When I get the same message more than once, from disparate and unconnected sources, I figure that’s my signal to pay attention. I believe in synchronicity—what I think of as God’s language, when he’s talking to people who need the mysticism of subtlety to feel a connection to the message. I’m one of those. Call me metaphysically thick headed.
But the message has been, “Re-introduce yourself, from time to time.” I’ve heard it from at least three different sources. Three sources who have nothing to do with each other, beyond the fact that I happened to be listening to them when they made the statement. That’s three flags, fluttering and waving, telling me, “this one’s for you.” So...
My name is Kevin. I have written all of my life. And these days I tend to write under the name “J. Kevin Tumlinson,” because I think it sounds writerly.
I’ve also been writing under the name at the top of this Substack, The Writer_ . That little underscore is meant to be a cursor. If I could make it blink, I would. It’s a symbol for me... that a writer writes. The words, the story, they just keep going. That’s me. I just keep writing.
In some circles I’m known as The Wordslinger . That’s a title I took when I was copywriting for a living, and eventually I turned it into the name of a podcast. That show turned out to be one of the best things I ever did, leading me deeper into the world of writing and publishing, making me someone who is known among authors. Great things came from that.
I love writing. These essays I post on Substack once or twice a week are an outlet for me, letting me explore memories and ideas and philosophies that I might not be able to work directly into a book.
Oh, I write books, too. Lots of books.
At the moment, I have 70+ novels and non-fiction books . I have mostly written action-adventure stories, in my career. I love those. Archaeological thrillers in the vein of Indiana Jones and National Treasure and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. And science fiction stories inspired by the positive and fun sci-fi I loved when I was growing to adulthood, like Star Trek: The Next Generation and Ender’s Game and others.
I’ve written a bit of fantasy. And a bit of supernatural fiction. A tiny bit of horror, and a lot more of what you might call “literary fiction.” I’ve written full-length novels and novellas and short stories.
I write. It’s what I do. It’s important to me that you know that about me.
I also create other things. I have a good voice, so I do a lot of podcasting. I love to sing, but that’s so far limited to Karaoke. I speak at conferences a lot, mostly to audiences of authors.
All of that is fun and wonderful, but writing... that’s my heart. Or, as Kara (my wonderful wife) puts it, “The air you breathe.” She’s right. I breathe in words and exhale language, and I thrive from that. I consume and digest writing. Writing nourishes the cells of my soul, and keeps me going.
I guess that makes me a literatarian.
I just made that word up, but it’s ok... I’m a writer.
I’m other things as well, obviously. A husband, we’ve established that. A child of God, that one is most important. I think I’d like to ditch most other labels, in this age of political and idealogical division. I’m getting tired or trying to fit into any given bucket, when all the buckets are repulsive to me.
I’m someone with a mission statement:
To inform and inspire, educate and entertain, in the service of God and humanity. To observe, contemplate, and express with wisdom and integrity.
I live with purpose. I have goals. I want to help and serve others, and serve God in the process. And I do that by putting the bulk of my soul into my work, as Paulo Coelho describes in his book The Fifth Mountain . I love Coelho’s work so much, I paid homage to him with the title of my first archaeological thriller novel, The Coelho Medallion .
I think I’ve hit all the relevant points, but like every soul we get to know, there could always be more. I could always go deeper.
How about this... ask me anything. I’ll answer any questions that come in the comments. Let’s make this a conversation instead of a monologue.
A NOTE AT THE END
Here are some links and items of interest that might give you a clearer picture. I’m also including some requests, which are always optional, but always appreciated:
My website is kevintumlinson.com (but jkevintumlinson.com also works), and there you can find all the things that are relevant to the life and career of “Kevin”
You can specifically find my books on that site, but here’s a direct link: kevintumlinson.com/books
FUN FACT: I design all my own book covers.
Have you read one of my books? Or many of my books? I need reviews on all the books. So if you read and enjoyed any of them, will you go to Amazon, search for the book, and leave a positive review? If you hated the book, I’d prefer you said nothing. But it’s a free world.
FUN FACT: Kara and I traveled for years in an RV, then a bumper-pull camper, then a camper van as full-time van lifers. We had our little dog, Mini, with us, and I wrote and published books and did podcasts and went to conferences while we lived in the van.
That van is now available to rent at https://bit.ly/roadwriter
I have a new book releasing on 15 May 2024, called The Forgotten Rune . It’s another action-adventure archaeological thriller, featuring my protagonist, Dr. Dan Kotler .
FUN FACT: I went to seminary, but I’m internet-ordained as a reverend, and I’ve performed a few weddings.
FUN FACT: I also have an internet-provided PhD in Metaphysics... I spent forties of dollars and tens of minutes earning that degree, and I may use it more than my actual graduate degree.
I think that may be enough for now. If you didn’t know me before, you may know me a little better. But again, ask me anything. I’m at your disposal.
"I breathe in words and exhale language..." Dude, that's poetic. Beautiful! Great piece.
I like your new word. But too lazy to look up the spelling. I also like your mission.I know mine as a writer, but I have never said it out loud. Hmm..another idea for a Substack post. We lived the full-timer life but in a 5th wheel camper for 8 years +. What a wonderful experience. Hmm another Substack topic.I enjoy reading your insights and humor on Substack. Thanks for sharing.