Anniversary Shmanniversary
I'm not a big fan of commemorating dates.
I’m not a big anniversary guy. What I mean by that is that I’m not all that interested in commemorating dates… at least not beyond some birthdays, my wedding, a few holidays, and days of national remembrance (like 9/11). For the most part, formally recognizing exactly how long ago something happened just makes me feel — well, kind of old.
For example, I saw this last week:
40 years? I mean, how is that even possible?
I’m perhaps an outlier in my age-group in that I’ve never been much of a U2 fan, but I remember that era of pop-culture quite well. And the realization that four decades have since passed left the sense that I’m now categorically ancient.
Here’s another one that just came across my radar:
As I think I probably made clear in last week’s newsletter, I was a big Lost fan. And that particular episode and scene (along with the Desmond/Penny love-story as a whole) were among my favorite things about it. In fact, I’ve toyed with the idea of dedicating an edition of the Daly Grind to the greatness of that fictional romance (sort of a deep-dive look), but that won’t be happening this week.
My only point about it today is that it feels like I first watched “The Constant” no more than six or seven years ago. It blew my mind that it’s been more than twice that long.
Pulling off a hat trick, I was reminded last week of one more anniversary. This one, however, was quite a bit more personal. A reader pointed out to me that this year will mark the 10th anniversary of my first book, From a Dead Sleep.
I suppose it’s of trivial interest, and I of course appreciated the individual thinking of me and my work in that regard, but when I recall back to when I was working on that novel, what mostly comes to mind is how young my kids were at the time.
In fact, shortly after I announced to the world in 2012 that I had just signed a publishing contract (which came as a big surprise to friends who had no idea I’d even had an interest in writing), I cited my children as a big reason why I had taken on the endeavor:
A great deal of motivation also came from the birth of my first child. When I became a new parent, I found an unexpected, almost instinctive urge to leave some kind of legacy behind for my children. I know that simply being a good father is the most important thing I could give them, but I also felt compelled to create something that would demonstrate to them that hard work and dedication does pay off. I suppose that’s a lesson I taught myself as well.
I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of nobility in that position, but in regard to the theme I’m hitting on this week, the relevant point is that my first child is now in college!
In other words, I’ve been doing this for a long time now… which means I was a lot younger when I started… which means I’m feeling pretty old right about now.
Stupid anniversaries.
Anyway, if we’re going by publishing dates, and not pen-to-paper chronology, the Sean Coleman Thriller series will indeed turn 10 in about three months. With five books in print, and a sixth in the works, I’m still having fun with it, and I always try to look forward (not back) with my writing.
With that in mind, I’ve been making some major headway on Sean Coleman #6 lately, and in the coming months I think I’ll begin sharing some details about it with Daly Grind readers. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, if you’re into anniversaries more than I am, and you really want to celebrate a decade of Sean, by all means have at it. 😉
Been floored recently by an anniversary revelation? Let me know about it in an email or in the comment section below.
Something Different in the Works
If things go as planned, next week will be a special video-cast edition of the Daly Grind. I’m going to keep the topic secret for now, but I hope you’ll all enjoy it.
Random Thought
Obligatory Dog Shot
Chin rest.
Why?
Just… why?
Have you picked up your copy of RESTITUTION?
My latest book “Restitution: A Sean Coleman Thriller” is out now! You can get it on Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Books-A-Million, and wherever else books are sold.
Interested in a signed copy? You can order one (or five) here.
Already read and enjoyed it? I’d love if you could leave a review for the book on Amazon.
Featured Vinyl
Admission: I’ve had this record for a while, but have never listened to it. From what little I remember of the music in the Dirty Harry films, it was pretty consistent with the corny action scores of the 70s and 80s. But I liked the nostalgic Eastwood imagery on the album cover, so that’s why I bought it.
On a side note, any of you who know my wife might want to give her a hard time, when you see her next, for thinking the Dirty Harry films were westerns.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading today’s Daly Grind.
Want to drop me a line? You can email me at johndalybooks@hotmail.com, and also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you haven’t subscribed to this newsletter yet, please click on the “Subscribe now” button below. Doing so will get these posts emailed directly to you.
Also, if you’re not caught up on my Sean Coleman Thrillers, you can pick the entire series up at a great price on Amazon. And if you’re interested in signed, personalized copies of my books, you can order them directly from my website.
Take care. And I’ll talk to you soon!
Thanks for calling me a " Tribalist", when I was a blind Trump follower. Gave me lots to ponder.
Happy Anniversary!
Thanks for a great 10 years of writing.