Being an author is in all of us as we each have a story
to tell. This was the message from book author Tom Crowley at the Sunday
July 8 meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club.
Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg called on fellow
member Vincent Ward to introduce Tom who is a Vietnam War veteran and former
U.S. Foreign Service officer. He has lived and worked in Asia for many years
and published two books. Tom was a decorated infantry officer who served
during the Vietnam War. He subsequently became a U.S. Foreign Service
officer working as an intelligence analyst in Asia; later working for
General Electric in Asia.
Member Vincent Ward
introduces Tom Crowley as the guest speaker at the PCEC Sunday meeting. Tom
is the author of a “Vipers Tail” and “Bangkok Pool Blues”.
Tom said that he developed his love for Asia after being
wounded in Vietnam and med-evacuated to Japan; a far cry from war torn
Vietnam. After completing his military service, he returned to the USA with
a desire to return to Asia, which he did after joining the US Foreign
Service. He later joined the business world in Asia with GE and left them in
1998 because he did not want to transfer to Europe. After leaving GE, he
volunteered his services to Bangkok’s Mercy Center, an NGO that helps street
children, orphans, and both children and adults who are HIV positive. That
was 14 years ago and he is still working with the center.
Tom said that instead of taking photos, he likes to write
a few pages describing his experiences and trips, which he files away on his
computer. He showed some of his writings to a Thai author of his
acquaintance, who encouraged him to convert his writings into a book. This
was the beginning of “Bangkok Pool Blues” - a non-fiction work that included
the gambling scene and some of the personalities of those involved. He said
when he submitted his first draft to the publisher, it was returned with the
first three chapters ripped out and the admonition to include something
about himself as the reader wants to know something about the author; this
was one of his first lessons about writing.
Author Tom Crowley talks
about his two published books, how he got started writing them, and offered
some advice about getting your writings published.
It was his reading of the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
series that got him interested in writing fiction; an area that the writer
can be more versatile and have more possibilities to explore. In the “Vipers
Tail,” he said he was able to draw on his own experiences to write the
story. It is about an ex-US Army Ranger wounded in combat in Iraq who is
disillusioned with war and violence and seeks peace in Thailand, his
mother’s homeland. The story involves Tek Chance, the main character, being
called on to discover why U.S. medical researchers are dying mysterious
deaths in Thailand. He ultimately finds the deaths are linked to a
conspiracy dating back to the Second World War.
Tom went on to explain how an aspiring author needs to
“push” themselves and their writings. This he learned from other writers. He
joined the Mystery Writers of America, which holds periodic conferences
where he had invaluable opportunities to meet other writers and talk about
his writing, but most importantly he was able to get advice from well known
authors on how to get his books published. Another thing he learned is that
getting the book published is only the start as you also have to work hard
at marketing the book and yourself.
Member Roy Albiston conducts
the Open Forum portion of the PCEC meeting where members and guests exchange
information about expat living in Pattaya.
He also explained that it is difficult to get publishers
in the USA and UK interested in a book based on events in Thailand. They
prefer books based in their country because they are more marketable.
Consequently, his next book will take Tek Chance to America where most of
the story will take place.
Tom also delved on the need for research. While you can
draw to some extent on your own experiences, he said that at some point you
have to venture into other areas. The readers want to believe what you are
writing is real; that it is authentic. You can’t do that without doing
research to make sure your reader finds your story to be not only
interesting, but also believable. Tom concluded by telling everyone that
they also have many life experiences on which they can base a book. This is
the beginning to being an author. So his advice was to not be afraid to take
a stab at writing if you are so inclined. In essence, he noted that although
publishing a story can be daunting, it will never happen if you don’t start
writing.
After Tom answered many questions from the audience, MC
Richard called on Pat Koester to introduce herself and fellow officers that
were elected at the Board of Governors meeting held after the July 1 Annual
General Meeting. Pat, who is the new chair, then introduced Stuart Saunders,
vice-chair, David Garmaise, secretary, Judith Edmonds, treasurer, and Jerry
Dean, sergeant at arms.
MC Richard then updated everyone on upcoming events and
called on Roy Albiston to conduct the always interesting and lively Open
Forum where questions are asked and answered about expat living in Thailand;
Pattaya in particular.
Read more about the club’s activities on their website at
www. pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
