Appearances
My visit to Northshire Bookstore: Cakes designed to look like books and a mysterious comment left unexplained
A couple weeks ago I visited Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont, as a part of my recent book tour for The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs. Northshire is one of my favorite bookstores in the world. My wife and I take an annual pilgrimage to Northshire in the spring and always love our weekend…
Read MoreStop saying that women are beautiful.
I was speaking at a conference recently. There were seven speakers in all – five women and two men. Each of us was introduced prior to our talk by one of the organizers. During the introductions of three of the five female speakers, the organizer mentioned the woman’s physical appearance. “… the brilliant and beautiful…”…
Read MoreMy “Diet Coke and aggressive attitude” didn’t exactly match the yoga aesthetic, but I somehow managed to fit in anyway.
Last weekend, I performed 90 minutes of storytelling to a capacity crowd at Kripalu, a yoga and fitness center in the Berkshires. I spent the weekend at Kripalu, teaching a weekend-long storytelling workshop to about two dozen people, but the show on Saturday night was open to the general public. The room was crowded and…
Read MoreThe most difficult (and possibly inappropriate) question asked on book tour thus far
If you’ve ever attended one of my author talks, you’ll know that I encourage strange, difficult, inappropriate, and challenging questions during the Q&A portion of the evening. I even award a prize for the most challenging of questions: foreign editions of my books, books I have read and will never read again, and once $2…
Read MoreRecommended Reading
When I visit a bookstore or library or book club to discuss my new novel, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, I also recommend books as a part of my talk. Audience members have recently asked for a list of the books that I am currently recommending, so here there are, in case you can’t…
Read MoreMy book launch party was filled with many surprise guests and references to Dungeons & Dragons
My most recent novel, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, published ten days ago on September 8. Originally my book launch party was slated for September 10, but that was the date of the Patriots home opener at Gillette Stadium, and I have my priorities. My publicist understood completely, so the launch was moved to…
Read MoreThe hardest part about my visit to Brazil
So much about my trip to Brazil this summer was outstanding. The people who I met and the places I visited will remain with me forever. Here was the hardest part: These are all photos that Elysha sent to me while I was gone. Constant reminders of the people I love most, half a world…
Read MoreWhen in Brazil, go see Judy.
I met a person in Brazil named Judy. If you ever travel to Sao Paulo and need a fascinating person to guide you, Judy is the person to hire. She is a Canadian who has been living in Brazil for almost a decade after having spent the previous decade backpacking solo in more than 40…
Read MoreObservations from a week in Brazil
Brazil was only the second country outside the United States that I visited, so some of my observations may apply to many other places and probably do. But in terms of my experiences, here is a list of notable observations from my recent trip to Brazil: Dessert is a big deal in Brazil. It’s eaten…
Read MoreWorst TEDx luck ever
I have spoken at four TEDx conferences over the past three years. None have turned out exactly as I had hope. In 2013, I delivered a talk at TEDx Litchfield called “Speak Less. Expect More.” The talk actually went extremely well. A representative from TED told me that he loved it and thought it had a…
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