That was the reaction I expected my immediate family to have when I told them I was retiring at the age of 45 to write novels full time. It’s not an unreasonable reaction, to be sure, as I’ve only ever written one novel (so far) and it’s not even finished yet. And who retires at 45 except lottery winners or wunderkind business tycoons after they’ve made their first billion?

But that isn’t going to stop me. I’ve been thinking about this for a very long time, and I honestly hadn’t planned on doing it right now. I’d always had it in the back of my mind that I’d someday, in the far nebulous future, retire from my work-a-day job (probably around the age of 65 or so) and then I’d get to write full time.

Life has a funny way of slapping you upside the head, some days. I think that’s what happened here.

My job situation changed in a way that has allowed me to gracefully step away from the work-a-day world with enough financial resources to live at my current comfort level for the next three years or so, allowing me to write full-time.

And can I write? I don’t know. But I’m going to find out. And I’m not going to look back 25 years from now and regret not making this move. Worst case scenario? I go back to the 9 to 5 world. My skills don’t get old. I can step right back into it if I have to.

I’m going to use this blog to chronicle my attempt to write, publish and sell my own works. Sci-fi and fantasy novels for now, who knows what I’ll branch into later. But I would be pleased if this blog ends up being a resource for future writers who also make this daring move.

We’re in the midst of a renaissance in self-publishing, a way for writers to become successful without having to have a big publisher. A minor-league or entry-level, if you will, for publishing your work.

I’ve heard of individuals who make a nice living writing books and selling them on Amazon and other ebook platforms. Nothing huge, $20k, $50k, $80k a year, etc. I’d be happy with any of those amounts.

So, check back, see what I’ve blogged about the process. Today I’ve started looking at Amazon’s program, trying to figure out how it works, what I can expect, what I need to do to get things rolling.

But first, I have to finish a book. It is a lot of work. I have no illusions about that. I’ll be covering those aspects as well, especially editing, re-writing, etc.

And as to my family? They are supporting me 100%. Even my dad gave me a touching gift and note, completely at odds with what I expected from a man who’s worked in the corporate world his whole life and subtly poo-poo’d people with creative talents. Which is why I love him so. He’s only gruff on the outside.

See you around.