those guys. also jim salter. it's a long list for me. charlie: this is a book about writers and their work and working with them. editing is what i wanted to write about, but it's also about friends, some of them are dead, so it is about that also. what follows is not strictly chronological, it bounces a little. so did i. [laughter] charlie: you called it an accidental life because that is what you had? terry: i did. like the guy who made me an editor, his name was bob cheryl in my 20's. always a said you have got to watch out for the classic career path in journalism. you are stuck on a beat, work your way up. he said the accidental life is where the joy is, so you have to take chances and get fired. charlie: that defines me. i've never had a traditional life at all.