I just launched my author website: jemullane.com. I am finding it difficult to accept the fact that I now have an AUTHOR website. I guess this means I can now identify myself as “an author.” I realize I could have done this before the launch (and doesn’t it sound a bit pretentious? LAUNCH? It’s not the QEII or the space shuttle or anything) because I’d written and published a couple novels, and while technically, yeah, I’ve been an author for a while, it’s not where my mind would first go. Until a few months ago I would have labelled myself as “a teacher.” It’s a label I’d worn for many years; it was comfortable and I was proud to carry it. Yes, I was an author, but I was primarily a teacher. I taught in a great place with great kids and great colleagues. And while my teaching career had run its course, I consider myself fortunate to have stumbled into it when I did, a little later than most. A couple weekends ago I was speaking with some folks who have retired and moved on from teaching themselves, several of whom have been away from the profession for years. They feel as I do: it was great, but it’s also great it’s behind them. I found myself at my old school recently. It felt like I was returning after a summer vacation or spring break. Like it had been a while, but now I’m back—same old, same old. Simultaneously, it felt incredibly different. Yeah, I knew most of the faces and many of the names, the sounds and sights and smells were the same, the building itself was familiar, but I was no longer a part of it all. I was a visitor, not a participant. And yeah, it felt a little sad. So…no longer a teacher.

I have another label I have been using since my final days at school. FORMER TEACHER. It’s pretty new, but I’ve been taking it out for a run to see how it feels. For the first few months it was a mess. I would begin to introduce myself as a teacher, stumble a bit, then try to tack on the “former” part, but it was as far from feeling natural as you could get. But it’s getting easier wearing that label and identifying with it. Yup, former teacher, that’s me.

Now I find myself, in part because of my spiffy new website, wondering about the author label. Would it be kosher to introduce myself to someone and say something along the lines of, “Hello. The name is Mullane, J.E. Mullane, author.” It’s got a ring to it. Reminds me of the old James Bond movies, except for the author part. And of course, I’d have no license to kill.

The author label is one I’ve wanted to wear for most of my life. Like many who write, I love to read. I always have. As a kid I read a lot, and that carried into adulthood. I was fortunate to end up in a profession where reading was a huge part of the job. As a kid and a teen, while navigating the tumultuous pre-adult landscape, I often escaped through reading. By often I mean almost daily. It was so comforting. I could never understand why many of my friends did not see it as I did. Because I spent so much time with my face in a book, I eventually wondered, why can’t I create something like this? And that’s about where it stood for several decades. High school, college, adulthood, life, all got in the way. As did the fear of failure. That’s a biggie. I’m sure I’ll be delving into that in the future.

As I write this it just occurred to me that of course you know I have an author website. You’re reading this blog. Where is this blog located? On the damn website. You see how foreign this stuff is to me? I’ll figure it out eventually. I hope. I realize the site is important because it’s a place for people to see what I have published and how they can purchase it if they choose. It’s also a place to read reviews. Which brings me to my next point. If you read any of my books, I ask you to follow the links on the website and leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews are a big deal. It tells people that others have read the book and are willing to weigh in with an opinion on it. I have not been very good about asking for reviews and that’s something I am trying to change. Good reviews are great, but honest reviews are all I want.

The website is also a place where you can get a glimpse into the life of an author. I can’t begin to tell you how totally weird I find this. My initial thoughts are along the lines of, Why the heck would anyone want a “glimpse” into my life? I’m boring. I wake up, drink too much coffee, write, or at least make an attempt to, go outside and play, work with the beehives if the weather’s warm enough, read, lament the fact that even with Netflix I can’t find anything I want to watch, go to bed. See? Who cares? I never understood why people felt the need to share with the world the fact they just baked chocolate chip cookies. I have nothing against chocolate chip cookies, they’re an important food group, but does the planet really need to know you just pulled some out of the oven? That’s how I thought, anyway. But apparently, I need to change how I view this sort of stuff. You just woke up and are drinking too much coffee? Fascinating! You’re going to work the hives? Whoa! Tell me more! Ha! that Netflix thing, I know exactly what you mean! You are the kind of guy I want to know more about and of course I want to buy your books to get a “glimpse” into how that intriguing mind of yours works! Well, okay, please do, but God help us all.

I’ll try not to be boring. I promise. Maybe I’ll take up juggling or something.