{"id":11,"date":"2021-11-12T21:24:39","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T21:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thomasvonmann.com\/?page_id=11"},"modified":"2026-08-29T05:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T05:06:11","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thomasvonmann.com\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/thomasvonmann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tvmprofile.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42\" style=\"width:365px;height:365px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thomasvonmann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tvmprofile.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thomasvonmann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tvmprofile-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thomasvonmann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tvmprofile-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve always wanted to be a writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From an early age I turned out stories that amazed\u2014and often horrified\u2014my teachers and my mother. Those early tales never found a lasting place in my life at the time, but I still look back on them with fondness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a year in college I joined the Air Force and learned what  discipline really is. What followed was a long stretch of jobs that never quite fit, until I rediscovered computers and spent the next seven years working as an IT professional. On paper it looked like progress. In reality, something always felt off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2015, after finally getting my career in order, my mother passed away. That loss colored everything that came after. I kept growing in my technical skills, but I felt increasingly lost. It wasn\u2019t until 2018, while working as a System Administrator, that the stories returned\u2014stories of danger and rebirth that I could finally relate to. I started writing again, took classes on craft and the business of publishing, and slowly began to rebuild the part of myself that had gone quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Losing my job became the turning point. With nothing left to lose, I poured real time and passion into the work. I finished my first novel, shared it with friends and colleagues, and received feedback that told me it wasn\u2019t horrible. That was enough. Conferences, a renewed sense of purpose, and a stubborn refusal to quit followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today I live in Las Vegas with my wife, our son, and our black lab. We take trips in our RV and watch far too many Disney shows and movies. I still work in IT to support my family, but writing is what gives my life its deeper breath. I\u2019m currently deep in the final revisions of my debut fantasy novel and sharing short stories on Patreon while I finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019d like to follow the journey\u2014snippets of new writing, life updates, and the occasional free story\u2014sign up for my newsletter. I\u2019d be glad to have you along.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve always wanted to be a writer. From an early age I turned out stories that amazed\u2014and often horrified\u2014my teachers and my mother. Those early tales never found a lasting place in my life at the time, but I still look back on them with fondness. After a year in college I joined the Air [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 5.0.1.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ve always wanted to be a writer. 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