Terry Tucker Author Bio:
Terry Tucker has been an NCAA Division I college basketball player, a Citadel cadet, a marketing executive, a hospital administrator, an undercover narcotics investigator, a SWAT Team Hostage Negotiator, a high school basketball coach, a business owner, a motivational speaker, an author, and most recently, a cancer warrior. He is the author of, Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Living Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life. Terry and his wife have lived all over the United States and currently reside in Colorado with their daughter and Wheaten Terrier, Maggie. In 2019, Terry started the website, Motivational Check to help others find and lead their uncommon and extraordinary lives (www.motivatioalcheck.com).
What inspires you to write?
Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles to Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life was a book inspired by two conversations. The first was with a former basketball player I coached in high school who moved to Colorado. My wife and I had dinner with her and I told her I was excited she would be living near us so I could watch her find and live her purpose. She asked me what I thought her purpose was and I explained that I had no idea what her purpose was but that is what her life should be about. She should spend her time finding her purpose, and once she found it, she should live it.
The second conversation I had was with a college student who wanted to know what I thought were the most important items he should learn to not only be successful in his job but also to be successful in life. I wrote down some thoughts and ideas and eventually had the 10 principles and sent them to him. After that, I stepped back and realized I had a life story that fit under one of the principles or I knew someone whose life emulated one of the principles. That is when I began building stories under each of the principles and that is how the book was born.
Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process was very simple since I had never written a book before. I gave myself two rules while writing my book: 1. I would write a minimum of one page every day (except Sunday). 2. I would not edit anything I wrote until the first draft was completed.
There were days I wrote absolute garbage and there were other days I was pleased with what I wrote. When the manuscript was completed, I edited out the garbage and was left with what would eventually become Sustainable Excellence.
Who are your favorite authors?
David McCullough and Doris Kearns Goodwin are two of my favorite authors. I enjoy reading biographies because I like to learn what makes people tick.
What genres do you write?
Memoir
How did you choose the genre(s) you write?
Since the book had stories about my life or the lives of others I knew, the memoir genre seemed a perfect fit.
What three things are on your writing desk at any given moment?
1. A copy of my book.
2. A photo of my family.
3. A posted note containing my 4 Truths: 1. Control your mind or it will control you. 2. Embrace the pain we all experience in life and use it to make you a stronger and more determined individual. 2. What you leave behind is what you weave in the hearts of other people. 4. As long as you don't quit – you can never be defeated.
What hobbies do you have when you need a break from writing?
I spend most of my free time being a guest on podcasts to discuss my 9-year cancer journey and my book, Sustainable Excellence.
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Home Page Link
Follow On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.