Photo: Cait Pearson

John L. Lynch

Author, New Persia: Before the Storm and Endemic


Unlike those of us who spent the entirety of our 20s finding ourselves, UO member and sci fi author John L. Lynch both wrote his first book and met his wife in 11th grade. 

Granted, it’s taken a little while to circle back to both of those things as an adult. It was only recently that John’s work has been published (not the high school book, but a later one), and John and Leslie didn’t end up together until after their first marriages. But he still seems to be remarkably clear-sighted about and dedicated to what’s important to him. 

John wrote his second book during his final semester in college (his version of senioritis), and he would always go to the computer lab to spend focused time on his novel. So when, years later, he read a Wall Street Journal article about coworking, he went right on over to WeWork and signed up for a spot to focus on his writing. The concept of coworking has worked out great for John -- in the past year, he’s published books 3 and 4: New Persia: Before the Storm and Endemic

John eventually migrated over to Urban Office as a better fit personality-wise (and parking-wise). “It’s a very professional atmosphere, and people are serious about getting their stuff done, “ he says. “I like that a lot.” Coming from “Far Southwest” (it’s literally called that on Google Maps, btw), it’s just a lot easier for him to get here than downtown is, and free parking makes having workspace a lot more affordable.

When I ask about being an author, John says, “It’s a lot of time with yourself.” Being around other folks at Urban Office helps balance that for him. He also really loves the coffee machine -- and our wellness room, where he can just shut his eyes for a few minutes and recharge.

I ask if, like many authors, John dreams of his work being translated to film. “I haven’t really thought about it … Things get complicated with movie rights. I do think New Persia would be a good graphic novel.”

As for the actual craft of writing, John strives to create worlds and characters that feel real. “A lot of science fiction is about people who just don’t seem real at all, and it’s hard to relate to. Even though I set my books a thousand years in the future, I want my human characters and how they behave to be recognizable.” 

In addition to sci fi greats Jerry Pourrnelle, S. M. Sterling, and Elizabeth Moon, John also admires Tom Clancy’s writing. “There’s a lot of stuff about Tom Clancy that people don’t like, but he's really good at making you feel like something is real and getting all the details right -- consistently right. No one else has really been able to imitate that.”

John recommends The War of Art by Steven Pressfield as a transformative book for people who want to get creative work done. “He has this concept of resistance, which is all the things in your head that keep you from sitting down and doing whatever your work is -- the BS reasons you come up with for not doing it right now.” And, of course, one of the primary tools for resisting the resistance is just to sit down and do the work, even if you don’t like it or want to in that moment.

When I ask who in Portland inspires him right now, he follows in the tradition of Urban Office men who are inspired by their spouses: “Leslie just knows everything. She knows people everywhere in Portland and what they are up to, and the names of all the trees and flowers, and just all this stuff about the world.” Leslie has been an online teacher for Oregon Virtual Academy and will be transitioning to similar work for Silvies River Charter School this fall. 

John and Leslie have three children, ages 7, 10, and 14. “They’re really cool,” John says, affectionately.

Occasionally you’ll see John at Urban Office in his Navy uniform, on his way to give submarine tours at OMSI, his official day job. Depending on the season, though, he might spend just as much time writing as he does at OMSI. John spends an average of 20 hours a week at Urban Office, working on writing and other authorial duties.

In the summer, the OMSI schedule can get a little nuts, with larger groups and barely any time to breathe between tours. On those days, John lets himself write a little less. But he still writes. 

His ultimate dream is to do basically the same things he’s doing now but switch the income flow. “I’d like to make a living writing,” he says, “but I’d still volunteer at OMSI.”

John is 30,000 words away from finishing his next book, which he hopes will be out Spring 2020. You can keep up with him at johnllynch.com



 

For you TL;DR folks …

The Skinny

Unlike those of us who spent the entirety of our 20s finding ourselves, UO member and sci fi author John L. Lynch both wrote his first book and met his wife in 11th grade. John’s day job is giving submarine tours at OMSI, which he would continue doing even if writing covered the bills. Even though he creates fantastical sci fi scenarios in his books, he strives to make his characters still recognizably human.

Influential book: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Creatives of all types have to resist the “resistance,” which John says is “all the things in your head that keep you from sitting down and doing whatever your work is.”

Influential writer: Tom Clancy. “There’s a lot of stuff about Tom Clancy that people don’t like, but he's really good at making you feel like something is real and getting all the details right -- consistently right.”

Inspiring Portlander: John’s wife, Leslie. “She just knows everything. She knows people everywhere in Portland and what they are up to, and the names of all the trees and flowers, and just all this stuff about the world.”

Why Urban Office: John wrote his second book during his final semester in college (his version of senioritis), and he would always go to the computer lab to spend focused time on his novel. So when, years later, he read a Wall Street Journal article about coworking, the concept immediately made sense. He found Urban Office to be a great fit -- both parking-wise and personality-wise.