Robert Ferrigno writes:
My experience was somewhat unusual.
I had been a full-time nationally syndicated newspaper feature writer for eight years before attempting a novel. I worked on it for 2 years while holding down my job, got tired of living on four hours of sleep at night and quit the job. When the novel was half-finished I found an agent at a writers’ conference and she sold the partial manuscript a week later.
The novel was The Horse Latitudes which sold well and got a lot of critical attention. While cruising on ego I went to my first Author Panel and was paired up with Michael Chabon who's first book had been a monster bestseller and was nominated for a Pulitzer. He was also 21 years old and looked like Adonis. I was 41 and looked like someone had used my face for a punching bag. Suitably chastened, I went home and started my next book, which in the years since, has proven to be the ultimate antidote for the usual frustrations, sales slumps and the continued success of James Patterson.
Robert Ferrigno is the author of eight acclaimed novels, including his latest, The Wake-Up. A former professional gambler, he now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children.
