Contemporary Authors

Much to my surprise, I was born in 1972. A little over three years later, it was discovered that I had learned to read. My Mom read me Green Eggs and Ham. Then I read it right back to her. While the genres and subjects have changed, I haven’t stopped reading since.

For reasons not easily understood (or succinctly explained) I graduated college with a degree in Economics. Most of what I learned there about Economics was utter, blathering macroeconomic nonsense, but by the time I graduated, I had enough of a grip on the division of labor to say, “I should do what I’m best at and trade for everything else.”

Best at? It’s always been writing. I kicked down the door of the best agency in town and all but demanded an internship. They gave me one. That turned into a job. And the job, into a strange career. (In Advertising, is there any other kind?)

Writing and Fighting

At the same time, I started training in the martial arts. I don’t often write about it, but since the only two things I’ve done consistently and with a will in my life are writing and fighting, it bears some mention. Mostly, I refrain from writing about it because I find the experience of it and the things I’ve learned and strive to learn aren’t easily translated into words. But it’s a pretty important part of my life.

Over the years I’ve trained and held rank in several styles of Aikido and Jiujitsu. I’m currently an instructor of a wonderful thing called Systema. Why does a grown man engage in such pursuits? Here’s a testimonial I wrote for Systema Charlotte.

Systema is the most fun I’ve ever had doing martial arts. (some of the most fun I’ve had, period.) The lack of rank, the camaraderie, the total martial-creative freedom, it’s all wonderful. But for me the biggest benefit of Systema training is health.

As a result of my training, I am healthier physically, psychologically and spiritually. I’m more patient. I get along with people better. Systema helps me be a better husband, a better father and a better friend.

As a result of my training, I am healthier physically, psychologically and spiritually. I’m more patient. I get along with people better. Systema helps me be a better husband, a better father and a better friend.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many people who apply the very practical aspects of Systema to their dangerous work — it’s great for that — but for me, being a better person for all the people who depend on me — that makes it worth it for me.

Learning to hit really hard is just gravy.

Adventures and Misadventures

In 1999 I went to Los Angeles, got shot and then got a really good job working on Red Bull Energy Drink Account at an Agency called Lunch. Getting shot was not part of the interview process, but it was certainly formative event. For a host of reasons, a number of them my fault, L.A. didn’t work for me, so I returned home to Charlotte. I had been hired by an agency that promptly (and spectacularly) went out of business. C’est la guerre.

I went out on my own and have never really looked back. Oh there were a couple of flings here and there with respectable day jobs, but they never stuck.

Late 2004 found me sinking into depression. I felt like I had talent, but none of it was getting used. I drank, played cards and otherwise squandered the coin of my youth. The work I did, I did well enough, but advertising and marketing seemed to be more and more pointless.

I was awoken by a noise in the middle of the night one night and I dashed out a short story, “The Vampire in My Attic.” And by January the whole thing had snowballed into a podcast called The Seanachai. I decided that, come hell or high water, I would write, record and produce a short story or essay every week for 2005. And I did. I got a great deal of exposure and won two Parsec awards. Along the way, I made a whole bunch of new friends. In short, I got myself unblocked.

Still, it was a lot like the Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I had this great thing going on the side, but the stuff I did for a living, still fairly uninspiring. Most of what I was doing was coming up with funny ideas for committees of nervous corporate types to kill. So I conducted the second great economic analysis of my life. What did I have that is or can be of value to other people?
good words (right order)

What I noticed was that people had trouble with writing simply and clearly. And I thought I might be able to help with that. I started digging into writing, the way it is taught and the implications that bad writing has for one’s careers. I came to some pretty firm and shocking conclusions. First, that where writing is still taught, it is taught very badly. Second, that grammar is a hot, unhelpful mess. Third, what ever grammatical or pedagogical axe someone might have to grind, the fact is, people learn through feedback loops and, with writing education, the feedback is very bad and the loop is very long.

All of this became a writing coaching business called good words (right order). I’ve done small group training and executive coaching for companies Amazon, Duke Energy, Palo Alto Networks and many individuals. If writing faster and better is of any interest to you, I’ve put some materials online.

Which Brings Us to Now.

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

I have never stopped writing. I help companies get clear about their messaging. I crank on creative work for agencies and design firms. And, I write novels. I am, generally, for hire. But thankfully, I’m pretty busy and pretty careful about who I work with. If it’s not a good fit, I don’t force it.

On the way to now, I managed to meet a girl, fall in love, get married and, much to my son’s surprise, start a family. That is, after all, the real story of my life. And the moral of that story is that I am, in every conceivable way, a very lucky man.

What I Do:

I help leaders to clarify their thinking and communicate more powerfully and persuasively through small group training, executive coaching and business consulting.

How I Make an Organization Better:

I make leaders more strategic and productive.

I make brands more engaging, compelling and persuasive.

I build communication competence into the organizations I work with that lasts long after my engagement is done. This is important, because in our connected age, no company can pay external vendors to be authentic for them.

I make change management, sales efforts and marketing campaigns work better by uncovering the compelling why’s that support powerful messaging.

I save people time by making the process of writing easier and reducing the friction generated by sloppy and confusing internal communications.

To get started:

704-293-6972
Experience
President
Reinforcements, INC
January 2013 – Present (4 years 11 months)Charlotte, North Carolina Area
We help technical companies increase sales by teaching them to communicate more powerfully.

Your people are your brand. We develop the stories your people tell, the information they deliver and we train them to communicate all of this clearly and with power. In the 21st century, everyone in your organization is in sales and marketing. We make them and your brand more valuable and powerful than you ever thought possible.

• Insights
• Brand Development
• Sales Strategy
• Pitch Development
• Communications Training
• Content Development
Faculty
Interact Skills LLC
January 2005 – Present (12 years 11 months)Charlotte, North Carolina Area
This is where I have taught the local sessions of my professional writing course, good words (right order). It's a pretty amazing nexus of talented coaches. I've learned a lot from them. Especially Lou Solomon. She's magic.
President/Editor-in-Chief
good words (right order)
January 2002 – Present (15 years 11 months)Charlotte, North Carolina Area
We teach people to be more powerful and persuasive communicators thorough real time, point-of-need coaching that helps them get to the point and get things done.
Consulting, Writing Coach
Amazon
July 2011 – May 2013 (1 year 11 months)
Helped key executives and the Global Leadership Development team articulate their thoughts more powerfully, in less time and with less effort. Developed writer training and writer coach training materials for use throughout the organization.
Patterson Pope
Creative Consultant
Patterson Pope
January 2006 – October 2011 (5 years 10 months)Charlotte, North Carolina Area
Helped rebrand and position the company. Worked with a team to create an completely new business system (logo, brochure, website, capabilities messaging and collateral.) Wrote and produced a series of mailers and humorous webvideos. Created the FileSolve brand to spin off their document management division.
Adams Outdoor Advertising
Creative Consultant
Adams Outdoor Advertising
January 2003 – July 2011 (8 years 7 months)
Helped with a complex internal rebranding and culture change. Wrote the Mission Vision Values book. Evaluated and created internal systems, processes to ensure the culture change actually took. Created new collateral material and a new website. Helped coached executives on language and strategies for dealing with a complex outdoor advertising rezoning ordinance.
Wray Ward
Creative Consultant
Wray Ward
1995 – 2011 (16 years)
Working on the Duke-Energy account helping to develop the Youtility website.(http://www.duke-energy.com/youtility. Making lots of interesting and fun web videos about energy efficiency.
AAA Carolinas
Creative Consultant
AAA Carolinas
May 2006 – May 2009 (3 years 1 month)Charlotte, North Carolina Area
Created branding and marketing campaigns for AAA Insurance and AAA Car Care.
Cimbrian
Creative Consultant
Cimbrian
2007 – 2007 (less than a year)
Copywriter
Axiom Creative Group
January 1999 – January 2004 (5 years 1 month)
Principal writer for an award-winning design shop. Work got in The One Show, CA, HOW, AIGA, American Graphic Design. Clients included First Union, Transamerica Capital, and World Team Sports.
Associate Creative Director
Lunch Advertising
March 2000 – April 2001 (1 year 2 months)
Sluggin' it out in the agency world for the man. With all the cash and lunacy that comes with. Accounts: Red Bull Energy Drink
Copywriter
Price/McNabb
May 1994 – July 1999 (5 years 3 months)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. What can I say it was my first real job. And everything, good and bad, that a job in advertising can be.

The Soak is a unique take on a hard-boiled mystery. Hobbs, our main character and thief, is a rugged older man who is an expert at what he does, though he now finds himself struggling against advances in technology that he doesn’t like and doesn’t really understand. His character is complex and I totally enjoyed spending time with him.

He was used to being on the far side of sixty, but that thing floating in the mirror looked to be on the far side of death.

McLean’s writing style immediately drew me in. We’re right there with the characters, experiencing events as they do.

The plot revolves around one specific heist. The story is told in five parts, and those part are not in linear order. Part One is “Three months after”, Part 2 is “Three months before”, Part 3 is “Five minutes before”, and then we go back to the main timeline, which is “Three months after”. This was my biggest problem with the book. We see the outcome of certain events before we see those actual events occur, and therefore I didn’t feel any suspense when we went back in time and saw those things play out. I already knew too much about the outcome, and that sucked the power out of the scenes.

He punched ineffectually at Hobbs’s ribs in a way that suggested hitting a man in the face was somehow impolite.

My other issue comes with the latter part of the book, when we leave Hobbs’ narration and are introduced to two FBI agents. I found their characters far less compelling. In fact, for me, they were too silly to be realistic. They felt like caricatures, their parts a parody, and that felt out of place with the realism we’re given with Hobbs.

Leproate had once been a rising star, a hot shit with a federal badge. But he’d screwed up. And they’d sent him to Purgatory.

There is a lot to love about this book. If you don’t mind stories being told out of order, I suggest giving it a try.

Is it possible for a criminal protagonist to be long past his prime yet captivating enough to hold our interest? The author of the HOW TO SUCCEED IN EVIL series, Patrick E. McLean, succeeds in this challenge with his foray into crime fiction, THE SOAK.

Hobbs, the novel’s lead character, knows he’s not a young man anymore. But working large-scale heists is the only life he knows. So as much as he’d like to quite, when he learns about a Florida armored truck transporting huge amounts of cash Hobbs finds himself once more planning and carrying out another theft.

But things don’t go as planned; and Hobbs finds himself recuperating in a rest home. He knows he must escape, recover the cash, and find those responsible for the foiled heist. But Hobbs also knows there’s a ruthless, rogue FBI agent watching his every move.

McLean begins with Hobbs’s recuperation and the heist three months in the past. Secondary characters, including the main antagonist, are introduced in these opening chapters, and we learn by inference that Hobbs was involved in something than went horribly wrong. His body rebels, but Hobbs is determined to retrace his steps and carry out his revenge, all the while staying one step ahead of the FBI agent.

Then the novel recounts the events of the heist in a long series of flashback chapters. It’s a risky structure, but McLean pulls it off thanks mostly to our immediate fascination with Hobbs and the other major players, as well as our curiosity about the heist – and how it all went south.

This fascination is rooted in Hobbs realizing just how out of touch he is with the world around him. He doesn’t own a smart phone (“I’m not smart enough,” he insists), never uses the internet, and clings to his tried-and-true method of secretly meeting with his partners and discussing plans over piles of maps and diagrams. At one point Hobbs confuses the living daylights out of a motel desk clerk by asking to use something as archaic as a phone book.

These contradictions are further emphasized by the source of Hobbs’s latest job who, of course, is a much younger man and never without his laptop computer. Yet each time the younger man demonstrates how much easier it is to plan the heist with the use of his computer, Hobbs insists there is no other way to actually perform the job than how its always been done.

McLean’s prose is direct and mostly hard-boiled, but takes the time to include necessary embellishments and interior musings while keeping the events moving. This avoids the confusion that might otherwise occur in the midst of the time-shifts and the change of focus between the main characters.

Is THE SOAK the first title of a series? Hobbs insists to all who will listen that this is, without question, his last job (“I’m done,” is his statement that ends the novel). But we can’t help but wonder if we’ve truly seen the last of this aging but enduring character.