the alien's bed. We were on the second floor of a cheap motel in Sarasota, Florida. To get up the stairs I had to get past three hookers, their pimp, and a blind man selling pot--for medicinal purposes, of course...

Outside, the second shift of hookers prowled the curb alongside North Tamiami Trail, the main drag in this part of Sarasota. They strutted on stiletto heels around discarded hip flasks and bottles of malt liquor...

None of the hookers showed any interest. Considering the neighborhood, a whale could fall out of the sky and flatten the motel, but no one would admit to seeing a thing."

To Florida's credit, North Tamiami Trail has improved considerably since I wrote that passage. Had I continued straight at the intersection I would've wound up in the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum (of the Ringling Brothers circus fame and fortune). But as I was hungry, I took a left at North Tamiami Trail and continued in search of Rico's. The street was a wide, divided boulevard and in spite of the busy traffic, surprisingly dark. The sidewalk passed stretches of businesses, closed for the night, and gloomy grassy lots, marked with signs prohibiting access. Like similar places in other American cities, empty liquor bottles, discarded clothes, and stolen grocery carts lay abandoned in the weeds. Whereas closer to the airport, you had your pick of chain hotels, here the accommodations were local motels. Most seemed well kept, some retained the sketchy vibe from my book, and others were shuttered and deserted. No hookers anywhere. As I said, it was quite dark and when another person approached from the opposite direction, the chance meeting filled me with a cautionary dread. What if he--they were all men--pulled a knife or a gun and decided to rob me? Step by step we closed the distance and even in the meager light, I could sense they were as apprehensive as I was. I find it hysterical that anyone would be afraid of me, but being Mexican, you get used to this sort of thing. When we passed shoulder to shoulder and realized that we would survive the encounter unscathed, we both breathed a sigh of relief but quickened our pace away from each other, just in case. 

I made it to Rico's, alive. The pizzeria was quasi-divey but friendly and welcoming. My earlier meals had been in over-priced airport restaurants and frankly, Rico's was the cheapest and best place I'd eaten at all day. 

So with this tale of my most recent adventure in Florida, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy Killings!

Season's Greetings to everyone. It's been a busy, yet amazing year. I spent a lot of time on the road with WordFire Press, hawking books at various ComicCons from Miami to Seattle and parts in between. I got to meet old fans and make new ones. And I edited two anthologies and got several short stories published. Plus, I taught writing classes at Regis University and Lighthouse Writers. Like I said, it's been a busy year.

While we push books here at Type M, I can't ignore that many of us indulge in binge-watching. My favorite was the New Detectives on Netflix. The series detailed the use of forensics and old-style sleuthing to solve actual crimes. It was sobering but not surprising to learn that murderers tend to be, in order of most likely: husbands, boyfriends, wives, adult children, neighbors, and strangers. If any of you are contemplating homicide, word to the wise--ditch the murder weapon and destroy the notes or letters where you outline the steps to the crime! Rookie mistakes like that will get you fifty-to-life, if not a date with the needle.

For the New Year I've got an ambitious schedule. More stories to publish. Hopefully edit at least one more anthology. More touring. More teaching. Stay tuned.

Here's hoping 2017 brings good tidings for all of us.