Archive for July 2019
Speak Up Storytelling: Live from Miss Porter’s School!
On episode #58 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, Elysha and I take our show on the road to Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, CT. Today’s podcast was recorded in front of a group of students who will be spending the week with me, writing, telling stories and learning to podcast. In our follow-up segment,…
Read MoreTen years of publishing… TODAY!
I am celebrating my tenth anniversary in publishing today! On July 14, 2009, I published my first novel, Something Missing, with Broadway Books, a division of Doubleday, thus making a seemingly impossible dream come true. I can still remember walking into the now-defunct Borders Books and seeing my book on the shelf for the first…
Read MoreThree amusing Disney moments
When riding alongside with me on his very first ride, Peter Pan’s Flight, Charlie took one look at Disney’s remarkable animatronic characters and shouted, “Robots!” Later that day, when riding alongside me in The Haunted House, he pointed at a group of ghosts dancing together in a ballroom and shouted “Projections!” The boy is ruled…
Read MoreBest and worst of our Disney adventure
For the last seven days, my family and I have been vacationing at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I have purposely not written about the trip until now – as we fly home – because telling the world that your cats are being fed by neighbors and visited by your friends but your house is…
Read MorePerhaps we don’t disagree on sleep as much as you think. Perhaps.
Yesterday I bestowed favored animal status to the giraffe, based primarily on its ability to sleep less than 30 minutes per day. People were surprised – as they often are – by how much I hate to sleep, and particularly how irritated I am every night when I need to fall asleep. In response, many…
Read MoreNew favorite animal for a damn good reason
I have a new favorite animal, people. Prior to today, my favorite animal was the badger because it’s one of the only animals (other than humans) that kills for sport. But I mostly said that to annoy people. My new favorite animal is the giraffe, and for good reason. I just learned that giraffes sleep…
Read MoreSid from Toy Story was a completely normal person.
I know the film is 24 years old, but I’m still annoyed: Sid, Andy’s next door neighbor, was portrayed as the antagonist in Toy Story simply because he liked to take toys apart and reassemble them in new and creative ways. Yes, perhaps if you are a toy, this is not a good thing, but…
Read MoreSpeak Up Storytelling: Matthew DIcks
On episode #57 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, I talk storytelling! In our followup segment, I congratulate listeners on recent successes at The Moth. Next we listen to my story about a difficult medical decision and what it revealed about his marriage to Elysha. Amongst the many things discussed includes: Identifying the crux of…
Read MoreStand up, damn it.
This shouldn’t need to be said, but based upon recent experience, it apparently needs to be said: If you’re a healthy adult sitting on a bus or subway, and there a small child in your vicinity who does not have a seat, stand up and offer your seat to the kid. How any adult can…
Read MoreDon’t tie a bow at the end of your story
I’m a fan of ending books and stories a little bit sooner than my readers and listeners would like. I like to leave some dangling threads. A few unanswered questions. Something still left to wonder about. I think by doing so, my story lingers in the hearts and minds of my reader and listeners a…
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