Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a syndicated humor columnist living in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. I’m also the author of three books of humorous essays: “I Used to Think I Was Not That Bad and Then I Got to Know Me Better,” “I Didn’t Know You Could Make Birthday Cake from Scratch, Parenting Blunders from Cradle to Empty Nest,” and my latest, “Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Be Ticked off About: Humorous Essays on the Hassles of Our Time” I’m currently working on my fourth and hoping to give it a shorter title—something like Wow or Best Seller.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Be Ticked off About: Humorous Essays on the Hassles of Our Time” wasn’t inspired as much as it was provoked. It’s a book of humorous essays on some of the things we have to deal with just because we’re alive now–intrusive technology, spammers and scammers, uncivil behavior, materialism and clutter, uncivil political discourse and others.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. Pretty boring here. For me, it’s all about putting my butt in the chair first thing almost every morning. The one weird things is that ten minutes before every hour my Fitbit reminds me that I ought to move, so I get up and do something physical for a few minutes–load the dishwasher, put in a load of laundry, get a snack, get another snack.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up reading Erma Bombeck and I’m sure she was an influence. But a bigger one would be growing up in a large family. I’m number 9 of 10 children. That meant 12 people in a house with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. You need tools to survive that and wit is a weapon in a big family. My father had a great sense of humor though I didn’t think so when I was a teenager. But humor was important to him and making him laugh was a way of standing out in the crowd.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on my fourth book, a book of humorous essays on holidays and other special events we get all worked up about.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Based on the fact that I’m STILL not a bestselling author, I guess I’m still looking for it. 🙂 Seriously though, I use many websites with varying levels of success, and am so grateful for the service they provide. (Thank you Awesome Gang!) My email list remains my most effective marketing tool.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself. You will get many rejections, and if you don’t I hate you. I’m kidding! What I meant to say is, if you don’t get rejections, you’re probably not submitting enough. Some readers may even say very cruel things about your work. The way I see it, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who do something with their life and those who criticize those who do something with there life. That’s easier. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn from criticism. You definitely should. But you have to have a nearly unshakable belief that you are good and getting better at what you do no matter who tells you otherwise. You can pout now and then. You can even fall into despair for a day or so. But you can never give up.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Some variation of the above. And I never get tired of hearing it from other writers.
What are you reading now?
Tommy Tomlinson’s memoir “The Elephant in the Room.” It’s a wonderful book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Plowing ahead on book 4 and staying ahead of my regular humor column deadlines is all I have time for.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Three mystery novels and one empty journal to write about my experiences. I’m a writer, you know.
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