If you’ve read my bio in the back of each book, you might recall there is a line in there that one of the driving factors in diving into being an author was to find a way to unwind from the pressures of my day job. As fulfilling as my IT gig can be, there is no way to truly explain the stresses involved in trying to keep up with the constant changes in the field, nor the challenges of accommodating ever-shifting needs of our clients. To be fair, it’s meant I’ve enjoyed nearly thirty years of fascinating experiences that continue to keep me fresh and engaged, but it also underscores how important it is to find a way to unwind.
I’m not entirely sure I consider writing a hobby at this point — not with nearly ten books out now — though right up until Blindsided finally appeared, it probably would have qualified. I tried my hand at novels earlier, of course, and there are a ton of half-formed stories sitting on my hard drive that didn’t go anywhere as a result. Deciding to become an author — for real — pushed me into considering it a line of work, though one just different enough to provide that change of scene I’d needed from my day job. (A quick aside: writing is work — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It just happens to be, much like my IT day gig, work I truly enjoy.)
I dabbled with plastic models when I was a kid, though I always felt as though talents in this area skipped a generation. My first true kit build was (surprise, surprise) the 1979/1980 Star Trek: The Motion Picture version of the Enterprise; in my memories, it came out far better than the version that actually sat forlornly on it’s side atop my bookcase in my bedroom. Next up was a version of the Original Series Enterprise, and this time around I actually managed to paint it fairly close to what the instructions called for.
With some help from my far more talented father, we together built the Star Trek II version of the Enterprise, and while we never finished it off with decals, it proudly hung above my desk right up until junior high school. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the final model, for what with swimming, Boy Scouts and my focus on getting into college, there was very little time for anything else.
The idea of getting back into that hobby became stronger after a friend and I drove to the International Plastic Model Society’s annual convention in Phoenix; combined with finding an avid modeler or two on YouTube willing to share their tips, tricks and secrets, the bug bit me hard enough that a new kit with all the trimmings arrived in my hands before I knew, truly, what I’d decided to do.
Building the movie Enterprise took me the better part of two years, mostly because I was deliberately slow about how I went about the process. I desperately wanted it to come out looking like the starship of my dreams, the one I grew up watching soar across the screen in adventure after adventure. I cannot tell you how many coats of paint are on that ship, nor how difficult it turned out to be to ensure that the lights were placed at the proper angles to breathe life into the model; halfway through, I found myself wondering if it was truly necessary to put together the landing bay/cargo deck, since no one would ever see it. That was when that same dear friend of mine told me something that has resonated since.
“You’ll know it’s there,” he said, “and that makes all the difference.”
He was totally right, too.
The completed version of the Enterprise now sits proudly in our dining room, though for some time it had pride of place above our television in the living room; a recent change to our furniture pushed it into the Delta Quadrant. I’ve worked on a few smaller models since, including a 1970s era kit for the Original Series Bridge, and have in fits and starts plugged along on another 1:350 scale starship. Writing has taken up more of my time than I expected, so that’s frustrated my ability to get much work done on that other hobby of mine. After writing ten books over three years, my wife made the sage observation that it might just be okay to take a week or two away from the keyboard; tackling the outstanding steps would be a welcome mental reset.
I hasten to add, in case you are worried, this doesn’t mean I’m taking a break from writing; far from it. While there is something serene about sanding away the rough edges on a piece, then carefully bringing it together with another to form something new, it’s perhaps not unlike a detective slowly putting together the puzzle of a mystery…