I am no longer Larry Two Jobs.

For the last four years I’ve been the finance manager for a defense contractor. During that same time frame I’ve written 9 novels. I’ve been making enough money off of my royalties to be a full time writer for a couple of years now, but I’ve kept my day job because of the security and because it is honestly the best company I’ve ever worked for, with the best boss ever, and I really do love my accounting job.

Last year my boss was Utah small business person of the year, and it was deserved. We’ve got 200 employees in 11 states, and my job was always challenging and interesting.

But there comes a point where you just can’t keep dividing your time. So as of today I’m retiring from defense contracting and I’m just going to be a writer.

This is kind of weird. ๐Ÿ™‚

I’m cleaning out my desk. I’ve trained my replacement. And this is it.

Like I said… Weird.

I normally don’t talk about my day job too much on the blog for a couple of reasons. I’m really super politically opinionated, and the people I’m opinionated against are a vindictive, spiteful bunch, so I never wanted any of their petulant rage to come back against my employer, who is awesome.

But I love what I do, I love supporting the military, I love the problem solving and the business stuff, and I love the people I work with. All that will be missed. I won’t miss working for the government, and oh, the inefficient and ridiculous things I could talk about that I’ve witnessed over the last few years, but see the paragraph above.

The plan now is to write more books. Lots and lots and lots of books. And as long as you guys keep liking them enough to buy them, then I’m good to go. In the meantime, if you want to support your favorite author, anything you buy through any of the Amazon links off to the side, I get a refferal bonus. So even if you go through the link for MHI or Grimnoir and end up buying toe nail clippers while you are there, I get a percent. So do that, because nobody likes nasty toe nails anyway.

As of today, I’m retired. (sorta) ๐Ÿ˜€

A great review of Warbound
That sure sounds trustworthy.

73 thoughts on “I am no longer Larry Two Jobs.”

  1. Congrds larrie
    Put ur feet up
    Does this mean u can double production ?
    Ur fans will go ape
    Aim high go for gold
    Don’t forget the bunyip .

    1. They are working on that now. No idea how long it will be though. In the meantime you can download for the Nook from Baen.

      1. You assume that I know more about technology than Off and On. LOL. Meanwhile I’ll e-mail Uncle Hugo and get a paper one. Does he have ’em yet?

    2. Super easy to download for Nook from Baen, just follow the instructions. Admittedly not as easy as from B&N but pretty simple. B&N will most likely cost more and no eARC.

  2. Larry,

    Congratulations!

    Listen, if your ex-employer has any openings in Georgia, let me know…I’m a retired Army O-5 working as a contractor at Ft Bragg, while my family and house (and mortgage) are in Fayetteville, GA.

    Anyway…

    Dan

  3. Congratulations – I look forward to your forthcoming books.

    Kind regards,

    Jessee Scarborough

  4. Congratulations! Excited for you and your family; because even though we’ll win by getting to read more of your work – they’ll get to see you more too ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. The American Dream– creating a product which people want and creating financial security for your family.
    Hey, you didn’t build that! (sarcasm)
    Keep up the good work!

  6. Hey Larry One Job!

    Congratulations on living the American Dream!

    Now I get to read more of your stuff.

    Kick Ass!

    1. I’ve always wondered, and now I can ask…

      Did you have any particular boss in mind when you wrote the most fantastic opening line in all of literature?

  7. Congratulations, looking forward to more books now! Also, tell them to get that picture of the back of your head off their website now ๐Ÿ˜‰

  8. Now at last you’re free to write the novel where the DARs achieve sentience and set out on a mission to enforce stupidity and support corruption on the whole multiverse….

  9. Congratulations, Larry! I’ve just started reading MHI and am greatly enjoying it, so woo hoo!

  10. Congratulations on your retirement from 9-5. I just got my wife hooked on MHI on the audio side, she can’t wait for more. Looking forward to the MHI RPG.

  11. Your comment on why you kept your defense job so long reminded me of what I said when I was interviewed for my current position.

    “I’m in this for the 19 year old kid who has to deal with it at 0300. I’m too old and fat to hump a SAW around Afghanistan anymore, so this is the best way I can keep my oath to ‘protect and defend’.”

  12. Congratulations Larry! I’ve been cranking my way through the Monster Hunter books and loving them. Just don’t write them faster than I can read them, some of us still have jobs to do ๐Ÿ˜‰

  13. Thrilled for you, Larry! And for all of us waiting for each new book with bated breath. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  14. It must be weird, yes. But now, as you said, you will write lots of books. And we are VERY HAPPY to hear that (or read that)! Looking forward to new MHI, or really, anything, if it’s written by you! I’m still waiting for Warbound and Sword of Exodus to be shipped. Will take months but I can wait. Anyway, good luck to you Larry! ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Will the Amazon Associates Links also work when I buy from Audible. I get around 3 to 4 audiobooks a month. Be great if your were getting money from that as well.

  16. Congrats (sort of), it must be hard to leave a job you love and a good boss. I know I’ve never left anything but bad bosses.

  17. Well done! Even when you know you’re doing the right thing it’s still hard to let go of the familiar, especially if it’s something you liked.

    Give ’em hell, author!

  18. In honor of this bittersweet moment I just ordered “The Monster Hunters” and “Spellbound” from Amazon through the link here on your page. Thanks for the great stories and I look forward to many more. No really MANY,MANY more.

  19. PS: Do you think you could do a dwarf character like the movie Thorin? Because that would be many, many kinds of awesome. And if you did, I’d build a shrine to your amazing talents.

  20. Larry,

    Congrats first of all!! Secondly, the day MHI 5 is released I’ll be purchasing it. I listen to them thru Audible. Oliver Wyman is fantastic! Best series I’ve ever read!

    Jeff

  21. Those “things you could talk about?” Write them down. Release them in 10, 20, or 30 years as a collection or memiors or something.

  22. Larry,

    Congratulations on your book sales and moving on to full-time author. Having been one of the guys on the “pointy end”, I appreciate all that you’ve done. Keep writing and I’ll keep buying and spreading the word to my friends.

  23. Until I get my own referral links up I’ll stop by your blog whenever I need to make an amazon.com purchase.
    Now that you’re not Larry Two Jobs we have to do something to help keep you in target practice ammo.

  24. Congratulations on being able to write full time. That is just so great. Now when is the next legion book coming out.

  25. Larry, as one of the people you are often opinionated against -not me personally, you’ve always been courteous and well spoken in the extreme when addressing me directly but people of my political stripe- can I just say congratulations both on how fortunate you’ve been to score such a great day job and on you well-deserved success as a writer? You’re a good man, a genuine talent and I for one am THRILLED at your success. You’ve got my hopes that the trend continues. Well done sir.

  26. You should tell Baen to give you referral bonuses! I <3 Amazon, and I'm a Prime junkie, but so long as Baen offers DRM-free, multi-format copies at a reasonable price, they will have my loyalty for anything they sell. Love their e-book policies!

  27. t! I Just MomentA Ago Bought SPell Bound.Now That You Are A FulL Time Author You’d Better Get On Facebook!

  28. Congrats, Larry.
    To be able to leave a job you love for another job you love is a true blessing.

  29. Congratulations on your semi-retirement.

    Am I the only one whose first thought, after reading the title of this announcement, was Monty Python’s Arthur “Two Sheds” Jackson sketch?

  30. Well, finally. ๐Ÿ™‚ Now, can we have another Grimnoir-trilogy + RPG + more MHI? Seriously, congrats and good luck!

    1. Larry is a prolific writer so we have nothing to fear there.

      I do know of another writer who quit their day job to write full time and the time span from book 2 to 3 was double the span from 1 to 2 when they had a day job. 3 to 4 and 4 to 5 increased as well.

      As long as Larry keeps his current pace I’ll be happy, an increase in pace even happier. Hell I’d probably be happy with a decrease in pace the stories are too good not to be grateful when I get them into my hands.

  31. Big jump. Good luck! I have no doubt you’ll pull it off with aplomb. (And most likely be even more of a workaholic. Of course, we love that about you.)

  32. Congratulations!

    Though if this means more MHI books and more like the Grimnoir, maybe we should be congratulating ourselves on our good fortune.

  33. As promised I used your side links to buy my next batch of amazon stuff. I hope you can live with referral money coming from the blu-ray version of twilight(Mothers day gift and all). I offset the horrible with some new d20, and other table top gear I needed though.

    If you use the referral money to buy ammo I’m sure that will purify any remaining taint.

  34. You realize that admitting this on the blog WILL result in ever-greater clamor for the next book, right? ๐Ÿ˜€

    So, when’s the next book, Larry? ๐Ÿ˜›

Leave a Reply to Jessee Scarborough Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *