When Jeremy O'Carroll finished high school, he vowed to never again get stuck in the 'system'.
He also decided that he was never going to 'prostitute' himself to earn a crust.
He didn't want to get stuck doing something he hated, and he never wanted to pretend to be someone he wasn't just to make other people happy.
That is probably why, some years into his PhD, he dumped it and his prestigious APA scholarship at the University of Melbourne to catch a plane for Southeast Asia.
It was a trip that would ultimately take him from Indonesia to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Nepal – a trip where he backpacked about in remote places, meditating, meeting old hippies and living life free from everyone who expected him to behave in a certain way.
He wanted to live life rather than collect objects, and he wanted to gain as much material as possible for his writing.
For ever since he was 19, that was his dream: to become a writer.
He had no real idea what this would entail, but the flame was lit, and he would only be satisfied once he put pen to page.
Admittedly, he took a lot longer to get writing than he should've.
He tried to read lots of 'good' literature.
He tried to learn the writing craft.
He did all sorts of things to prepare himself for his dream – except for diving in and living it!
But eventually, a couple of years after quitting his PhD, he began his first novel (Full Speed), a book about having the courage to live your passion, even when everyone around you says you should be doing something else, even when doing what you love has no guarantees.
Possibly, a degree in literature and philosophy wasn't the greatest preparation for a writing career.
Possibly, writing is simply hard.
Possibly, Jeremy was a perfectionist.
Or maybe it was simply hard work writing while earning a living teaching healing and meditation.
Whatever the case, it ultimately took him nine years to finish Full Speed.
But even as he slogged through draft after draft, he never lost the vision or the spark.
He was going to write, and he was going to write no matter what!
They say you need to write a million words before you get to the good stuff.
Jeremy wrote those million words on the many drafts of Full Speed.
In the process, he learned never to name a book file 'finaldraft.doc'.
For the 'final draft' became the 'final final draft,' which became the 'final final final draft', and so on until he eventually learned just to give his files a date!
But thanks to all those words, his writing process did get smoother, and it soon led to his second novel, 'The Slob's Guide to the Perfect Job', a humorous novel for anyone who feels they don't fit into the mainstream, 9-5 society.
It's a book for people who refuse to get pigeon-holed, a book that takes the mickey out of people who take themselves too seriously.
After that, he penned 'The Call of the Silver Cockatoo', a novel exploring the challenges of being true to yourself in a world full of social obligations and pressures.
For how do you keep the raw energy and passion of your youth when you have two kids, a wife and a mortgage?
How do you keep your inner fires burning when the rest of the world wants to tame you?
Jeremy has also written one more novel, a massive YA fantasy (under the name J.S. O'Carroll) set in a mysterious school for extraordinary students.
It's a school where students learn skills to help them see beyond the veil of the everyday, a school where magic and reality blur, a school where myths and legends come true.
It's a school that laughs at our mainstream education system, a system that hasn't fundamentally changed in hundreds of years.
If you feel like you don't fit in to the 9-5. If you're not ready to settle for a life lived on other people's terms, then you're going to love Jeremy O'Carroll's novels.
So get a copy of them now on Kindle, in paperback or on audio, and be inspired to connect to the true You.
And if you'd like to learn more about Jeremy, sign up for his newsletter. Once or twice a month, you'll receive an inside view on his writing and ideas, and, in the process, become part of a movement towards authenticity and passion.
If his books inspire you, or you have questions, you can contact Jeremy at info@jeremyocarroll.com. He'll do his best to get back to you personally.
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It took over six months to get everything just right, but Jeremy's hilarious new novel is now available on audio.
Narrator Jamie Colette has brought the international cast to life with a series of laugh-out-loud accents that do full justice to the novel's quirky humor.
One of the funniest books you will read in years, you can now get your fix, even if you don't have time for regular reading.
To find out more about the Slob's Guide to the Perfect Job, click here.
Visit Audible, or other online audio platforms now.
To the outside observer, Luke Brenner seems to have it all. An attractive wife. Two beautiful kids. The promise of ever-growing fame and fortune as one of the country’s brightest architects. But when he bumps into an ex-teenage flame on an overseas family holiday, he realises that he has become trapped living the very life he always used to ridicule.
After that, unable to settle back down into a passionless life of habit and monotony, he collides head-on with his wife, workplace and society – something that ultimately leads him into a series of romantic and artistic adventures that will either make or break him.
A book for anyone who has ever yearned to live a more authentic life, a life of creativity and passion, The Call of the Silver Cockatoo is an inspirational call to action.
It is a book that will stay with you long after you put it down. A book that will help you rediscover the YOU you always wanted to express.
To find out more and get your copy, click here.
Jeremy's recently released book 'The Perfect Reiki Course - Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Course' became an immediate Amazon best-seller.
It's the one book you must read if you are thinking about learning Reiki, as it will answer not just all of the questions you have pre-course, but also all of the ones you didn't know you should ask!
Interestingly, however, the book isn't just useful for those setting out on their Reiki journey, but also for experienced Reiki practitioners seeking to better understand how Reiki works and what it can do for you.
To find out why this is the first Reiki book you should read, click here.
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