The Unexpected Teams That Changed My Life
The biggest lessons of the past month didn’t come from writing books. They came from football, friendship, surgery, and the discovery that none of us succeeds alone.
The Teams That Carry Us
Can you believe it’s already the end of June?
Sometimes I wonder where the weeks disappear to. It seems like only yesterday I was writing my last newsletter, and yet so much has happened that it almost feels like six months have been squeezed into one.
The first half of 2026 has been one I’ll remember for a very long time.
Professionally, my website has undergone its biggest transformation since it first went live. I’ve added much more information about my books, my writing journey, and the research behind my thrillers. More importantly, I’ve tried to make it more fun.
One addition I’m particularly excited about is the new Reader Rewards section. You’ll find book club discussion guides, author interviews, puzzles based on the characters who inspired my novels, behind-the-scenes material, and a growing collection of resources that I hope will make your reading experience even more enjoyable.
After all, finishing a novel doesn’t have to mean the adventure ends.
Sometimes it’s just the beginning.
Another milestone was publishing FALSE LOVE, the fourth Blake Willis thriller.
Watching readers embrace the book has been incredibly rewarding. Several reviews have described it as the strongest book in the series so far. Every author secretly hopes each new novel will be better than the last, so hearing comments like that makes all the late nights worthwhile.
Meanwhile, FALSE LEADS, the fifth Blake Willis novel, is now about sixty percent complete. It’s proving to be one of the most enjoyable books I’ve written, largely because so many threads from the earlier novels finally begin to converge.
Once that’s finished, I’ll be taking a slight detour with a Blake Willis novella before launching what is currently called Orion Black Ops, a new crossover series that expands the Blake Willis universe.
There’s still a mountain to climb, but it’s one I’m looking forward to.
More Than One Flag
On the personal front, something happened that still makes me smile every time I think about it. I officially became an Australian citizen. Shortly afterwards, my Australian passport arrived.
Holding it in my hands was one of those quietly emotional moments that are difficult to explain unless you’ve experienced something similar yourself. After twenty-six years of calling Australia home, I can now truly say I belong to two countries.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oye! Oye! Oye!
Or is it... Oi! Oi! Oi!
I suspect I’ll be corrected if I got that wrong.
Becoming a dual citizen also created a problem I hadn’t anticipated. Who do I cheer for when Australia plays the United States? The recent FIFA World Cup gave me exactly that dilemma.
Having grown up in America, my sporting loyalties have almost always leaned toward the United States. This tournament was no different. It was wonderful to see the U.S. men’s team becoming genuinely competitive on the world stage again. Winning two consecutive World Cup matches and progressing into the knockout round felt like another step forward for the program.
Go Team USA!
But I have to admit there was another part of me quietly cheering for Australia as well. Maybe that’s one of the unexpected gifts of dual citizenship. Your heart simply gets a little bigger.
Watching the World Cup also brought back memories of my own university soccer days. Back then, soccer was only beginning to grow in popularity in the United States. I had been playing club soccer when our university coach watched one of my matches.
Afterwards, he walked over and said something I’ll never forget.
“I think you can start for us.”
I was thrilled.
Not because I thought I was the most gifted player on the field.
I wasn’t.
Far from it.
What I did have was speed.
Lots of it.
The coach wanted me to play halfback, or what we’d probably call a midfielder today. My job wasn’t scoring spectacular goals (I had zero goals and four assists in four years!). It wasn’t making highlight reels. It wasn’t being the star.
My role was much simpler. Chase everything. Break up attacks. Win loose balls. Create chaos for the opposition.
In other words... Be the teammate everyone else depended upon without necessarily getting much recognition.
Oddly enough, I loved that role.
Looking back now, I realize it taught me something that has stayed with me throughout my entire career.
The best teams rarely depend on one superstar. They depend on lots of people doing their jobs exceptionally well.
The Team Behind Every Book
People often imagine writing as a solitary profession. I’m writing this as 5 a.m. while everyone else is asleep.
And in many ways, they’re right. Much of my time is still spent alone in front of a keyboard, trying to convince fictional people to cooperate.
Spoiler alert.
They rarely do.
But publishing?
Publishing is a team sport.
The author may write the first draft, but that’s only the beginning.
Editors challenge assumptions. Proofreaders catch mistakes. Cover designers create first impressions. Beta readers ask difficult questions. Launch teams spread the word. Reviewers encourage other readers to take a chance on someone they’ve never heard of before.
Every successful author stands on the shoulders of a remarkable group of people.
I’m incredibly fortunate to have that team around me. Many of them have become close friends. Others work quietly behind the scenes. All of them make my books better than they would ever be if I tried to do everything myself.
Writing has taught me something else as well. Success rarely looks the way we imagine it. Most people picture success as a straight line.
Work hard. Get rewarded. Repeat.
Real life almost never works that way.
Instead, it looks much more like a hockey stick.
For years, you’re moving along the flat handle. You’re learning. Making mistakes. Improving your craft. Building relationships. Finding readers one at a time.
It can feel as though you’re working incredibly hard while making very little progress. Then, gradually, almost without noticing, everything you’ve built begins working together.
Momentum grows. Readers recommend your books. Word of mouth spreads. Your catalogue expands. Opportunities appear.
Eventually, you reach the upward blade of the hockey stick, where years of steady effort suddenly seem to accelerate.
Most people only notice the blade.
Very few appreciate the handle.
I’m still travelling along that curve.
Fortunately, I enjoy the journey.
And I have a wonderful team travelling with me.
Which brings me to the most important team of all. One I never expected to need. One that quite literally changed my life.
The Team I Never Expected to Need
Nine weeks after my first total knee replacement, my orthopedic surgeon and I agreed that recovery had gone so well there was little point waiting another three or four months before replacing the second knee.
Why not get it over with?
The sooner both knees were done, the sooner I could get back to what I love most—writing full time, traveling, meeting readers, and finishing FALSE LEADS.
The plan was beautifully simple.
One night in hospital. Home the next day. A few weeks of physiotherapy. Back behind the keyboard.
Life, however, had other ideas.
The knee replacement itself went perfectly. It was during the final stages of closing the incision that things changed. A blood vessel ruptured.
The surgical team immediately repaired it, but unfortunately a blockage formed lower down in my leg, restricting blood flow.
Within a very short time, I found myself being prepared for a second emergency operation.
This time it wasn’t orthopedic surgery. It was vascular surgery. The surgeon successfully removed the blockage, repaired the damaged vessel more permanently, and restored circulation to my lower leg.
Then my body decided it had experienced enough excitement for one day.
The stress of two back-to-back surgeries triggered atrial fibrillation (aFib), sending my heart into an irregular rhythm.
Now a third specialist joined the team. A cardiac surgeon. Blood thinners. Beta blockers. Magnesium infusions. Several days of careful monitoring.
Instead of one night in hospital, I spent five days there, including time in intensive care.
I’ll admit something.
There were moments when the seriousness of the situation didn’t fully register until later. Only afterwards did I appreciate how fortunate I had been. And how traumatic is was for my wife, Deanna, to be going through it. I was sedated. She was living through the crisis.
There had been a genuine possibility of losing my leg.
Fortunately, I wasn’t facing the problem alone. Three highly skilled surgeons, supported by nurses and countless other healthcare professionals, worked together as one coordinated team.
Each brought different expertise. Each trusted the others. Each focused on the same goal.
Saving my leg.
Getting me healthy again.
It reminded me once more that none of us accomplishes much alone.
Whether it’s football, publishing, or medicine, great teams produce remarkable outcomes.
The Surprise Nobody Expected
Here’s the part none of us saw coming.
As my recovery progressed, something remarkable happened.
The arthritis in my hands started disappearing.
Then the stiffness in my shoulders.
Then the aches throughout the rest of my body.
At first I assumed it was coincidence. Or a reregulated heart beat.
It wasn’t.
By removing two severely arthritic, bone-on-bone knees, my body was no longer fighting constant inflammation.
For decades I’d accepted that background pain as simply part of getting older.
Apparently, it wasn’t.
It was my body working overtime every single day.
Today I genuinely feel ten years younger.
Perhaps even more.
Not only physically.
Mentally. Emotionally. Creatively.
My concentration is sharper. My motivation has returned. Ideas seem to arrive more easily.
Writing feels exciting again.
Looking back, I realize something else.
Over the past three years I’ve written and published four novels and a memoir while continuing to consult, research, and build my publishing business.
I was proud of that achievement.
What I didn’t realize was that I’d been doing it while operating at perhaps fifty to seventy-five percent of my potential.
Imagine trying to write a novel while carrying a heavy backpack everywhere you go.
Eventually you stop noticing the weight.
Until someone finally removes it.
That’s exactly how I feel today.
I honestly believe the next chapter of my writing career has only just begun.
Looking Ahead
The first priority now is completing FALSE LEADS.
I’m hoping to have it in readers’ hands in August.
Blake Willis is definitely coming back.
After that comes the Blake Willis novella before launching the new crossover series currently carrying the working title Orion Black Ops.
I’m also looking forward to getting back on the road.
Library talks. Book signings. Writer festivals. Visits to book clubs. Even a few events at local wineries here in the Hunter Valley.
If you’ve attended one of my talks before, you already know that books are usually only half the conversation.
The other half generally revolves around food, wine, travel, technology, and occasionally how fictional villains become surprisingly cooperative after a good glass of red.
One Final Thought
This past month reminded me how easily we accept things simply because they’ve been part of our lives for a long time.
Pain. Stress. Bad habits. Unfinished dreams.
We quietly convince ourselves they’re normal.
Sometimes they are.
Sometimes they aren’t.
For years I thought constant pain was simply part of growing older.
It wasn’t. Removing the source changed far more than my knees.
It changed my outlook. It changed my energy. It changed my future.
Perhaps there’s something in your own life that’s quietly holding you back.
Maybe it’s your health. Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s postponing something you’ve known for years needs attention.
Whatever it is, perhaps now is the right time to deal with it.
Your future self might thank you.
Mine certainly has.
Thank You
Before I finish, I’d simply like to say thank you.
Thank you for reading my books.
Thank you for following this journey.
Thank you for encouraging me after surgeries, book launches, and all the unexpected twists life has thrown my way.
Writers may spend much of their time alone.
But none of us succeeds alone.
I’m grateful you’re part of my team.
Until Next Month...
I’ll keep you updated on the progress of FALSE LEADS, upcoming appearances, new resources on the website, and a few exciting surprises I’m working on for the Reader Rewards section.
Until then...
Keep reading. Keep writing. Keep learning.
And above all, keep looking after yourself.
You only get one body, but fortunately, modern medicine occasionally allows us to upgrade the spare parts.
Upcoming Articles
The Ten Biggest Writing Lessons I Learned from Ward Larsen
Behind the Scenes of FALSE LEADS
The Story Behind the New Reader Rewards Page
My Complete Journey Through Double Knee Replacement Surgery
I’d Love to Hear From You
Who are you cheering for in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Both Australia and the United States have reached the knockout rounds, so my loyalties remain wonderfully conflicted.
And while you’re there, tell me this:
Has there ever been one decision that unexpectedly changed your life for the better?
I’d love to read your story in the comments.
If you liked this post, then check out my other Substack posts about my author journey and life.
Curious to read my crime thrillers or nonfiction books (at no charge with Kindle Unlimited)? Check them out here: https://go.steveshipley.com/SSA-books-all
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