Career-building with George Pelecanos

Jay McDonald’s author interview series at Bankrate.com continues with George Pelecanos, who talks about starting with low advances, working two jobs until THE NIGHT GARDENER finally – finally – got him the recognition and success he deserves.

Bankrate: Do you enjoy working from home?

Pelecanos:
This is a perfect job for me. I have two sons, 15 and 13, and a
daughter who is 9. A lot of guys give lip service to wishing they could
spend more time with their family when really they’re most comfortable
at the office where everything is kind of taken care of for them. But I
like being here. My wife and I split up the duties in terms of picking
up the kids and taking them here and there. I’m here every day when
they come home from school. My sons are athletes; right now we’re in
football season and I go to all the games. My older son will be
wrestling this winter and I’ll go to all the matches. It’s a perfect
life for me for what I want to get out of it in every way, not just
business but my personal life. It’s just great.

Bankrate: Do you feel that because success  came later in life for you, you were better prepared to handle it?

Pelecanos:
Yeah, because now I’m a middle-aged guy. There’s no danger of me going
out on the road and doing something stupid. I know who I am, I know
what my priorities are. If somebody is flirting with me, for instance,
I know what it is; it’s certainly not because I’m a 49-year-old man,
I’m the guy on the book jacket, that’s who they’re talking to.

Bankrate: Do you handle your own finances?

Pelecanos:
My nephew pretty much runs the Morgan Stanley office up in Baltimore
and he has all my money and he’s real smart. He’s done real well. I do
mostly stocks. I’m very happy for him to just take care of it and check
my monthly statement.

Sometimes that’s the best plan of all..