Giddy Delight

Patty here…

Being so new to this writing game, everything that happens fills me with giddy delight. I just received a copy of the latest Reader’s Digest Special Editions volume in which COVER YOUR ASSETS is included along with books by Jeffrey Archer, Nicholas Sparks, and Rosie Thomas.

At the end of the book they profiled me but also my Westie, PJ, the prototype for Tucker’s dog Muldoon. He’s handsome, eh?



Even more amazing than having my book condensed in a volume for the venerable Reader’s Digest is seeing how they edited the manuscript to fit their format. Impressive. Even more impressive is that I discovered a whole new career: Condenser. I don’t know about you, but my high school guidance counselor never told me about that one.

There are so many jobs out there that I never knew about or if I knew about them, I certainly never viewed them as realistic careers. Take writing for instance. I was always an avid reader, but I never imagined that I could write an entire book. The idea didn’t take form until I was in graduate school working toward a masters degree in business. Now I’m starting my fourth novel and still scratching my head in wonder. Sometimes we find our passion late in life. The hard part is finding it at all.

I began working when I was thirteen, and I’ve been at it ever since. The fact that I’ve had so many jobs has made me fearless about changing careers, mainly because I’m not big on regrets.

“No man ever said on his deathbed, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office.’” –Anna Quindlen

“Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” –Coco Chanel

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” –Beverly Sills

A writer friend of mine, who is also a job gadabout, once suggested that we list all of our work experiences and compare notes. It turned into a pretty hilarious exercise. I won the goofy job contest with this one: Easter bunny at a children’s party. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen me in bunny feet.


Coincidentally, I'll soon be heading to Bouchercon, The World Mystery Convention in Madison, Wisconsin, where I'll be on a panel on Thursday, September 28, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. with Don Bruns, Barbara D'Amato, Chuck Zito and moderated by David J. Walker. The title? "But what I really wanted to do was...dance!" We'll each be talking about the wacky and wonderful non writing jobs we've held and how they figured into the plots of our books. And that's why I don’t regret working at any of those jobs. Each has provided rich soil for growing novel ideas.

So what’s your wackiest job ever?

p.s. Here are some shots of my trip to Maine

On the boat after many days without a shower. Be thankful this post isn’t scratch-and-sniff.

Castine, Maine

Relaxing at the Castine Yacht Club.

Boats anchored in Pulpit Harbor


Happy Monday!