THE FINAL SCENE
As with anything, there is a beginning and an ending. The best way to describe that, are words that I heard from, of all things, a commercial. They go, “The heart racing…the heart breaking.”
In the beginning… The heart racing…
I was really nervous about whether I could step out of the shadows, take the chance on writing, and be able to make “Initial Kill” work. It was like stepping off of a ledge and going for it. But I did it and I just kept going with “Pieces of You”, and “Legend’s Game”. Then I went a few steps further with “A Killer Blends In”, and now the most recent, “The Chos5n.”
I truly enjoyed every step I took in writing each book. And certainly loved trying to surprise everyone with as many twists and turns as I could come up with.
I appreciated the positive and even the negative comments, because with them, they have helped me grow along the way. As the saying goes, “I never lose. I, either win or I learn”, but honestly I think it was a mixture of both.
I have sincerely treasured each one of you that have followed the books through the years and as you traveled across their pages along with me. I also treasure and will be forever thankful for all those that worked tirelessly to help me in any way they could. From the beginning of the writing process, all the way to the moment the books were published. I couldn’t have done it without those people by my side.
Thus, in the end… The heart breaking…
I’ve thought long and hard about this, and I feel that it’s time to finally write that last chapter. Therefore, this will be my ending, and to say that I’m not saddened by it, would be a lie, because I have really loved writing crime fiction. But, as it goes, there is a beginning and an ending, an ebb and a flow in everything.
I tried my best, with each book, to make a go of them. But promoting can become expensive and I promoted as best I could, with limited funds. I even tried to get others to help along the way by word of mouth (which I’m very thankful for those that tried). I tried to get the website moving along and maintain it, sharing the books on social media, getting book signings set up, and other things. Then of course, this last book had its problems, and with the delay of its release, it put it smack in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak and sales weren’t what I’d wished for. With low sales creating limited funds for promoting, well things just couldn’t get off the ground the way I’d hoped for.
So I will just say it’s my time. Time to step back into the shadows again. Time to rest and reflect on things. Time to try to read other books I’ve meant to get to. Time to sit back and enjoy this season of my life.
It was truly a good run, but the run is finished.
I know there are many that have stood by me in my writing, they’ve gotten every book, and they’ve been a positive influence for me. Sadly, as hard as one tries, one doesn’t always flourish in their task, nor the way they’d worked and hoped for. Sometimes you just have to “give up the ghost” as the saying goes.
Again, a heartfelt thank you to all of you for being on this fantastic journey with me. You have surrounded me just like a family and I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart.
It has been one heck of a ride and I shall walk away with some of the most wonderful memories because of each of you. I’ve had some truly astonishing moments in this literary journey that I will never forget.
My fondest wish is that each of you will take care of yourselves because your hearts deserve it, so live life to the fullest and enjoy it. Love each other unconditionally because you don’t want to carry hate and anger around in your souls forever. You have this one life, so make the most of it. And never give up on those beautiful dreams that come from the deepest part of you…because they are certainly what make life worth living.
This is one of my favorite quotes and I think it speaks volumes because I see you all as my extended writing family…
“I’m thankful for my years spent with this family, for everything we shared, every chance we had to grow. I’ll take the best of them with me and lead by their example wherever I go. A friend told me to be honest with you, so here it goes: this isn’t what I want, but I’ll take the high road. Maybe it’s because I look at everything as a lesson or because I don’t want to walk around angry. Or maybe it’s because I finally understand. There are things we don’t want to happen but have to accept; things we don’t want to know but have to learn; and people we can’t live without but have to let go.” (J.J. on the Criminal Minds series)
And finally (because you know I always add a twist), endings can and will be quite hard. Harder than one can even imagine. But then again… nothing truly ever really ends… now does it…?
All my best,
J.J. McGraw
J.J. McGraw 