Happy October!
Some of you are aware that one year ago this month, I said goodbye to a 20-year career in Corporate America to pursue a new career as a writer. It was a career that began in 1993 after serving a three-year commitment in the US Army Medical
Corps. During those 20 years in Corporate America, I worked in healthcare as an emergency room nurse tech (4 years), an IT services contractor (2 years) and both as a Microsoft technical support engineer and technical account manager (14 years). In addition to my corporate job, I was a partner in my wife’s publishing company which published a monthly Arts and Entertainment magazine from 1998-2002. During weeknights and weekends, I worked as senior editor where my primary responsibilities included writing original articles and editing submissions by other journalists. I thoroughly enjoyed my work in publishing, but deep inside, I always wanted to write books. I had started four books during the aforementioned 20-year period, but with school, work and volunteer community commitments, I just couldn’t seem to maintain the rhythm necessary to go deep into the process. Those “attempts” are still in notebooks, archived in boxes of things we all collect over years of living in a house. 🙂
In January of 2013, nearly 2 years after “returning from the front lines of the War on C^ncer,” I decided to map out and begin a writing project that has culminated in the completion and forthcoming release of “From Fear to Faith: A Survivor’s Story.” I had originally hoped to finish the book within 4-6 months of starting, but soon realized that the quagmire of busting my rear for a good end-of-year performance review (at work) would not allow me to finish the project so quickly; so that September, still writing at a snail’s pace, I took a month off work to contemplate whether or not I could actually pull the trigger on giving up a comfortable “steady,” and jump into the abyss. If by the end of September I’d changed my mind, I could just keep working on the book and stay in Corporate. My mind did not change. During that month I learned how to “breathe at my own rhythm” and when I returned to work that last week of September, I realized that I was finished. Corporate America had nothing new to offer that would pique my interest and likewise, I had nothing left to give. One week later I turned in my notice and my last day was October 18th.
Well, fast forward to today, which is about one year and a week after my exit, and I’m on the brink of seeing my dream come true. I want to thank each and every one of you (my friends, family and supporters) for being a part of that dream. This book holds deep meaning for me, as at its climax, it details one of the most difficult and challenging periods of my life to date. While I was very private about my struggle during its duration, I decided to share my story, with the hope that the journey you will take while reading will strengthen your mind and help to assuage the fears so germane to “The C Word” and diagnoses thereof. (By the way, I am not afraid to say or write the word “cancer;” for personal reasons, I just don’t like it and as such, use it as little as is necessary).
Finally, “From Fear to Faith: A Survivor’s Story” has been labeled a memoir by some in the literary community, but I never wrote it as such and therefore don’t describe it that way myself. I wrote it to read like a saga and in my own humble opinion, I have achieved that goal; so when it’s finally available for sale (both Kindle and paperback), I encourage you to set the temperature in your favorite reading room to just below comfortable, put on your favorite set of pajamas, fix up your favorite “liquid reading companion” (hot cocoa, tea, a nice glass of red wine, whatever your pleasure), then snuggle up with a warm and comfy blanket/quilt/throw and enjoy. So far I have been pleased with the responses received from the people I’ve let read the teaser and would love to hear your feedback (the teaser will be available for download here in the next few days). I hope you enjoy reading the teaser and book (to follow); it’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride writing it and I’ve enjoyed the experience.
Thanks for reading and have a great week (what’s left of it)!
– Matt
