Who am I, anyway?

Hi, I’m Jason. You can call me Puddin, if you want. Or not, it’s up to you.  I live near Cincinnati.  Yes, in the dreaded suburbs.

(duh duh duh)

*thunder crash*

Try not to hold it against me.

I’ve got a beautiful wife, the Puddinette, who puts up with the seemingly inexhaustible supply of  my nonsense daily. Together we’ve got four awesome kids: Oldest Son (Teen), Mini-Me (Teen), Princess Puddinette (Teen), and The Attitude (Not-Teen).

For those of you keeping track at home, that’s three teens in one house with only one and a half full-fledged adults. The inmates are definitely running the asylum.

Since I first learned how fun it was to tap out words on an old key-striking typewriter of my parent’s, I thought about being a writer when I actually grew up.  Out of laziness and fear, though, I never quite got started on any of the many novel ideas sugarplum-ing around in my head. In early 2010, though, came my put-up or shut-up moment. One winter night in late January, I decided it was time to either to start writing or stop kidding myself.

Surprisingly, that actually worked. Shortly after committing myself to the blog, I started a novel, too. Eighteen months later, I finally had a finished manuscript to show for it.  And that was just the beginning. I wrote a second novel, a science fiction adventure for middle graders, as part of NaNoWriMo in 2012. Since then, I’ve written 4 additional novels and used to have a literary agent. But it turns out she was kind lying to her entire client list and also possibly publishers for years, and has since run from the industry lest it come for her with a summons.

I am therefore looking for a new, better agent. Let’s hope I find one that likes socks. Because if you haven’t noticed yet, 2018 is the Year of Socks around here.

I guess the next question is: “Puddin”, really? What in the name of Henry David Thoreau is with that nickname.  Ah, well, you see, um…  Ahem.  You know what?  If you really want to know the details, shoot me an email and ask or drop a comment about it below. But, basically, it boils down to having a boss I couldn’t stand back in the day, and an old-guy recreational hockey team full of awesome–albeit twisted–dudes.

Also, if your nickname isn’t at least a little derogatory, nobody loves you probably.

To sum up, I write software for a living, write words — for this blog, occasionally for other blogs if so requested,  and/or for the latest book I’m endeavoring  to finish —  in my spare time. In between all that, I’m hoping not to ruin my children before they reach adulthood.

Do you have comments or suggestions?  Any other questions about who I am or why I do this? Don’t ever be afraid to ask.  I heart your opinions almost as much as dark chocolate M&Ms. God knows that heeding my own has never gotten me anywhere good.

Pud’n

12 thoughts on “Who am I, anyway?”

  1. What a great premis for a blog. You could have funneled your joblessness into unworthy pursuits, and instead, you became a writer. I love it! Good luck with your novel, and let me know from time to time, how it’s going. =)

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks, it’s awesome you think so! Not that there weren’t some unworthy pursuits at the time, but this one stuck. 🙂 I’ll be sure to let you know when and if I manage to get it published.

      Thanks for taking the time for time comment. It’s funny, just last week I thought maybe it was time to rewrite my “About” page, shorten it up, and take out some of the old stuff. I think now I’ll keep it for a while longer!

      Like

      Reply

  2. Your “About” page seems fine to me! I’m new to this whole blogging thing, so I find it difficult to question much of what I find in the blogosphere, so I’ll just tag along for a while if that’s okay… Good luck!

    Like

    Reply

  3. hi Jason

    Your site came up as a recommendation that I may like and I do. I have just started my blog and also am trying to find a way to write. I have always been in love with words. Im trying to write a children’s book and I am enjoying myself writing my blog and the book and even if it doesnt go anywhere (which I doubt it will), it still does bring a smile to my face. That makes its all worth it, for me at least.
    I love the name of your site, as I’m a child at heart. Keep going and never give up. Its worth the effort even if we dont get to our hoped-for destination, we may still get an amazing ride along the way. Good luck!!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the very kind words. I truly appreciate them and glad you seem to enjoy the ramblings. By all means, keep at it yourself! If I’ve learned nothing else, I’ve learned that writing is like a muscle, the more you use it, the better you become at using it.

      Thanks again and good luck!

      Jason

      Like

      Reply

    1. Sadly, it’s not *that* fun a nickname. My first job right out of college, my boss one day decided to call me “Puddin Boy” and I got all kinds of bent about it. A few months later, a buddy I worked with and I started playing ice hockey. One night over a few too many adult beverages, we endeavored to give everyone on the team a ridiculous nickname. Names such as “Greased Weasel”, “Sloppy Five Hole” and “Co&#nut” resulted. And someone, I ended up with “Puddin” again. But from those guys, it didn’t bother me. Good thing, too, since it stuck!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. Hey There!
    I loved reading “About” you. It was very entertaining and inspirational. I am at my “do it or move on” moment, so I’m going to dive in and do it!!

    Like

    Reply

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.