We caught up with the brilliant and insightful John A. Daly a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, John A. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I almost answered that it was the first royalty check I received from my publisher for my first novel, “From a Dead Sleep,” but that’s actually not true. It was a check written to me by the manager of a local bookstore named “Woody’s Newsstand” in Downtown Greeley, Colorado (it’s no longer around). That’s where I did my first ever book signing, just a day before my big launch party that what would kick off the novel.

I remember that day well, because of how awkward it felt promoting my work (and myself) to strangers. It’s one thing to write a book (which I did in my spare time over several years), but it’s another to introduce yourself to people and try to sell them on why they should give your work a chance. I’m quite comfortable with it these days, but back in June of 2013 it was slightly terrifying.

The manager was very supportive though, hyping my novel to regulars who stepped into the small store during their lunch break. And as it turned out, the elevator pitch I’d had come up with worked pretty well. I sold a fair number of books. It probably didn’t hurt that I was a Greeley author, and that some folks feel inclined to support local artists.

What I also remember about that day is a couple of surprise visitors. I wasn’t expecting anyone I knew to pop in, because I figured they’d all be at the book-launch party the next day. But then the parents of one my childhood friends walked in, having driven all the way up from Denver (over an hour away). They were among the very first people to purchase a Sean Coleman Thriller, and their show of support meant more to me than they could have known.

At the end of the signing, the store manager cut me a check for my share. It was probably only a couple hundred bucks, but with it came a great sense of accomplishment and promise.

John A., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Truth be told, I didn’t discover my passion for writing until I was almost 30 years old. I had studied computer information systems in college, and worked as a software developer after graduation.

On the weekends, I used to do a good amount of bike riding, mostly along rural roads well outside of town. One day, having not bothered to check the weather report before I left, I ended up getting caught in a huge rain-downpour. It soaked me from top to bottom. As I rode back into town (with my tires sending water high into the air), the sun came out, a rainbow filled the sky, and I got a kick out of watching neighborhood kids playing in an overflowing street gutter. The entire ordeal, as John Denver might say, filled up my senses. When I got back home, I had this wild urge to write a poem about the experience — something I’d never even attempted before. I was surprised by how easily the words flowed out on paper, and I felt that it turned out quite well. A friend of mine thought it was much better than that, and her enthusiasm encouraged me to further pursue the interest.

From there, I ventured into online writing — everything from movie reviews to op-eds. After getting hooked on Tim Green’s thriller novels, I eventually tried my hand at fiction, in the same genre… and that’s how my Sean Coleman thrillers began. There are currently five books in the series, and I’m working on the sixth.

Sean Coleman is a character that’s really connected with readers. He’s a highly flawed individual, who’s quite rough around the edges and has made lots of mistakes in his life. But deep down, he’s a good guy trying to redeem himself, and help others out of bad situations.

I’m proud of the stories and characters I’ve created, and having grown up in the Colorado mountains (like Sean), I feel I’m true to the setting. The series has been a pleasure to write, and I always look forward to attracting new readers who like quirky characters and rugged survival stories.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Give new or unfamiliar artists a chance.

Throughout my career as a novelist, I’ve done a ton of in-store book signings and author events. And at just about every one of them, I find myself talking to a reader who takes great pride in telling me that they ‘only’ read books by one or two select authors (usually very famous ones). It’s like a ‘brand loyalty’ thing.

I’m always polite to those people, but in my head I’m thinking that they’re really short-changing themselves by not venturing out, and letting other creative writers (not just me) tell them a story.

After all, the authors they’re loyal to were once unknowns themselves, up until people gave them a chance.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Writing groups.

I wouldn’t say that I didn’t know of their existence, but they weren’t really on my radar until I was working on my third book. A friend invited me to a writing-group meeting at a local library, and I found it extremely helpful. The other writers provided (and accepted) good feedback, and compelled me to look at some instruments of storytelling from a different perspective. I kept going back each month.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that that third book, “Broken Slate,” was my first award-winner.

Contact Info:

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