On June 29 the Star Tribune published an Op-Ed piece written by Albert Eisele, who is currently a senior editor of a political newspaper called The Hill in Washington, DC. Back in 1996, two years before Flynn's first book was published, Eisele was a literary agent and Flynn was an aspiring author. Eisele wrote that he missed the boat when Flynn submitted a manuscript to him. Eisele liked the story "very much and thought it very well written." He even wrote to Flynn to tell him so, yet he rejected the manuscript on the grounds that Flynn hadn't quite captured the feel of the "Washington milieu," and that his (Eisele's) excitement did not rise to a high enough level while reading.
To make a long story short, Flynn self-published that first book, Term Limits, and it did so well that it was eventually picked up by a big time publisher. That was the last time Flynn had any trouble whatsoever getting any of his fourteen novels published.
In his Op-Ed piece -- which, by the way, has a great headline, Sometimes you miss talent as it flashes before you -- Eisele expresses regrets not only for Flynn's passing but for his own error in rejecting Flynn's manuscript. I found Eisele's piece to be sincere and moving, plus it struck a personal cord with me.
In the eleven years I had the privilege of teaching, and notwithstanding my reputation of being a tough teacher, I only recall one instance where I was unfair to a student. Obviously it has left an imprint in my little brain, because it happened over thirty-five years ago. In my 8th grade English class, a large portion of the curriculum was devoted to composition. The capstone for the year was a term paper requirement. One of my students was Jim Diehl, a nice kid with plenty of enthusiasm, yet unfocused. He was polite but never applied himself to the degree someone with his intelligence should have. I predicted Jim would wait until the last minute to start working on his term paper, while most of his classmates got an early jump. Sure enough, that is exactly what happened.
I do not remember what Jim's topic was, but he wrote a very good paper, another of my predictions which turned out to be true. However, he submitted the paper in pencil, a definite no no under the rules and directions which I had clearly given the class. To "teach him a lesson," I docked his term paper grade an entire letter, from a B+ to a C+. I still remember the look of disbelief in his eyes when I told him he was only getting a C+. Both he and I knew his paper was too good to earn such a low mark. I am not sure which of us felt worse.
The punishment did not fit the crime, and that has gnawed at me. (Yes, I have considered it may simply be my Catholic school guilt rearing its ugly head.) I've asked myself many times if I would have handled things the same way if one of my other students had done the same thing. As much as I wanted the answer to be "yes," I knew then as I know now that the answer is "no."
In Eisele's article, he writes that he had the opportunity to catch up with Flynn a few years ago, and conceded his mistake. Flynn took the high road, and told Eisele not to feel bad. Eisele writes, "Still, I couldn't help but cringe every time I would see one of the latest Vince Flynn novels prominently displayed in bookstores and airports through the years. I wish I hadn't let my superior knowledge of the Washington milieu mislead me when he asked me to help get his first novel published."
Unless Jim Diehl writes under a pseudonym, I don't believe he is a published author, although his writing talent held promise as an eighth grader. Eisele is lucky he had an opportunity to tell Flynn to his face that he wished he had a mulligan for his 1996 decision. I haven't seen Jim Diehl since 1976. If I ever get the same chance as Eisele, I will tell Jim I've wished for a mulligan too.
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