Friday, July 13, 2012

Sean E. Thomas: Making The Best Of All Situations


Everyone’s Story welcomes its new guest, author Sean E. Thomas. Known on social media sites as the Alaskan Novelist, Sean’s story is truly inspirational. Sean  refused to permit a health problem deter him from writing, and achieved the publication of his mystery novels after retiring from years of civil service work. And, I must admit: his living in Alaska has definitely seized my attention! 
How Alaska And A Health Scare Shaped My Writing by Sean E. Thomas


Alaska’s been my home since on and off since 1955 and I grew up mostly in Eagle River, just north of Anchorage. In a few minutes, one can drive north or south of Anchorage/Eagle River and be surrounded by pristine wilderness with clear unpolluted lakes, rivers, and creeks loaded with fish and surrounded by green forests flush with wild game.

The state is rich in history, minerals and oil, diverse native cultures, and lots of mystery—missing planes, missing people and very few roads. For a serial killer, there are many places to hide a body. Alaska has had several serial killers. One was baker and businessman Robert Hansen, who kidnapped prostitutes, held them captive, tortured, and sexually assaulted them, then took them to the Alaskan bush and to hunt them down. Nicholas Cage came to Alaska this last fall and filmed a movie, On Frozen Ground, based on Robert Hansen.

In grade school, I was an average student. I spent more time reading novels instead of concentrating on my schoolwork and polished off a book a night. My favorite authors were Jack London and Edgar Rice Burroughs. At 13, in the seventh grade, I wrote my first story based on a plane crashing in the wilderness and the passenger’s survival. My teacher liked it so much she had me read it in front of the class. I was so embarrassed it killed my inspiration to write.  In high school I buckled down and excelled scholastically in high school. I attended Alaska Methodist University, majoring in chemistry and minoring in mathematics.  At the University of Idaho graduate school, I went into organic chemistry and enrolled in ROTC for the deferment. ROTC leadership requested I take over as the editor of the Vandal Review, a ROTC newspaper. I didn’t seriously start again until 1990.  At that time I was records/copy machine manager for the Army in Alaska and wrote an article and submitted it to ARMA. It was accepted and published. Shortly after, I stepped up to chief of the administrative services division. Later I became a manpower manager and financial analyst until I retired in 2006.

The writing bug had bit me, but I really wanted to write fiction. I picked a writing partner, a former coworker of Aleut heritage. She wrote children’s books while I wrote a science fiction detective novel. We joined a local writer’s group that met weekly and everyone submitted 10 pages a week for review. After a couple meetings, my partner quit. She said the members were the meanest, most vindictive people she’d ever met and quit writing. I continued on with the group, accepting their harsh criticism. But, I found with all the editing on other member’s works, there was little time to work on my own novel and took creative writing courses. My writing kept improving. I outgrew my writer’s group and moved on without them.

In 1998, I took a screen-writing course at the University of Alaska Anchorage taught by Kim Rich. Kim had written numerous screenplays and a book, Johnny’s Girl, about her life with her father, an Anchorage Mafioso. Through her course, I finally understood how stories were put together following the Greek tradition. I had four books in the hopper and in 2002 and 2003 my Alaska State Trooper mystery novels, Dark Project, Dark Soul and Dark Gold, were published by Infinity. My third mystery, actually more a horror novel, Dark Shaman, was published in 2003 by Trafford, a Canadian press (now an American press).

From 1998 through 2003, I had been diagnosed and was living with congestive heart failure with atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat). I was on a handful of medicines that on any given day had a 14% chance of killing me. My congestive heart failure reversed itself, but the irregular heartbeat remained. Several of the drugs that had helped keep my heart in sync failed. So, doctors at the Alaska Heart Institute performed ablation therapy. That’s where a laser is used to cause a scar that blocks the path of the irregular signals. I was on the operating table for nine hours, and during that time the doctors cardioverted me eight times—that’s being hit by the electrical paddles 16 times—stopping and starting my heart. 

As a result of the cardioversions I lost eight months of short-term memory and my ability to write. I found I had gotten my energy back, but when I looked down at the computer screen, it looked like gobbledygook, like Sergeant Snorkel from Beatle Bailey cussing. I couldn’t string sentences together and it took three years to get back my writing abilities. In 2006, I retired from civil service as a management/financial analyst with 33 years, 25 years of civil service, plus eight years of military service I had bought back.

Around that time, I started to have a dream, a nightmare about a Roman Legion expedition to Qin (China) that had been blown off course, went up the Yukon, and merged with Athabascans. Tons of gold were hidden with their ancient weapons and Roman armor.  I had to get the story down on paper to stop the nightmares. So Robert Sable, my Alaska State Trooper, emerged again in a new, different mystery novel, Lost Legion.  Other Robert Sable Mystery novels quickly followed: Stalker, Silent Killer, Alaska Dutchman, Deadly Rites and Frozen Treasure.  Lost Legion, Silent Killer, Stalker were picked up in 2010 and published in August/October 2011 and May 2012 respectively.  The other three will be out from Whiskey Creek Press in September and November 2012 and spring 2013. I submitted Lost Legion to the Alaska Professional Communicators annual contest and won an award. I am currently working on a new novel in the series, Blood on the Moon (tentative title). Synopses of my novel can be found at my website and blog.



Author Bio:


A longtime Alaska resident with a Native American-Finnish heritage, Sean E. Thomas graduated in 1970 from Alaska Methodist University with a bachelor of arts in chemistry.  He attended graduate school at the University of Idaho for two years studying organic chemistry, then served eight years as an Army officer, working with missiles and laser weapon systems.  He later went into federal service, working in different endeavors, and retired in 2006.  He published four novels between 2002 and 2003.  After recovering from congestive heart failure, he started writing again. His three newest novels were published fall 2011 through spring 2012.  An avid boater, he has been a Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteer for more than 35
years, teaching boating safety and supporting search and rescue programs.  Member: Sisters in Crime (SinC), Pacific Northwest Writers Assoc, Alaska Professional Communicators, National Federation of Presswoment (NFPW), Alaska 49 Writers, Association of Alaskan Writers and Alaska Writers Guild.

Links:

Twitter: AlaskanNovelist Sean E Thomas  (Over 12,900 Followers)
Amazon Authors Central
Facebook: Sean E Thomas
google blogspot: http://alaskannovelist.blogspot.com/ (Over 200 followers)
http://alaskannovelist.wordpress.com/
Tumblr: Alaskan Novelist
Member: SinC, Pacific Northwest Writers Assoc, Alaska Professional
Communicators, NFPW, Alaska 49 Writers, Alaska Writers’ Guild.
Alaska Association of Authors, The Alaskan Writer’s Directory http://alaskanwritersdirectory.com/index.shtmlhttp://alaskannovelist.blogspot.com/http://alaskannovelist.wordpress.com/http://alaskannovelist.wordpress.com/

51 comments:

  1. Welcome, Sean. Of course since I've been working on blogging your post I have read and reread your segment. No matter how many times though that I've read this piece, you encourage me that after 3 years of persevering through a major health crisis that you fought on, continuing to pursue your passion of writing. What helped you cling to your dreams through this difficult time?

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    2. Glad you fought back! I've also come across a few too many things that have threatened to trip me up over the years, but haven't made room in my life for these negative aspects. I feel sorry for those who surrender.

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    3. What helped me cling to my dreams? You either toss in the towel or fight back. I had a young son and wife who helped and encourage me. Still my dream of writing started to come back with the improvement of my writing and my nightmares. A number of my books come to me now as dreams or nightmares. And my writing has become an addiction (with periods of procrastination). A couple years back, I came down with strep. The VA misdiagnosed me and told me I had COPD, Chronic Asthma and lung disease--NOT--I fought through it for eight months of nebulizers, inhalers, asthma medicines. It took 2 weeks for a civilian doctor to cure me. My writing was my rock that kept me going.

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  2. Thank you for this chance to meet other writers and readers. Of note, I now have over 13,300 followers.

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  3. Hmm you're template is missing again. Anyway. ..

    Sean, I would have been riddled with anxiety living in Alaska with those kind of stories. Still I'd
    Like to visit someday. I'm glad you were able to get you writing gift back. Writing has kept many writers going when it gets tough but your story is incredible. Thank you for sharing.
    Diana

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    1. Alaska's a great state with wonderful opportunities for educations, jobs, and recreation summer and winter. Crime is the same with most areas in the US. It has had only a few serial killers. If I recall there's at least 2-3 serial killers operating at large per state. Watch NATGEO. Most of the troopers crimes are mundane with illegal hunting, drunks and drugs. in 2010 we had 4.4 murders per 100,000. And usually the troopers get their man or woman.

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  4. Wow Sean...what an amazing story you have! Good on you for fighting through it all:) I love it that you get your stories from your dreams...wow! I'll have to get your books, they sound interesting:) Thanks Sean for sharing your story...you have definitely inspired me!

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    1. Thank you. My inspiration has been my wife, son and my mentor Kim Rich (author, playwright, and professor) (Author of Johnny's Girl's--about her and her mafia father). Here's my guide for my novels and scripts: hhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell his work~The Hero with a Thousand Faces http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces

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    2. Thanks for the links, Sean. I know it'll be a big help(I need all the help I can get:).I read through your writing advice below too...thanks for the great tips! I just finished my 1st draft...so now it's rewrite time. Didn't think of reading the MS out loud...will do that!

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  5. Nice to see both of you, Diana & Lorna!

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  6. I came over to read this because I lived in Alaska for 22 years and I loved it and I miss it.

    What a story! Why would stopping the heart make your lose your short term memory and your ability to write? Did the shock do some brain damage? Or a lack of oxygen?

    I find that fascinating. And whatever damage was done, your brain found a way to work around.

    Your books also sound fascinating. I'm going to check them out.

    What a great thing that your kept going.

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    1. Cardioversions use electricity similar to electroshock therapy used on mental patients of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I was cardioverted 8 times (16 times being shocked). The heart had to be stable for repair. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroconvulsive_therapy (The acute effects of ECT can include amnesia, both retrograde (for events occurring before the treatment) and anterograde (for events occurring after the treatment).) Mine eliminated 8 months of short term memory. A couple of my bosses thought I was lying that I couldn't remember certain incidents. One thing that hurt me was my writing ability and stringing words together in sequence. I just hope I never have to go through that again.

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    2. Hi Sally,

      Nice to see you here! That's right--I remember reading in your bio (on your blog, I believe) that you'd lived in Alaska. So glad you enjoyed the visit with Sean.

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  7. What a story of triumph! I'm sure the Alaskan air helped, and being an innately passionate person, which writers are, but then sheer will kicks in. Wow.

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    1. Thanks. Alaska air is definitely cleaner except in the winter with inversion layers.... We have our pollution as well and in the spring, we have dust with the volcano...

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    2. Sara, thanks for your return visit... and all the ways from England :)

      Sean--just how active is the volcano? What is life like living next to a volcano? I just cannot imagine.

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    3. Every couple years our nearby volcanoes go off. Here's a better picture: http://www.alaska.net/~logjam/volcanoes.html My son has asthma so we have face masks in a large supply....

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  8. AnonymousJuly 14, 2012

    Thanks for sharing your story, Sean, and for presenting us a different point of view. All best for continued success with your writing!


    KB Schaller, Author

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    1. Thank you. The same and very best to you....... };'-)

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  9. As my writing continues to improve, I try to included the senses: smell/aroma/fragrance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odor_http://www.scentit.com/descriptions.htmlhttp://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/smellTaste.cfm_http://world-food-and-wine.com/describing-aroma taste http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste colors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colors touch/texture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture
    Feeling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeling
    Thank goodness now for Wikipedia

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    1. Sean, thanks for all these great tips/links. I'm about to Tweet about you :)

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  10. Here are some "Great Rules of Writing" from William Safire I try to follow:
    Do not put statements in the negative form.
    And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
    If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
    great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
    Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
    Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
    De-accession euphemisms.
    If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
    Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
    Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

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  11. Do you need names for your characters? Here's a couple Websites than can help: History of first names http://www.behindthename.com the etymology & history of surnames http://surnames.behindthename.com and of course baby names http://www.nameyobaby.com/

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  13. For those that want to visit Alaska, the best months are May and June. In July and August, it rains almost constantly and in mid-September, it gets very cold and we have our first snowfall....Of note, I use the Columbus method, find it, run in to an land on it (hunt and peck)

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  14. Sean, this is some pretty fascinating info on Alaska and volcanos that you're sharing with viewers. Thanks so much!

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    1. You're welcome...One things great about Alaska and mysteries is that there have been numerous plane crashes and the even after large searches, the planes and bodies have never been found. Circa spring 1976 (while in the military at a Nike Hercules air defense battalion), I lost my boss, our incoming and outgoing battalion commanders, and command sergeant major on a C-12 Beechcraft on its way to Illiamna. It was a white out that day. The pilot requested 10,000 foot clearance and FAA controller granted the request. Mt Illiamna is 10,006 feet. Searchers found a burned spot at the 10,000 foot level but never found the bodies. Illiamna has a 300 foot deep snow pack at its base. The only thing that saved me from being on the plane was that I was the only qualified air battle controller in the state (tactical director). Maybe in the back of my mind my novel Dark Gold #4 (a plane crashing on a glacier with tons of gold) was based on the incident. Over the years, people wander off into the wilderness and have never been found. Recently, a man got lost on the Mount Marathon Race . . . http://www.adn.com/2012/07/09/2536715/rule-changes-coming-to-mount-marathon.html That's what makes Alaska a great place for serial killers to hide bodies (Robert Hansen).

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    2. Cool background information for anyone wanting to set a story in Alaska... but my heart goes out to families and friends who have lost loved ones. And as for you: what a close call! Thank God you weren't on that plane!

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  15. One of my best buds was ordered to go with them, but he was clearing post to go to another assignment. He tactfully told them to pound sand. Legally you can't be put on any assignment or duty while clearing. The surviving members of the Battalion staff destroyed him on an efficiency report, destroying his career because of this. We both went to the University of Idaho, were in the Army air defense together and still keep in contact. He currently works for Boeing and has written books on project project management and is quite famous. He's married has a lovely wife and daughter and lives in Redmond, WA http://www.facebook.com/ralph.kliem http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ralph-kliem/3/754/550 http://www.spoke.com/info/p3FH5kK/RalphKliem Now he's begun to write fiction. He's another that provides me inspiration.

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  16. Another way to stay inspired is to attend writing conferences. Here you can rub shoulders with other authors and seminar leaders, learn new techniques, make new contacts that can help you, and come out excited. About three years ago, I attended a conference that changed my lead ins/hooks to my novels. Lost Legion---THUD. THUD. THUD. The door shook. Stalker---He owned her. Deadly Rites---God commanded him. I try to attend at least a conference once a year. This keeps me charged. Another techniques is to take seminars and/or university classes as an audit. If you take the class for credit you have lots of home work and little time for your novels.....

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  17. Here are current authors who inspire me: Robert Parker, early works of Dean R Koontz and his myriad of Pseudonyms, early works of Stephen King, and James Patterson.

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  19. Want an idea for your novel just watch the news, read the newspaper or read a magazine. Unfortunately, truth is stranger than fiction so you have to temper your work to make it believable. This year, I submitted two of my novels. One received an award the other had a talking computer which the reviewer thought was not realistic. Well, I wondered what century the reviewer was from since we've had talking computers for years in reality and fiction. Next year, I'll be submitting three novels for the Alaska Professional Communicators' State wide competition one which has a talking computer used in targeting quarry. Hopefully, the reviewers will have heard of SIRUS, etc.

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  20. After you finish with your final draft wait one month. Then put it into single spaced with the dimensions of a novel. This way you'll discover errors and sentences that need tightening. After that have a wordsmith carefully go over your novel. After that reread and correct again. Streamline and then set it down for a period again and reread. You'll find it makes a great difference in your final product.

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  21. Wait as much time between revisions as possible. Just close the document. Resist that urge to open it and read your wonderful opening page just one more time. Seriously. Resist it. P.J. Hoover

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  22. Writing isn't just on the page; it's voices in the reader's head. Read what you write out loud to someone—anyone—and you will catch all kinds of things. Donna Jo Napoli

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  23. Great writing tips, Sean! Thanks much for sharing.

    Here's a couple of questions: what book are you reading now and why is it holding your attention?

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  24. Here's some advice that may help inspire you: It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms; the great devotions; and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Franklin Roosevelt

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  25. Inspiration: And it does no harm to repeat, as often as you can, 'Without me the literary industry would not exist: the publishers, the agents, the sub-agents, the sub-sub-agents, the accountants, the libel lawyers, the departments of literature, the professors, the theses, the books of criticism, the reviewers, the book pages- all this vast and proliferating edifice is because of this small, patronized, put-down and underpaid person. Doris Lessing

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  26. Plotting is about desire and satisfaction, anticipation and release. You have to arouse your reader's desire to know what happens, to unravel the mystery, to see good triumph. You have to sustain it, keep it warm, feed it, just a little bit, not too much at a time, as your story goes on. That's called suspense. It can bring desire to a frenzy, in which case you are in a good position to bring off a wonderful climax.
    Colin Greenland

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  27. More advice: You have to write a lot. And you have to rewrite what you wrote a lot more. Holly Black

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  28. More advice: Try to enjoy the writing itself. Don't even think about publication. Just focus on making every sentence, every paragraph, every page the very best you can make it. Then, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite until the work is even better! Suzanne Lieurance

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    1. This is so true, Sean. I found my writing started to sing a bit more once I sat back and started to enjoy the trip my characters were taking me on.

      Thanks for sharing these awesome tips.

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    3. I follow the advice of others such as Nancy Moore: I am more and more convinced that when a writer reaches the stage when he can ruthlessly eliminate whole phrases and paragraphs without feeling he's cutting off chunks of his heart, he's passed one of the most important milestones in the business. Falling in love with your own words is an untenable luxury, fatal as well as foolish. ***Then of course for my work, I have further ace in the hole for help---a journalist with 35 years of experience and a nasty red pen....My lovely bride of many years.....
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    4. Ah... now the truth comes out: you're married to a saint of a woman who bears the powerful red pen.

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  29. Thank you for the opportunity to be on your Blog. Take Care and the Best....... };-)

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  30. Sean, you beat me to thanking you for being a wonderful guest on Everyone's Story. Thanks you for sharing many tales about Alaska and for all those helpful writing tips. I'm sure viewers have appreciated it.

    Blessings to you, and your family. I have just prayed for your health to remain good and that you stay in good cheer.

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