About Me
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I live in a world of magic. Every day my mind is filled with scenes of heroes and wizards, giants and halflings, elves and dwarves, heroes and villains. My wife and boys call me Dragon. I think about names, histories, plotlines, battles, good vs evil, and happy endings. And most of all, I write. Sometimes it’s a little, and sometimes it’s a little bit more. I have detailed plans for between 20-30 books in 3 different series, I have prequels and sequels and corresponding children’s books. There is a lot going on in my imagination and I can scarcely write fast enough to get it all down. But that is what being a writer is all about, right?
I have lived and continue to live a life of many adventures. When my boys were small, not only did I tell them stories of heroes and monsters and magic battles, I also told them about winning a greased pole climb – three different times. I told them about playing football in Philadelphia on a street with my friends. I told them about playing kickball on dirt playgrounds in New Jersey. I told them about practical jokes at the Pizza Factory, basketball exploits, preaching in Bolivia, and my adventures in getting their mom to marry me. There is a lot to my life, and I want my children to have a record of it, so they have a solid foundation of who they are and where they came from. I’ve been told for years the need and benefit of keeping a journal and I do think it’s important to record my history, both for myself and for my kids. But I want it to be fun, I want it to be something that someone chooses to read, not is forced to read. All three of my sons spent a period of time doing church service away from home. I made it a labor of love to write to them each week and I tried to make it fun. I was supportive, I talked religion, I gave family news. I also gave a funny take on the world of sports, exaggerated snippets from my daily life, and told jokes. For example…
How to properly use a middle school bathroom: boys edition. 1) Pay no attention to what you are doing 2) Use as much toilet paper as possible, just go until your hand and shoulder starts to cramp – half roll minimum. Also, one butt protector is insufficient: use 54 and it is optional to get them in the toilet 3) Every time you flush a unicorn dies and a baby cries; never, ever flush, even at the threat of your own life. 4) When standing, keep a safe distance from the urinal; 2-3 feet minimum. Practice dance moves while ‘one-ing it’ if at all possible 5) All of the walls and floors are basically disguised urinals, so aim is totally irrelevant 6) Spread soap evenly on sink and walls. Ad one gallon of water for every drop of soap. Your buddy is dirty, shower him 7) Pull paper towels from dispenser with a rapid yet prolonged hand over hand technique – like a magician’s scarf trick, the more the better 8) Place resulting paper boa on the floor; if the floor is full or in extreme emergencies you may put paper towels in the trash 9) return 7-8 times a day regardless of biological needs.
I tried to make the letters fun and it seemed to work: they all loved and looked forward to my letters and even had their missionary friends begging them to read them my letters. I want the history of my life to be that way. Enter a Creative Non-Fiction class I took when I was 56 and the realization (or affirmation) that just because something is true, doesn’t mean it can’t be creative and fun. Now I have a vision for my personal history – a collection of essays that are fun to read, some funny, some thought-provoking. There is a lot to write about. I attended 12 different schools. I lived in 7 different states plus Puerto Rico. I’ve been on the USS Constitution; I’ve been at the top of the World Trade Center; I saw the Liberty Bell on a class trip; I water-skied in Lake Powell; and I had family bonfires on Carmel Beach in California.
Over the years I have developed a more holistic view of storytelling. It includes letters, written stories, children’s book drafts, song lyrics, poems, and texts. Every greeting at work or church, every conversation with anyone, even strangers at the store or on the bus, even job interviews ( I have never been in a job interview where I haven’t helped my cause by making the interviewer laugh) is an opportunity to tell a good story – to cheer, to uplift, to teach, to heal, to entertain. One of the reasons I married my wife is because the is such an animated, emotional, funny, and expressive storyteller – she is the hero of an amazing story. I guess it should come as no surprise that our three boys have all grown up to become insightful and hilarious communicators and storytellers. Everything from texts, church talks, conversations, social media posts, exaggerated daily events, or jokes while playing games around the Sunday dinner table is an opportunity for these three heroes and their queen mom to tell a great inspiring story.