Chasing … What?

I am a TikTok subscriber (@josephlewis5566), one of the few remaining social media platforms I belong to. Earlier this month, I threw in the towel on Facebook, and when Twitter became X, I removed myself from that platform, too. One show on TikTok I enjoy watching is the Graham Norton Show. Mostly funny, and at times, irreverent. I always end up laughing.

Recently, I watched an interview with a very young Matt Damon, who is one of my favorite actors. The question and resulting story he told was meant to be funny, but to me, it was thought-provoking. He won an Oscar as a co-writer with his friend and fellow actor, Ben Affleck for Good Will Hunting at age twenty-six.

Damon said, (paraphrasing poorly even though the gist is accurate), he went to his friend’s apartment after the ceremony and just stared at his award. He said he was “lucky enough” to have won an Oscar early in his career, so he didn’t have to spend his life chasing after one. He said, “Can you imagine being 70 or 80 and winning or even never winning an Oscar? You look back and ask, ‘What have I done with my life? I wasted it!’”

I stopped listening at that point, lost in my thoughts about age, winning awards, and the thought of wasting a life.

I was 34 years old in 1987 when Dusty and Me, the first and only short story I had submitted for publication, was published, and I earned $300 and thought I had won the lottery. By happenchance, I met a very nice lady, who was the mother of a child actor. (She, along with her son, will remain nameless.) This lady was interested in my story as a vehicle for her son and had approached a producer and a director in hopes of it being made into a movie. Both the producer and director loved my short story, but explained that movies based on a farm in rural America didn’t fare well at the box office, at least back then. My hope of “making it” in Hollywood as a writer was dashed. Bummer! But I kept writing.

In the summer of 2014 and at the age of 60, my first book, Taking Lives, the Prequel of The Lives Trilogy, was published. Taking Lives, along with the first book of the trilogy published later that fall, Stolen Lives, hit #3 and #4 on Amazon. Those two books gave birth to seven others, and my tenth book overall will be published at the beginning of 2025. More importantly, my newfound passions, writing and storytelling, had begun. Again, at the age of 60.

Have I ever wondered what might have become of me if Dusty and Me was made into a movie? Of course! Do I ever wonder where I might be if I had begun writing sooner? Sure! But I never, not one time, thought to myself that I wasted my life before the age of 60. And with twenty or so awards that my books have earned, did I ever think, ‘If only I had started earlier …’ No, not one time.

The awards and seeing my books on a bookshelf or on Amazon are nice, even thrilling. But the greater joy for me is the act of creating. When I sit down with my laptop and create a story, that’s where I find joy. That feeling is unequaled. It’s the joy of creating characters and throwing them in perilous situations that makes me happy. I don’t chase awards. Instead, I chase story ideas and play ‘what if’ continuously until the story sounds right and has a satisfying ending.

And I have a wonderful life! Besides writing, I have an understanding wife who gives me the freedom to write. I have two daughters, a son-in-law and a soon-to-be son-in-law, who give me joy. I have a grandchild for whom I get to be grandpa. They make me rich beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve lived in six states working with kids, and I’ve loved every minute of it. And like icing on a cake, I get to write and create stories. There is nothing about my life that was wasted. I embraced every moment- even the downs along with the ups.

I think those of us in any industry who chase awards or paychecks, who seek a fancier, bigger house, or a newer car, miss out on the day to day. They miss the opportunity to see the joy and beauty of their life as it happens, and not so much as it happened. Do you see the difference?

One is happening in real time right before their eyes, and one is in retrospect- it has happened, and it is done. If we take the time to notice, appreciate, and live in the moment, our lives are so much better, so much more. Yes, I reminisce and reflect on days gone by. But in no way do I dwell in the past, but simply appreciate what it took to get me to where I am today. I appreciate the trials and difficulties, as well as the successes that made my life what it is. Every scar made me who I am, and those trials, difficulties, and scars sometimes end up in my stories.

For me it’s the ride and who I’m riding with that bring me joy. And, of course, creating stories along the way.

For your convenience, I’ve added the link and description for Taking Lives, the Prequel to The Lives Trilogy, and for Stolen Lives, the First Book of the Trilogy, along with book Two, Shattered Lives, and book Three, Splintered Lives. Of course, you can find all my books, links and descriptions on my website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com

The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:

FBI Agent Pete Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they live in separate parts of the country, the lives of Kelliher, 11-year-old Brett McGovern, and 11-year-old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become interwoven with the same thread Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their futures grow dark as each search for a way out. https://amzn.to/34nXBH5  

Book One, Stolen Lives: Editor’s Pick by BestThrillers! Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Crime Thriller finalist in the 2021 Best Thriller Book Awards!

Two thirteen-year-old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI agents have 24 hours to find them or they will end up like the other kids they found- dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. To make the investigation that much tougher, Kelliher suspects that one of his team members might be involved. https://amzn.to/3oMo4qZ   

Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:

The boys are home, but now they have to fit back in with their families and friends. Their parents and the FBI thought the boys were safe. They were until people began dying. Now the hunt is on for six dangerous and desperate men who vow revenge. With no leads and nothing to go on, the FBI can only sit back and wait. A dangerous game that threatens not only the boys, but their families. https://amzn.to/2RAYIk2 
 
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:

Three dangerous men with nothing to lose offer a handsome reward to anyone willing to kill fourteen-year-old Brett McGovern. He does not know that he, his younger brother, and a friend are targets. More than anyone, these three men vow to kill George, whom they blame for forcing them to run and hide. A fun vacation turns into a nightmare and ends where it started, back on the Navajo Nation Reservation, high on a mesa held sacred by George and his grandfather. Outnumbered and outgunned, George will make the ultimate sacrifice to protect his adoptive father and his adoptive brothers- but can he? Without knowing who these men are? Or where they are? Without knowing whom to trust? Is he prepared for betrayal that leads to his heartbreak and death? http://bit.ly/SplinteredLives