The most powerful secret

An interview with J. Kevin Tumlinson

“So there I was, writing. It was quite an exciting day.”

Lately I’ve watched a lot of videos about Costco, and the Kirkland Signature brand. Their in-house brand that they’ve gone all-in with. In these videos I’ve learned about the origins of the business, and that’s interesting to me. And I learned the story behind why they chose to go with a single house brand, rather than establish several different brands, as retailers like Walmart, Target ,and others have done. And maybe the most important story of all, I learned about the $1.50 hot dog—did you know they built their own hotdog manufacturing facility, in order to keep the price of their hotdog low and the quality high? There’s even a verified story that the company’s founder threatened to “end the life” of the CEO if he changed the price.

Those are fun stories.

So fun, in fact, they inspired something in me. They made me love Costco and Kirkland as brands.

That’s funny, right?

And then I thought about it for a while, and realized that all my life I’ve been very “brand loyal.” There are things I fall back on as go-to products and services and experiences. And, when I look closely, I discover that the reason those are my go-tos is entirely, and absolutely, because I learned their story and something about it resonated with me.

Look, I’m biased here. Stories... they matter to me a great deal. And I’ll put money on the fact (and I’d win) that they matter a lot to you, too. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have read this far. You wouldn’t read novels or watch good films or sit around with friends and family and reminisce.

Stories aren’t just how we relate to each other. They’re how we bond and build love.

I like Costco a lot. I like the Kirkland brand a lot. Silly, maybe. I don’t have a strong emotional bond with them to the degree I have with my wife or my mother or my dog. But because I learned the story behind those brands, I’m connected to them. They matter to me. I trust them, at least more than I did before.

That’s how stories work.

I wrote something down on a note card that I’ve attached to the little magnetic chalkboard beside my desk:

Look for the story—this builds love within you.

Craft the story—this build love within others.

I recently listened to a podcast where the guest was talking about the purpose of life, and his take (and I agree) is that the point is to create more love. To create order from chaos, he says, is to create more love. And I say, to craft more stories is to create more love. Stories, I think, are love generators.

I think that this Substack is one attempt, on my part, to craft a story about me and my work. My life, my philosophy, my experience. And what it all means to me.

But I was thinking, what’s the story of me, as it might come from the outside?

I could ask you—if you’ve been a reader for a while, you might have your own take. Or if you’ve listened to my podcast or seen my videos, if you’ve heard me speak at a conference or just had coffee with me at some point. Maybe you have a take on me that I hadn’t considered. Feel free to share that in the comments of this post (or respond to this email, if it’s in your inbox).

But I thought I’d take a shot at a little experiment, too. I went to a couple of different AI sites, both of which I’ve used regularly, and I asked them to craft a story about me, as if it were being written by a journalist for a successful publication. Ultimately, I had ChatGPT conduct an interview. I had it ask me twenty questions, which it did one at a time (allowing it to formulate new questions based on my answers to the previous ones). I like the result:

J. Kevin Tumlinson: From Masking‑Tape Novels to Indie Trailblazer

On a quiet morning north of Austin, Texas, you’ll find J. Kevin Tumlinson—coffee in hand, dog by his side—settling into the first sacred hours of his day. “The Writing Comes First,” he reminds himself, a mantra that has guided him from the moment he crafted his very first five‑page “book” in a Big Chief notebook at age five. That homemade story, complete with a masking‑tape spine and hand‑drawn cover, introduced Kevin to the thrill of creating worlds and characters—and set him on a path that would lead to over seventy novels, a bustling Substack, and a reputation as the “Voice of Indie Publishing.”

Early Sparks and Lifelong Influences

Growing up in rural Wild Peach, Texas, Kevin’s imagination was fueled by Judy Blume’s warmth and Donald J. Sobol’s clever mysteries. “I remember painting a piece of plywood with ‘Private Eye’ and waiting behind it, hoping someone would hire me as a detective,” he laughs. That playful longing to live inside stories was later reignited by Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, which transformed him from a casual reader into a voracious one and convinced him that, if these authors could write books, so could he.

A Rough‑and‑Ready Publishing Debut

Kevin’s first taste of traditional publishing in the early 2000s ended abruptly: a costly contract, a cancelled release, and rights lost to red tape. He stepped back, disillusioned, but the writing itch never left him. Drawn to an idea for a web‑series treatment, he surprised himself by drafting a novel instead. Titled Citadel: First Colony, he printed and bound it himself, even scrawling “Book One of Three” beneath the title—“and thank God,” he says, “because it forced me to write the trilogy.” That trilogy, forged through trial and error, taught him the value of discipline and launched a self‑publishing career that now spans genres from archaeological suspense to speculative science fiction.

Mastering Momentum

For those first books, momentum was patchy: Book One took months, Book Two and Book Three took years. Then Kevin discovered Chris Baty’s NaNoWriMo ethos, as outlined in his boo, No Plot? No Problem! “I decided to write 2,000 words a day for 30 days,” he recalls, “and by sheer math I had a first draft at the end.” Emboldened, he carried that fast‑draft discipline—even as he refined his process with outlines, ProWritingAid, and rigorous editing—to dozens more titles, including the Sawyer Jackson series and his latest thrillers.

Substack as Creative Crucible

Kevin’s Substack newsletter is more than marketing—it’s his digital home. “I write essays without an agenda,” he explains. “I explore themes, try risky turns of phrase, and see what lands.” That weekly practice keeps his “craft saw” sharp and offers direct feedback from readers, shaping both his nonfiction musings and the precision of his fiction.

Balancing Research and Story

Though Kevin’s thrillers often hinge on historical or scientific puzzles—Viking expeditions deep into America, a mind‑altering technology in The Devil’s Interval—he rarely begins with exhaustive research. “I start with a title or concept I already know a bit about,” he says, performing spot checks as needed. But when facts surface that exceed his expectations—like surprising evidence of Vikings in the North American interior—he embraces them, letting fresh discoveries reshape the narrative mid‑draft.

Navigating Burnout and Reinvention

The pandemic era tested Kevin’s resolve: daily live shows, amplified marketing duties, and life on the road ignited a burnout so severe that months passed without writing. A false accusation at a conference in 2023 deepened his slump, but support from fellow authors and a co‑writing partnership with J.D. Barker prompted a rebirth. “Having an outline that JD praised—no notes needed—gave me confidence,” he reflects. Now, he’s writing with greater care, marrying speed with quality, and expanding his craft through collaborative rigor.

Looking Ahead

Kevin stands at an exciting crossroads: the independence of self‑publishing remains his bedrock, while a forthcoming archaeological thriller co‑written with J.D. Barker opens doors to traditional publishing. “I’m under no illusions—I’ll cede some control,” he admits, “but the real value will be new readers discovering my backlist.” On the side, he’ll continue producing indie titles and exploring science fiction short stories—the genre that first made him see himself as an author.

A Guiding Truth

When asked what advice he’d give his younger self, Kevin’s answer is both simple and profound: “Write consistently, every single day if you can. And re‑read and edit every word, multiple times, before it goes to print. Make ‘quality’ the rule. Always: The Writing Comes First.” With that steadfast principle, Kevin Tumlinson’s ever-evolving journey continues—one word, one day, one story at a time.

I think that’s a solid story. I think it sums up my career to date, too.

But I’m more curious about what you think.

Leave me a comment. And share this with people you know. I want to see how far this story goes.

Every novel adventure was written with you in mind. Click the image to take your journey into intrigue, action, and mystery.

A NOTE AT THE END

I’m a sucker for a good story, it’s true. And the right story can turn me on to a brand I might otherwise have ignored.

I think the reason is simple: Stories really are how we come to understand the world around us. They’re how we learn valuable life lessons. They teach us our morals and ethics, they show us how we should react and respond.

I love a good story, because good stories are love.

“Thank you for the hours you’ve spent answering my questions. My article will be written in precisely 2.3 seconds.”