Meet Lou Earle | Lou Earle is a writer, entrepreneur, and business executive and US Navy veteran with roots in corporate America.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lou Earle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lou, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

The truth is that my business career was not oriented specifically around creative aspirations. It has only been in the last five years or so that I began to engage in artistic endeavors. These efforts really surfaced based on areas that had always been of interest to me, but my 30-year career in high tech and its demands inhibited me from indulging them. The notable exception was after acquiring Austin Fit Magazine, I authored the monthly Publisher’s Letter for over ten years. So, in fact, I guess you could say that opportunity catalyzed my focus on serious writing and gave me a foundation to pursue becoming a novelist.

That said, while over the years I have authored many poems for my wonderful wife, Lynne of 54 years, to celebrate our anniversaries and even wrote a children’s book for my grandchildren, it is a rather daunting task to write an action novel and release it to the world. And no matter how it works out, I am excited to see the realization of that dream with the publishing of “Apogee”, the first book the Mac Sisco Series which was just published on October 31st of this year.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Well, let’s see, where do I start. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and served four years in the United States Navy as a member of the Naval Security Group during the Vietnam War. I spent my final two years of service at the National Security Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade, Maryland.

It was that unique experience that inspired me to write Apogee. Along the way, I spent 25 years working for NCR Corporation, 4 years with Dell Computer and a couple more years in a small web development firm. These broad and varied business experiences were crucial learning experiences, especially in honing my communications skills.

I also had the unique opportunity to serve as the founding Chairman of Badgerdog Literary Publishing Company, a not-for-profit that published the literary digest American Short Fiction and provided outreach writing courses through Youth Voices in Ink for disenfranchised children in central Texas. That experience and my decision to purchase Austin Fit Magazine, a health and fitness magazine, allowed me to appreciate the incredible benefits that creative writing could provide to society.

I don’t think of myself as unique, but I believe that my diverse experiences have given me a special insight into elements of life that are not easy to acquire or master. It has most certainly been a challenging road, but one I look back on with great appreciation. One of the things that has helped me on my journey, is to never give up. Persistence and a positive attitude are game changers in achieving one’s goals. In life there are always folks who are smarter or more talented than you, but for me hard work and good values were my equalizers and they never failed me!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Ok, first I would invite my friend to come out and spend the weekend at Crackerdog Ranch, my home outside of Wimberley, Texas. There’s nothing like a little ranch life to ground you. It’s not a big ranch, but we would take a little tour, meet all our furry friends and relax with a good home cooked meal.

Another fun day would be to visit Wimberley, Texas. It’s a wonderful small town with good country restaurants and boutique shops only a few miles away. Lunch at the Creek House on Onion Creek is always a pleasant repast.

A morning visit to Austin and an afternoon boating on Lake Austin is always an eye opener especially if you’ve never been in our neck of the woods.

A day in Gruene, Texas and its dance hall or tubing on the Guadeloupe River is also a gas if you want to get wet with a beer in your hand.

And finally, I enjoy playing golf, so a must do for a golfing friend would be to play 18 holes at Austin Country Club where I have been a member for 25 years. It is a wonderful track and a great way to spend a day outdoors enjoying nature’s beauty.

I’d wrap it up with a meal at The Hays City Grill on the way back to the ranch. With outdoor, pet friendly seating and great food and drink it’s always a winner.

Now that would be a good time for me if I were my guest.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Without question, my wife Lynne has been my cheerleader for over a half a century. Through the good times and the bad her support and encouragement have always kept me “in the game”. From my 4 years in the US Navy during the Viet Nam War to the rigors of the high-tech industry and the corporate climb, she has been instrumental in whatever success I enjoyed and that continues today with my novel. She is my greatest fan!

In my current endeavor my brother Larry and my daughter Janie were also amazing in their support after reading my first draft of Apogee.

Also, throughout my career and especially now with my novel, my close friends and family who took the time to read and critique my book quelled my trepidation and kept me motivated.

Finally, my Publisher, John Casey, who risked engaging with me to publish my novel and has been an incredible mentor in guiding me through the process of bringing my novel to readers.

I sincerely hope your readers will also check out Apogee and give it a look. It is a testimony to the notion that if you really commit to accomplishing something, you really can succeed, so go for it!

PHiR Publishing Website: https://phirpublishing.com/phir-publishing

Apogee Amazon Website:  

https://www.amazon.com/Apogee-Mac-Sisco-Novel-Trilogy/dp/B0BKC6GRXS/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1667344992&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble Apogee Website: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/apogee-lou-earle/1142558280?ean=9798986745206

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