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Ptolemy Tompkins

Ptolemy Tompkins
Photograph by Nicholas Vreeland

Ptolemy Tompkins

Ptolemy Tompkins has been an editor at Guideposts and Angels on Earth magazines and is the author of four books. His writing has been featured in Beliefnet.com, Harper’s, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. He lives in New York.

Author Revealed:
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. I'll have to to go with Heraclitus' line: "Character is fate." Which doesn't mean that I think I have a particularly good character. I just think it's true.
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My life in 8 words: "Get back to where you once belonged. Again."
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The Modern Book of the Dead will be released on March 19, 2013 in Trade Paperback
Mar 19, 2013
The Modern Book of the Dead is now available in Trade Paperback
Mar 19, 2013
Excerpt:
Excerpt 1 from The Modern Book of the Dead
Mar 01, 2012
The Modern Book of the Dead will be released on February 14, 2012 in Hardcover, eBook
Feb 14, 2012
The Modern Book of the Dead is now available in Hardcover, eBook
Feb 14, 2012
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Feb 08, 2012
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Feb 03, 2012
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Feb 02, 2012
Author Revealed Answer:
Name of your favorite composer or music artist?
Jan 31, 2012
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What is your favorite movie?
Jan 31, 2012
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What is your favorite television show?
Jan 31, 2012
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Where did you go to high school and/or college?
Jan 31, 2012
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What was/is your favorite job?
Jan 31, 2012
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What is your birthdate?
Jan 31, 2012
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Who are your favorite authors?
Jan 31, 2012
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What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
Jan 31, 2012

Ptolemy Tompkins Revealed

Q. What is your motto or maxim? A. I'll have to to go with Heraclitus' line: "Character is fate." Which doesn't mean that I think I have a particularly good character. I just think it's true. Q. What’s your greatest flaw? A. Weak character in spots. (See question 1) Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be? A. Out of it, but in it. (See question 4 above) Q. How would you describe perfect happiness? A. I think it was Proust who said that we never know when we're happy, only when we were happy. I don't know about perfect happiness, but I know I'd enjoy being able to inhabit certain moments of the past again, only as the person that I am now. To climb back into my past self kind of like a space suit and do it all over again, the same only... different. Actually, I think a lot of writers have this dream, and that that's one reason why at least some people become writers to begin with. Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be? A. A benign poltergeist would be pretty fun, at least for a while. Maybe in the future. Learn more about Ptolemy Tompkins