Philip D. Hume

Well, yesterday, I finally finished it.  Just over two years ago I embarked upon my journey – my quest to write my first book.

It turned out to be a very personal quest but in retrospect that should have been no surprise.  Two years ago, my intense and intent focus was firmly on my day job in the legal profession but unbeknownst to me I would welcome another day, evening, night and morning job into my life.

Writing is a unique vocation.  Most of us do it without a third thought; we write and we read.  But writing is a profound experience.  When we write, we find out what words are worth.  When we write, we impart something – we can inform; we can educate; we can entertain.  A book can do all or only one of these things.

But the most potent books find their own purpose.  Good books enlighten with thought-provoking plots and compelling themes.  Good books entertain with independent and engaging characters.  Good books give something to the reader.  Good books can be very difficult to write…

So it is just past midnight in London on a Tuesday night.  Tomorrow is the last day of January and I have only written five chapters of my next book (The Enemy of my Enemy).  Hopefully, I will be able to find some time to write more tomorrow morning, lunchtime or evening, may be… may be not.  But great things rarely happen overnight and unrealistic expectations are never great… so as we say goodbye to the last day of January, we should bear the following in mind for the rest of the year: