There is something to be said about working from home. That's the beauty of being a best-selling author, blogger, and co-owner of Absolute Author Publishing House. I get to work at home, or on a cruise ship, or at the beach. In 2001, I gave up that early morning office reporting by 6:45 a.m. and not getting home until after five. I used to say, "The moment I don't have to get up early to go to the office, is the day I will sleep late." That plan didn't go over so much as I still rise early, drink my coffee, and report to my home office. I don't miss anything about working in an office environment, maybe except the people I interacted with on a daily basis. In fact, one of my best friends used to my secretary and now works with my publishing company.
So, if you miss that office environment or if you love the office environment, I have an author and book for you -- Office Pool: Orientation by D.L. Blackburne.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Office Pool is a coming of age story of an underachieving ink pen named Arthur "Arty" Bickerson. As his unique journey is chronicled as he navigates the ups and downs of "The Office" and it's complexities. Arty experiences new success, love, peer jealousy, classism, along with high expectations and self doubt.
Office Pool is a fictional world with many layers. With humans set as the backdrop, these common everyday writing utensils deal with universally relatable issues and themes.
D.L. Blackburne
Tell your readers a little about
yourself, where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc.
Let them get to know the personal you.
I am Connecticut born, and raised spent many summers staying
with family Chicago attended college in CT. Spent 20+ years as a professional
artist illustrator, art & design consultant and gallery owner. Relocated to
the southeast Surfside Beach, SC in 2013. There, I worked on designer show home
interiors. I began writing in late 201and completed two books OFFICE POOL:
Orientation, which is available now on Amazon, and OFFICE POOL II:
Escalation, which will be released April of 2020. There is a third book
in the works. Now back in my home state, I currently split time between Connecticut
and California.
As an illustrator & painter growing up I always enjoyed looking
at something and seeing if I could re-imagine it into something more lively; I
didn't always know I had a vivid imagination until I started hanging with my
peers. I learned to reign in or dial down the Tim Burton, Dr. Seuss whimsy side
of me and learned to like sports and cars etc. One day I sketched out a room
layout and had an idea what if these utensils I used virtually everyday had a
pulse and their own challenges outside of our own manmade dilemmas. As an adult,
I was able to use the same technique I used as a young man and flesh out new
pieces as a world of challenges, rules, biases and boundaries emerged. I feel as children, teens or adults, we can
identify with many of these objects infused with emotion. After creating one
hundred and fifty plus original paintings and illustrations over the last few
decades, writing a series of books seemed like a natural, yet challenging place
to divert some that creativity.
Where did you get the inspiration for
your book’s cover?
I am a minimalist by nature and I thought a streamlined design
approach and title would
draw in a certain reader to see what the book could be about. I had a lot of friends and family pushing for me to add faces to the pens or Illustrate the cover. I didn't want to do the faces on the pens approach since it was a chapter book and not a picture book. I thought the content was just as appealing to teens to adults and wanted intrigue to dictate rather than typecast it completely. I included an illustrated version as a movie promotional poster on the inside at the very end as a compromise. I also too was thinking beyond this book I envisioned the covers to the other forth coming books and the continuity of those releases with this one.
draw in a certain reader to see what the book could be about. I had a lot of friends and family pushing for me to add faces to the pens or Illustrate the cover. I didn't want to do the faces on the pens approach since it was a chapter book and not a picture book. I thought the content was just as appealing to teens to adults and wanted intrigue to dictate rather than typecast it completely. I included an illustrated version as a movie promotional poster on the inside at the very end as a compromise. I also too was thinking beyond this book I envisioned the covers to the other forth coming books and the continuity of those releases with this one.
Who has been the most significant
influence on you personally and as a writer?
I would say Tomie DePoala having met him personally as a young
teen, seeing the success and body of work his books had was very inspiring to
me growing up.
What were your struggles or obstacles you
had to overcome to get this book written?
Endless procrastination, insecurities and self-doubt.
Tell your readers about your book.
This book is a story about
individual growth, finding self-confidence, drifting, not a focus, and then
all of the sudden having a target to shoot for. It is about wanting to pull
back when you succeed too fast and finally feeling comfortable and worthy when
you reach a certain level.
Cliché probably to say but I really think everyone or at the
very least the majority of the population who can read will or can relate in
someway to at least one if not a few of this array of characters.
What do you consider your greatest
success in life?
I am a father to wonderful children, so I would have to say
them.
What one unique thing sets you apart from
other writers in your genre?
My naivete at the moment its a bliss in itself.
