Thursday, November 3, 2022

SO… WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s such a fascinating question! And even more fascinating to look back on it now, and maybe wonder: How did I know?

 

Or…what was I thinking?!

 

I still insist I would have been a great rock star except for my unfortunate and ineducable lack of talent. But we persevere.

 

And talk about persevering! With the hilarious and wonderful Marshall Karp, the world may have lost a brilliant and tooth-saving "Dr. Karp," but it gained a brilliant writer.

 

(And read on for the giveaway!)


 


SO… WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? 

Marshall Karp

 

I always wanted to be a writer.

 

Okay, that’s not entirely true. If you check my high school yearbook, you’ll see that my classmates all signed it with variations of “Good luck in dental school, Marshall.”

 

That’s right—despite my passion for writing, and ignoring the fact that I have all the manual dexterity of a drunken monkey, I decided that the world (i.e., my parents) would be happier if I became a dentist.

 

But the world lucked out. I flunked Biology 101 in college, started writing for the school newspaper, and co-opted my girlfriend’s dream to go into advertising.

 

I was hired as a junior copywriter and handed my first assignment: Rewrite the label on a can of Empress tuna fish.

 

I put my heart and soul into that label, and when I was done, the client bought it, and I thought, “Nailed it! I’m on my way.”

 

That may not sound like a career highlight to you, but I believe that humble beginnings should be preserved.

 



 

I quickly worked my way up from canned seafood to major television campaigns for blue-chip clients. My work won awards. I got plum assignments. And then I was promoted. Top of the ladder. Corner office. Cool title. It sounds like a highlight, but my new job was to oversee a hundred-person creative department. Translation: I was being paid not to write.

 

I was pretty good at it, but the closer I got to 40, the more I was haunted by those five words that so many of us mutter as we wander through that unsettling neighborhood known as midlife.

 

Is this all there is?

 

So I set my alarm for four every morning and wrote a play, a comedy called Squabbles. It was produced, which got the attention of the TV networks, and within a few years I traded Madison Avenue for Hollywood. I wrote and produced TV sitcoms, a feature film, and worked with a lot of fascinating, talented people.

 

And then I came back to New York to face the ultimate challenge: Write a book. I sat down at the keyboard, stared at the blank screen, and started to type. Chapter 1.

 



I thought The Rabbit Factory would take six months. Ha! A year went by. Then two. Then three. But I had seen a quote from the writer Richard Bach that inspired me.

He said, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

 

So I kept slogging along. Five years into the slog, I got the phone call every writer dreams about. “Marshall, we’d like to publish your book.” (Major highlight!)

 

But before I could cross “write book” off my bucket list, the publisher added, “And we’d like the next one in the series.”

 

I wrote three more and got another phone call. “Hello, Marshall. It’s James Patterson. You want to cowrite a book with me?”

 

I said, “I’ll think about it, Jim.” Just kidding—you can imagine what I said.

 

Two years later, James called again. “Congratulations,” he said. “You’re a #1 New York Times bestselling author.”

 




And just when I thought it can’t possibly get any better than this, I pitched an idea to James. A handpicked squad of NYPD cops who answer the call whenever a crime is committed against New York City’s rich and famous. An elite task force called NYPD RED.

 

He loved it. And so did millions of readers. We wrote six NYPD RED books together, and then James passed the torch to me to continue writing the series on my own.

 


The new one is called NYPD RED 7: THE MURDER SORORITY. Last spring, I asked Hank Phillippi Ryan to read it, and she came back with a glowing review that included such phrases as “Marshall Karp is a genius storyteller,” “absolute must-read,” and “the essence of entertainment.”

 

It’s hard to read words like that without thinking, “I wonder what font I should use for the tattoo?”

 

Publishers Weekly agreed with Hank, giving RED 7 a coveted starred review and calling it “the best yet in the series.”

 

That’s it. The highlights of one writer’s career—so far. And to think it all started with a can of tuna.

 

HANK: Wow. What a voyage. Marshall gave up a successful career in advertising to follow his dream. 

What major life decision life change decision did YOU make, and did it pay off?

(Or: what’s your secret to perfect tuna salad?) 

(Or, as the title asks: What did YOU want to be when you grew up?)

PLUS: I wanna know what the tuna slogan was!

And Marshall is giving away a signed hardcover copy of NYPD RED 7  OR  an NYPD RED 7 Challenge Coin to one lucky commenter he’ll choose at random.

(US residents only, sorry you all!) 

 


MARSHALL KARP is an international #1 bestselling author, TV and screenwriter, and playwright. Working with James Patterson, Marshall co-created and cowrote the NYPD Red series. After six bestsellers, Marshall has carried the series forward on his own, beginning with NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority.  Marshall is also the author of Snowstorm In August, as well as the critically acclaimed Lomax and Biggs novels, featuring LAPD Detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs. For over twenty years he has worked closely with the international charity Vitamin Angels, providing tens of millions of mothers and children around the globe with lifesaving vitamins and nutrients.  More at WWW.KarpKills.com

 


NYPD RED 7: THE MURDER SORORITY.

FINDING A SINGLE ASSASSIN IN A CITY

OF NINE MILLION PEOPLE IS DAUNTING.

FINDING FIVE IS A NIGHTMARE. 

 

Lower Manhattan: A sniper’s bullet ends the life of a high-profile New Yorker. Five miles uptown, a second prominent victim has his throat slashed.

 

And that’s only the beginning. A network of professional assassins is on the loose in New York City. Trained by the US military, they’re on their own now, with a new unit called Kappa Omega Delta. Killers On Demand.

 

NYPD Red detectives Kylie MacDonald and Zach Jordan are called in to hunt them down, but these mercenaries are as gifted in the art of escape as they are in snuffing out lives.

 

It’s the biggest professional challenge the Red team has ever faced, and before it’s over, both Kylie’s and Zach’s personal lives will change. Forever.


99 comments:

  1. I wanted to be just about everything at some point when I grew up. How I wound up being an accountant, I still don't know. Yes, being a writer was one of them, but I don't think I have the patience to actually come up with a book. After about an hour, I'm ready to be finish and have someone praise me for how brilliant it is. Not a good sign, right?

    Congrats on your new book, however, Marshall.

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    1. The surprise accountant! That can be your first novel!

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    2. Mark, Did you know that John Grisham has a degree in accounting from Mississippi State? He was on his way to becoming a tax lawyer, but he got sidetracked with these books he wanted to write. Smart move. If the writing bug is still in you, just start writing. If you don't have the patience for a book, write something shorter. How about this -- a 750 word piece about a tax form that bent the law. And write it in the voice of a remorseful IRS 1040 form. Send it to me, I guarantee you that there will be something in there worthy of high praise.

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  2. I retired after twenty years from a hospital to become a full-time writer. I no longer miss those monthly meetings, and now talk to book characters all day.

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    1. Meetings! The absolute worst!

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    2. Teresa -- I love talking to characters. They not only inspire me; they surprise me. Sometimes I don't even feel like I'm writing. I'm just taking dictation from the character in my head and typing as fast as I can.

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    4. "This comment has been removed by the author" (above) sounds more interesting than it is. I'm just trying to get the hang of commenting in Blogger.

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  3. Congratulations on Patterson passing along the series for just you to write! When I was a kid I dreamed of being a teenager. Seriously. A career that has a hard end-oint.

    After writing lots of fiction as a child, I never once dreamed of being a novelist until I realized I'd spent a lifetime doing all kinds of writing (journalism, academic, technical - but not advertising or screenplays) and it might be more fun to rediscover fiction. 28 published books later, it's the best job I've ever had.

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    1. Oh, absolutely! There was a time when being a teenager it was the coolest thing imaginable…

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    2. Edith -- wow! 28 books. It sure beats being a teenager. I'm sort of living the best of both worlds. I'm a published author with 6 bestsellers to my credit, and my wife swears that sometimes I have appear to have the brain and the sense of humor of a high school sophomore.

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  4. Wow! What an interesting career path! I always wanted to be a mom and homemaker. Which is a hard job. But life had other plans and I’m working on my fifth career. I’ve been a legal assistant, an electrical engineer, a landscaper, an archivist, and am currently a project manager. And no, I never became a Mom.

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    1. Wow, you are so talented!

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    2. Pamela -- I'm a big believer in reinventing one's self. If any of you are interested in how to move on to a second (or fifth) career, I wrote about it for Thrive. https://karpkills.com/in-other-words/the-thrills-and-perils-of-switching-careers/

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  5. MARSHALL: Congratulations on your varied writing career and your solo outing with the new NYPD Red book.

    When I was 8, I wanted to be a surgeon so I could save lives like the doctors who performed the kidney transplant for my mom. But that changed when I was 10 and I took a social sciences class. Since then, I wanted to be a geographer. That's what I majored in at university. I ended up working for the Canadian federal government at Environment Canada from 1986-2016 as a climatologist/climate change researcher. It was a dream job.

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    1. I am always inspired by how happy you are in your work, dear Grace!

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    2. Grace -- I just finished reading UNDAUNTED COURAGE, the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I am in awe of their courage, their ingenuity, and their tenacity. Clearly geographers and climatologists can have as great an impact on the world as surgeons.

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  6. Marshall, congratulations on the new NYPD RED book. I love the series!

    As for what I wanted to be when I grew up, that's easy. I wanted to be the starting center for the Boston Celtics. But a lack of height and actual playing ability had a way of messing up that dream.

    But since I did know what to do even if I couldn't do it myself, I ended up becoming a coach in the local youth league where I was the coach of the "Celtics" for many years.

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    1. You made your dream come true perfectly!

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    2. Jay, you may not be as tall as you hoped, but in my eyes, coaching a youth league reaches heights many people never achieve. And I'm thrilled to hear that you love the NYPD RED series. The only thing that could make me happier is if you share that love with your friends.

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  7. Marshall, what a wonderful journey! Getting a phone call like that from James Patterson has to be a memorable moment for an author! Patterson has such huge name recognition. I love reading series so I'll look for this one. It sounds like a perfect fit for me.

    I wanted to be a cowgirl. That did not happen. I wanted to live "out west." That didn't happen either. But, I have managed to ride horses and be outdoors, so I'll count that as success.

    Hank, I put sliced green olives in our tuna salad. We love it that way;-)

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    1. Judy, I also wanted to be a cowgirl! All those Western TV shows we watched when we were kids, right?

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    2. Capers are good in tuna salad, too, and a hard-boiled egg chopped up.

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    3. Yes, cowgirl! My complete dream as a five year old. Absolutely. And I had the hats to prove it, I felt cowgirl hat in the winter, and a straw one in the summer!

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    4. Green olives? That sounds intriguing. And sweet pickles, yes. I also sometimes put green pepper and celery. And a tiny bit of sugar. Tuna salad is one of the best things in the world.

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    5. Judy -- I'm jumping right past your girlhood hopes and dreams, and the phone call from James Patterson, and getting right to the most exciting part of your comment. I use sliced green olives too. The tuna salad stars have aligned!

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  8. Love these "overnight" success stories! And the tuna caption is brilliant, so of course.

    My Barbie dolls had to help me act out my dream job of dress designer and owner of a modeling agency. I never actually had either of those jobs, although I did help other dress designers, and did some modeling myself.

    My family always had tuna salad made with ample mayonnaise and sweet pickle relish. My husband likes it with light mayo and tons of sliced celery. Sometimes I prefer to have a more savory version, made with herbs and a bit of lemon juice. And mayo, of course.

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    1. Oh, yeah, as Edith reminds me, hard-boiled egg, too, for both my recipe and my husband's. Except I like it chopped into the tuna mixture, and Steve likes the egg on the side.

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    2. Yes, the egg dilemma. I understand it, but I don’t love it. that’s what makes tuna salad so wonderful, you can… Have it your way!

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    3. Karen, Yes. "Overnight." Thanks for the quotation marks. But here's the fascinating part. Based on these comments it looks like my career is going to end up right where it started -- tuna territory.

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  9. Congratulations Marshall! What a wonderful path--I too want to hear about the tuna slogan. Every tuna has to end up somewhere?? (Not!)

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    1. Yes, we demand to know :-) Marshall will be here soon, and we can persuade him to tell us, maybe…

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    2. Lucy-- if only I remembered. "Lovingly packed in oil"? "Eat it. It's good for you"? You'd think a guy named Karp would remember everything he ever wrote to glorify fish.

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  10. Welcome, Marshall! Yes, what was the tuna slogan?

    I don't remember a lot of childhood dreams for future careers, but I do know at some point I wanted to be a lawyer. Right up until I learned TV lied to me and it wasn't all impassioned speeches in front of a jury.

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    1. Oh, yes, how many legal careers were inspired by Perry Mason? xxx

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    2. Too funny, Liz! TV made so many things glamorous.

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    3. Liz, As I said to Lucy, I wish I remembered what I wrote. Who knew the deed would live on longer than the words. But still -- a moment of glory. And yes, I'm pretty sure I signed a few cans for friends and family. Best fishes, Marshall

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    4. HA! I saw what you did there, Marshall...

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    1. (I have already checked on her..waiting her hear back...) (What a lesson in expectations! And dependability..)

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    2. She didn’t comment yesterday either.

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    3. I was going to mention her absence, too. Hope she is okay!

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    4. She is away on family business for a bit, and says thank you all for your concern. She'll be back.

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  12. Congratulations on your success! I’ll be looking for your books!

    My very first dream, and I achieved it, was to be a high school student. My dad’s two youngest sisters were in high school, and they were always having fun. It sounded like the kind of life I wanted to lead! They even knew a girl who was President of something! I didn’t know that girls could be President of anything!

    My two aunts have passed on, and I never told them that they were my original role models. I know they would have laughed!

    DebRo

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. The president of my high school class was a girl. My favorite book as a kid was The Disappearance by Philip Wylie. In the first chapter all the females in the world disappear, leaving only males. In the second chapter, all the males disappear. The rest of the book -- Two parallel universes -- one male; one female. Which one do you think thrived?

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  13. Marshall, anyone who doesn't want to be a writer will change their mind after reading your tale. What an amazing career path! As for me, I backed into the profession, after stints as a fundraiser, lawyer and stay-at-home-mom (that last was the most difficult job I've ever had...)

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    1. Julia, When somebody knocks on my door asking me to donate to a charity, it's easy to reach for my checkbook and make a donation. The hard part is knocking on someone's door and asking. So good for you for taking that on. I myself have been working for VitaminAngels.org for the past 20 years, and it is truly one of those gratifying experiences of my life.

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  14. Easy answer: I wanted to be Queen of the World. Current answer: I want to be the person who understands Coralee.
    Thank you for the engaging essay on your writing life. It does beat the lonely life in a corner office doing what a person dislikes. This series sounds just right for the cozy nights for fall reading. Will be ordering it soon.

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    1. Coralee. Queen of the World? When my son was 7 he said he wanted to be God when he grew up. I said, "Cool." He asked why I was so happy about his choice. I said, "Because one day I'll be years from now I'll be sitting on a park bench and somebody will come up to me and say, 'Who are you, Old man?' And I'll say -- 'You know God? I'm his father.'"

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  15. Congratulations Marshall Karp on your writing success. You have the golden touch. Your stories sound very interesting. Sounds like your novels are witty suspense or thrillers?

    What did I want to be when I grew up? I wanted to be a teacher like my parents until Proposition 13 passed in California.

    And I also wanted to be an actress so that I could play Wonder Woman. I even used my Super 8mm video camera while watching Wonder Woman in 1976 and I wrote on the label "Me in 1994" setting in the future. Little did I know that by 1994 my life would be very different from what I thought it would look like. IN 1994 I was working on Capitol Hill and at the WH complex. Living in DC on Capitol Hill. No acting at all. I gave up on acting in high school when I could not even get a role in the chorus, Ha ha. I also wanted to be like the Deaf TV Lady on the News (it was an affliate of NBC Today Show). when I grew up. Unfortunately, the climate changed after Reagan became President. There was a takeover of the tv station and the new bosses did everything they could to get Rid of the Deaf TV lady. Instead of the usual 5 minutes by herself, they wanted to put her in a very tiny box on the TV screen next to a hearing news anchor, which would have made it challenging for Deaf people to see the Signing. If that happened now, the bosses could be sued for discrimination.

    Now I am rediscovering my love for writing. Looking back, I remember that I always wrote in my children's books. I even created my own homemade newspaper. I started journaling every day. I submitted a short story in October. And I am trying to write several pages every day for my Novel in progress. Just finished all of my book reviews for now. Plan to write reviews again in December when I finish the month of November.

    Diana

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    1. Diana, My books are a little tricky to categorize. The LOMAX AND BIGGS series and the NYPD RED books are "police procedural." SNOWSTORM IN AUGUST is my first thriller. BUT -- every one of them gets people laughing. James Patterson once said "Marshall Karp is the only writer I know who can get big laughs out of murdering someone." And you sound like just the kind of insightful and thoughtful reader who I would love to review my books. One star or five, I know you'll be honest.

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  16. Woot, congratulations on the latest and on your success.

    Years and years ago I was interviewing for a job and the interviewer said, "cream always rises to the top." Your career story is definitely a case in point. Well done.

    My very first job dream was cowgirl. Yes, it was the days of Sky King and Roy Rogers. That morphed into wanting to be a writer, and low and behold a zillion years later...

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    1. Totally, It was all about SKy King! xx

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    2. Sky King and Penny! She had horses, and got to fly!

      Karen

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    3. Kait -- when I was 7 or 8 years old I'd lie in bed and make up stories. The main characters were always Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and me. I was pretty sure they were my real parents and one day they'd come to get me. Don't get me wrong -- I loved my Mom and Dad. But if Roy and Dale rode into town, I'd have gone with them in a heartbeat.

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    4. We would be brother and sister! Love that!

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  17. Great chronology of milestones, Marshall. Congratulations on your latest one!

    As for me and my career dreams, I wanted to be a ballerina, a horse rider, a nurse...anything that my young-girl book was about. I became none of those, of course. And am still working on being a writer.

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  18. Marshall, what a great story! My first real job out of college including writing ad copy for discount carpets--I think tuna must have been more fun! Congratulations on all your success!

    Hank, growing up, I wanted to be an "ologist," as in geologist, archeologist, microbiologist... you get the picture. What strange paths we take!

    As for the tuna salad; mayo, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, celery, chopped cornichons, loads of dill, and the secret ingredient, horseradish sauce!

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    1. Oh, that sounds DEEELISH!! Trying it. Yogurt AND mayo?

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    2. Deborah, I think you had the better start. Tuna is just tuna. (Oil, water, light, chunky -- boring.) But carpets -- textured, plush, frieze, cable, Berber, cut-and-loop --a writer could really spread her wings and soar!

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  19. I wanted to teach science in high school—until I bombed out of college physics. To be fair, it wasn't all my fault. I was in an auto accident a couple of hours before our final exam. Being young and stupid, I thought I was okay and took the test. True/false and multiple choice and I got 13 out of 200. I made a deal with my professor that I'd get out of physics if he'd give me a D. Suddenly, there I was, 20-years-old and clueless as to what I was going to do with my life. Eventually, I got it figured out, just took a little longer than expected.

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    1. Whoa..what a moment. ANd your professor should have let you take that exam again. Let's call him. But then--you turned out wonderfully well!

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    2. Terry -- you may have flunked the test, but what a tale. You could turn it into a gripping short story. Or at worst, a country song.

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  20. What a fascinating journey, Marshall! Congrats on all your success! As a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I still enjoy science and can now populate my books with animals.

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    1. SO great to see you here ! YAAY! xxoo ANd yes, the animals in your books are incredible. LOVE Marshmallow!

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    2. Jennifer -- you nailed it. It has indeed been a journey. And I can see that you are on one of your own. Write on!

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  21. For years I have said that what I want to be when I grow up is...young.

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    1. Libby, Somewhere along the way I learned that youth doesn't last that long. So I adopted Clint Eastwood's philosophy -- "Don't let the old man in." It was turned into a song by Toby Keith and accompanies the trailer of "The Mule" a film Eastwood directed and starred in. Forget the gender reference. I think you'll love it. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc5AWImplfE

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  22. When I was younger I thought I would be a veterinarian. Then I found out there is not a so happy side to that job. Then I wanted to be a police officer, my mother didn't care for that idea at all. Then a middle school history teacher. Went to college and got a business degree with a minor in journalism. At 43 I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up loo. Marshall is an amazing writer and I am counting down the days until I get NYPD Red 7. The challenge coins are amazing!

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    1. You are so right, the challenge coins are so much fun..and the book is terrific!

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    2. Angela was the first of my readers to get an NYPD RED 7 Challenge Coin. She didn't have to win it. I just sent it to her because (a) she and her daughter drove 5 hours to hear me speak at my local library, and (b) because she's spectacular (awesome is so overused these days). The coin is rather spectacular too. If you don't know much about Challenge Coins, go to Google and read about them. They're collectable, and since this one is a limited edition, it may be even more of a keeper. It was designed by my friend Dennis Woloch, who designed all the iconic KISS album cover in the 70's and 80's. Pub date for NYPD RED 7 is 11/22/22 and we'll be giving one coin away every day for 7 weeks. I wish I could give you the link that will give you 20% off the book price and a chance to win the coin, but it's not live quite yet. When it is, I'll post it on my Facebook page.

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  23. When I was a kid I wanted to be a writer simply because I loved to read. But I didn't think I was that creative and couldn't "bleed" on the page. So I taught literature. Then I started making fun of the noir novels my husband was reading. He said, "why don't you try writing one?" So I did. It was NOT simple. Congratulations, Marshall, on your successes from tuna can to the present!

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    1. That is a wonderful pathway! But little did your husband know what his challenge would begin! Hurray!

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    2. Priscilla, I Googled you. Loved the Kirkus review -- "tackles the darkness of addiction and the fragility of human existence." Congratulations. That's quite a stretch for a kid who grew up on a dairy farm in Maine.

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  24. Such an interesting evolution of careers. I loved Lomax & Biggs and all the NYPD Reds, congrats on the new solo one. I always loved science so my yearbook predicted I would be a mad scientist. Instead I went to college for computer science and ended up with working in project finance. Unexpected but it was a good match for 37 years.

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    1. You can always be a mad...financier?

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    2. Mo, I have one longtime fan of the Lomax and Biggs books who I remember fondly. I'm thinking that's you. Thank you for continuing to support my life of crime.

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    3. Blushing. . . I bought Rabbit Factory when it first came out and have been a loyal fan since. It's always a happy day when I can read a new book by you. Please continue with your life of crime.

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  25. It is inspiring to hear how your persevered. I’ve read all the NYPD Red books and am looking forward to reading your newest one
    How did your parents react when you told them you weren’t going to be a dentist?

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    1. Phyllis, Glad to hear you're enjoying the NYPD RED books. Publishers Weekly said that NYPD RED 7 is "the best yet in the series," and I agree. Great question about my parents. They accepted my life choice immediately. My father wrote to me in college saying, "Your mother and I won't care if you come home smelling of chloroform or printer's ink as long as you're happy. [chloroform was used extensively in dentistry prior to 1979, so the reference really worked back then. Now of, course, I only use chloroform when I'm kidnapping someone]

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    2. It is so wonderful to have your parents be so supportive. ANd that was so well said--you have the word genes!

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  26. I grew up wanting to work in an office and am old enough to say, have a secretarial career. I did indeed start my career in the administrative field and have moved up in responsibility. I’ve always had a love for writing and a voracious appetite for reading. I’ve always dreamed of writing a book. When I actually had time, I started with three different ideas, The Bogey Man (suspense), $hitA$$ (a loving look at growing up with my brother), and Fairyland (fantasy, more directed at my granddaughters age…she’s too old now for such drivel). As I age, I still have that innate desire to write, maybe even more so. Times running out for me to finish what I’ve started. It’s all about making time but this cruel employment world doesn’t allow that.

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    1. Oh, it's such a juggle, isn't it? But if you wrote one page a day..just ONE page....and tell yourself that's ALL you'll do.Hmm. Might that help?

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    2. I'm on board with Hank. Years ago, long before my first book, I got a call from my friend Kent. He said, "I owe you a big thanks." "For what?" I said. Kent said, "Remember a year ago you told me that if I wrote one page a day, I'd have a 365 page book at the end of the year? Well, I took your advice, and I just finished my novel." I was dumbfounded. I had dispensed encouraging advice to my friend based solely on logic. 365 days = 365 pages. Finally, I spoke, "Holy cow! You mean that actually works?" Apparently it does. So, start writing. A page a day. Also, treat yourself to the definitive book for aspiring writers. BIRD BY BIRD by Anne LaMott -- a brilliant writer and the world's best writing coach.

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    3. Absolutely, Hank! That’s a great piece of advice! So simple, one day at a time. Breaking out my drafts tomorrow and ordering the book. Thank you.

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    4. SO agree, Marshall! Bird By Bird--word by word. xooxo

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  27. Marshall, I would say you've been quite the success in your careers. I looked up The Rabbit Factory and it sounds wonderfully quirky, and the NYPD Red series is intriguing, too. I'm so glad you visited Jungle Reds today.

    I guess I'd go with archeologist as my first thought of what I wanted to be when I was a kid. Well, maybe I didn't think of it as an archeologist, but I had some idea of wanting to work with discovering artifacts in ancient places. A friend and I wrote a play in fourth grade about discovering a mummy and other tomb accessories, and our class performed it in front of the whole school. You would think I would have had a clue then to either study anthropology or the like in college, or to become a playwright, but I didn't. I did major in English and that led to some good things.

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    1. Yay, a sister English major! ANd you have certainly used your skills to amazing success! xxx (My parents were pushing me to law school, which would have been a good idea and I was on board, but then...Shakespeare. And I studied words and deeds and storytelling a different way.)

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    2. Kathy, The Rabbit Factory is my first book, and perhaps the one most dear to my heart. It took me decades to start it, and once I did I couldn't stop writing. 140,000 words. 632 pages in the hard copy. I was just new and naive enough to write without restrictions, so I went deep into the characters. I must have struck a nerve, because I followed up with four more and I still get emails asking me for another Lomax and Biggs book. If you read one thing I've written, read The Rabbit Factory. And if you don't love it, send me the bill and I'll send you your money back. (Wait -- I've never made that offer before. Either it's late, and I'm tired, or your archeology skills tapped into this ancient artifact and came up with a nugget.)

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