Ask the Author: B.T. Polcari
Answered Questions (10)
B.T. Polcari
Absolutely!!! It has been seven years since I retired and it is everything I dreamed about in my twenties. When I was 25, I remember shooting the breeze with the CFO of the company I worked for and I told him my plan was to retire when I was 50. This guy was around 45 and got a good chuckle and said he wished the same for himself but it wasn’t going to happen. When I retired, I was 52, so I was a bit behind schedule. And I haven’t looked back. I have been able to do what I want, when I want. One funny thing I didn’t expect was that weekends took on a different light. My strong recommendation is if you can do it, retire early. But when you retire, don’t just sit around the house and watch TV all day. Do things you enjoy or have always wanted to do but didn’t have the time because of that pesky thing called work. In my case, this included working outside around the house and, obviously, getting back to writing. 😉 Thanks for the question!
B.T. Polcari
The inspiration and basic premise for Against My Better Judgment came from my wife and daughter, who wanted me to write a story about an inquisitive college girl and her mischievous dog. The idea for the plot came as I was researching Egyptology topics (my daughter is enthralled by the subject) and I stumbled across the antiquities black market and was fascinated by the amount of money changing hands, the players involved, and its global footprint.
B.T. Polcari
The inspiration to write is deep-seated in me, going all the way back to the fifth grade and my writing teacher, Mrs. S. The difficulty has never been finding the inspiration to write, it’s been finding the time over the years while navigating life. If it isn’t obvious, I love to write. Plus, it gets pretty crowded in my head, so I have to write just to make a little room for other things, like remembering my street address and ATM pin number. That doesn’t mean writing is easy. It isn’t. As Syracuse University’s legendary writing professor, Bill Glavin, once said: “Remember that bad writers think that writing is easy; good writers think writing is hard, and I think there is a lesson in there somewhere.” For me, writing hurts so good. No inspiration necessary.
B.T. Polcari
I have two different projects underway:
1) The second book in the A Mauzzy and Me Mystery series with Sara Donovan and Mauzzy. I am past midway in the plotting process and hope to start writing by the middle-end of October.
2) The first book in what I am calling the Bill Byrd series, which is in the murder mystery genre. A good comp for the book is the Jake Longly series by incomparable D.P. Lyle. The manuscript has been through developmental editing and I am addressing comments. I hope to begin querying in early 2021, once I get the second A Mauzzy and Me book sent off to developmental editing.
1) The second book in the A Mauzzy and Me Mystery series with Sara Donovan and Mauzzy. I am past midway in the plotting process and hope to start writing by the middle-end of October.
2) The first book in what I am calling the Bill Byrd series, which is in the murder mystery genre. A good comp for the book is the Jake Longly series by incomparable D.P. Lyle. The manuscript has been through developmental editing and I am addressing comments. I hope to begin querying in early 2021, once I get the second A Mauzzy and Me book sent off to developmental editing.
B.T. Polcari
Don’t stop writing and don’t stop trying. It’s all about perseverance. And learn from Hemingway, who offered tremendous advice and words of wisdom in his writings, letters, and interviews. He always said to end your writing session when you are “going good” and know what will happen next so you know where to pick up the next time. I live by this advice and it has served me well. I never end a writing session when I finish a chapter. I leave it somewhere in the middle where I can pick right back up. Hemingway offers great advice to writers in an article in Esquire magazine dated October 1935 entitled “Monologue to the Maestro: A High Seas Letter.”
B.T. Polcari
Coming up with something from nothing. After grinding through the crucible of creativity and reaching the end of the journey, there’s a feeling of accomplishment that becomes heightened when your book is published and you see your words on the pages. Words that came out of your head. You’re holding something in your hand that was created out of nothing but an idea. It’s pretty darn cool.
B.T. Polcari
I try not to think about it. In other words, I don’t force it. I let my subconscious go to work on what I’m trying to accomplish. Since I have a very detailed plotting process, when I get writer’s block it’s not during the actual writing but during the early plotting process when I’m trying to work everything out. During that process, when I get hung up on something, I leave it alone until I go for my 4-mile walk at the end of the day, during which time I’m walking on trails, listening to music, breathing fresh air, and freeing my mind. Usually I solve my problem in 1-2 walks. Once I have my blueprint written, I have a clear vision of how the story is going to lay down and the words pour out of me. Of course, I also don’t allow perfection to be the enemy of progress. First drafts are never close to perfect.
B.T. Polcari
I’ll give two, one from Mauzzy’s perspective, the sidekick dachshund in my recent book, Against My Better Judgment, and the second from my perspective.
1. Mauzzy awoke with a start, the alarm in his head and the emptiness in his stomach alerting him it was five o’clock—dinnertime. He bolted from his recliner and raced about the darkened room, quickly realizing the house was empty—and so was his food bowl.
2. It was just past midnight when he got in his car, started the engine, and checked the rearview mirror before backing out of the garage. Fire-red eyes stared back.
1. Mauzzy awoke with a start, the alarm in his head and the emptiness in his stomach alerting him it was five o’clock—dinnertime. He bolted from his recliner and raced about the darkened room, quickly realizing the house was empty—and so was his food bowl.
2. It was just past midnight when he got in his car, started the engine, and checked the rearview mirror before backing out of the garage. Fire-red eyes stared back.
B.T. Polcari
Never Never Land. I would hang out with the Lost Boys and Peter Pan. As a kid I always wanted to go there and sleep in their secret cave and fight pirates.
B.T. Polcari
My reading tastes are very eclectic.
A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain (just finished – hilarious)
A.D. After Disclosure by Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel (halfway through)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (next up)
Party Crashers by Stephanie Bond
Deep Six by D.P. Lyle
Natural Causes by Michael Palmer
A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain (just finished – hilarious)
A.D. After Disclosure by Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel (halfway through)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (next up)
Party Crashers by Stephanie Bond
Deep Six by D.P. Lyle
Natural Causes by Michael Palmer
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