WELCOME
I’ve been posting personal essays and political commentary on my social media platforms since 2018. In that time, I have developed a wonderful community of about 11,000 friends and followers who help keep me sane, happy, and focused in this screwed-up, yet resiliently beautiful world. With this webpage, I hope to expand that circle by reaching out to those who have fled Elonville and Zuckerworld altogether. If you’re inclined to join us in this homespun digital outpost, then please pull up a virtual chair and jump into the conversation.
The other reason I’ve started this page is entirely mercenary. I’m hoping to draft you into my quest of finding an agent to represent Incompatible With Life: A Memoir of Grave Illness, Great Love, and Survival, my first book. The story details my life and death battle with Hereditary Hemochromatosis, a rare genetic blood disorder that toxifies the heart, liver, pancreas, and glandular system with a deadly overabundance of iron. My condition, undetected for nearly fifty years, was finally diagnosed after I was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. I was in such a disastrous state that the doctors presumed I’d not survive the night — nor the many, many nights on the cardiac ward that followed. Yet, seven years later, I’m still here, grateful for each bonus moment and hopeful to share this mind-bending, body-challenging, soul-inspiring story with the world.
Navigating the business side of publishing is a real challenge for someone in my position. Before any agent worth their salt signs on to represent an author, they want some reasonable guarantee that an audience exists for the work. If you’ve written successful books in the past, or if you have a salacious sex scandal to sell, or if you sport a Kardashian-sized Twitter following, that’s not a problem. But first-time authors like me are a different story. Those of us without preexisting fame have to rely on dumb luck or personal connections to get our manuscripts off the slush pile. Sadly, I don’t have any connections, and I used up all my luck surviving Hereditary Hemochromatosis in the first place.
Which is where you come in.
To generate a bit of buzz that might attract an agent, I’m publishing the introduction to Incompatible With Life: A Memoir of Grave Illness, Great Love, and Survival on this webpage for free. My hope is that several hundred of you will read it and leave VERY POSITIVE COMMENTS before you go. If I get enough readers on board, that should convince an agent of my reach, and they’ll put their reputation on the line to stand in my corner. There’s no guarantee this will work, but it’s gonna be fun to try, and so long as I’ve got breath in my lungs and a pulse in my heart, I’ll keep shooting the moon.
Why the hell not? I’m supposed to be dead already, so let’s dance.
Thanks in advance, and love to you all.
MJT.
In case you missed the link above, here you go:
Read the Introduction to Incompatible With Life: A Memoir of Grave Illness, Great Love, and Survival.