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The Ugly Duckling sucks

I like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Dumbo a lot. These are stories in which protagonists who look decidedly different from their counterparts ultimately accept their oddities and differences, and in doing so, force the world embrace and celebrate their oddities and differences as well. These are stories in which differences are honored. Diversity proves…

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Dan Kennedy is right. Reach out to people whose work means the world to you.

Dan Kennedy, writer, storyteller, and Moth host, tweeted earlier this week:  (@DanKennedy_NYC) Gonna get better at sending notes to people whose work means the world to me. Feels fanboy, but beats waiting to send an RIP tweet. I like this advice a lot.  I receive emails, tweets, and Facebook messages almost daily from readers around the…

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How can you possibly have so many stories?

It’s a question I get a lot. Whether it’s stories that I’m sharing on the golf course or at the dinner table or on the stage, I always have a new story to tell. A small part of this is the unusual life that I’ve led, filled with chaos, bad luck, and at times, disaster.…

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Things I do #11: I get angry at the other versions of me.

Assuming that the theory of the multiverse is correct, I often find myself angry at the other versions of me that live in alternate timelines where Trump is not President and the world still makes sense. Not “Ha! Ha!” angry. Seriously angry. Legitimately angry. 

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5 things that you can do to help me sell books (and one unusual thing that I do)

A reader named Sarah sent me this photo with the accompanying message: “My friend wanted to go Black Friday shopping and I couldn’t help manipulating this shelf.” It means a great deal when a reader helps me sell books. In addition to this rogue redesign of the shelf so that my books are facing out,…

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Cats and writers don’t mix

The end of 2017 is a busy time for me. I’m finishing my fifth adult novel.I’m finishing my first middle grade novel.I’m copyediting my nonfiction book on storytelling.  I’m not complaining (or trying not to, at least) because I know how fortunate I am to have three different publishers willing to pay me to write,…

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The wealthy are often playing an entirely different game than the rest of us.

I like this explanation of the difference between the wealthy, the middle class, and the poor a lot:  “Entrepreneurship is like one of those carnival games where you throw darts or something. Middle class kids can afford one throw. Most miss. A few hit the target and get a small prize. A very few hit…

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On this Thanksgiving, I choose to be thankful to Taryn.

I’ve made it an almost annual tradition to spend a portion of my Thanksgiving writing about the people, places, things, and institutions for which I am thankful. Last year, I chose to thank no one for a very specific reason. In 2015, I expressed my gratitude for possibility. In 2014, I listed 18 reasons for…

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I performed stand up comedy for the first time for one very important reason.

Last year, a friend asked me to try stand up comedy with him.  I said no and moved on with my life. But knowing I had to follow my “Say yes to everything” philosophy, I called him back the next day and said, “Fine, I’ll do it, but I won’t like it.” We agreed that in…

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Bad boy and breakfast companion

His sister wasn’t ready to eat breakfast, but Charlie wasn’t alone. His furry pal kept him company as he devoured Cheerios, strawberries, and mango.  It’s moments like these that allow me to forgive and forget the bag of oats that he tore open and spread all over the kitchen floor last night. Or the moment he…

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