A Big 4-0

In March 1981 (I don’t know the exact date), I sat down with a yellow legal pad and began writing my first novel. I wrote longhand in evenings and on weekends, and I used the office typewriter during coffee breaks and lunch hours to type the manuscript. I didn’t know much after writing a novel, but I had a great time doing it all the same.

I finished the manuscript in November 1981 and, soon after, mailed out query letters and sample chapters to publishers I found in The Writer’s Market. Most...