Jim Guhl grew up in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin in the 1960s and ’70s and now lives in Hudson, Wisconsin. He is a writer and visual artist.
Will this require coffee?
That’s the first thing I ask myself when I embark upon each new morning. The answer, of course, depends on what I’m setting out to do.
Mowing the lawn? No
Doing laundry? No
Trout fishing on the Willow? Maybe
Art Projects (usually painting) Yes
Creative Writing Yes! Yes! Yes!
These days (after retiring from a career in engineering) I usually start my days with a laptop, a notebook & pen, and a large coffee.
For several years, my writing was focused on short stories. Funny ones, sad ones, good ones, bad ones, weird ones. I had a blast cranking them out and receiving feedback from the Pen & Think Writers Group (Yes that’s really our name) in Hudson, Wisconsin. At some point, I entered one in a writing contest—and won. Wow!—My fuse was lit!
On a chilly September day in 2015 I ordered a large coffee at the Dunn Brothers coffee shop on 2nd Street, plugged in my laptop, and started the opening chapter of my first novel, “Eleven Miles to Oshkosh.” It took me one full year to write the first draft. It took another whole year to scrub it clean. The book was published in October 2018.
“South of Luck” came next, released in September 2021.
I’m working on a third, a fourth, and a fifth.
This will certainly require more coffee.
Jim Guhl