Michael Perry's Blog

Baling in America (and Hollywood?)

What’s it like to go from pitching straw bales in Wisconsin to pitching scripts in Hollywood? How does an L.A. entertainment attorney take his parrot for walks? Why are people who supposedly don’t read, buying books? Why did the twine snap? What would my mother think of what I said in that meeting? What’s Louis L’Amour got to do with it? Is that really the best use of a snow plow? And what is veracity, and can it heal us?

All these questions and more are answered in a new essay by Mike currently available online thanks to the great folks at Panoptica in their “Stories of America” section. Click here to read the illustrated piece: https://www.panoptica.ai/baling-in-america/

All of Mike’s books (including his latest, Improbable Mentors & Happy Tangents) available here.

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Free Episode of Michael Perry’s Voice Mail – Episode #291: Cats in the Office

Welcome to Michael Perry’s Voice Mail, episode 291. This one’s available to free and paid subscribers alike. Click HERE to listen.

In this episode I reveal how I agreed to allow my children to have cats only after making it clear the cats would be allowed only under my rules—but of course rather than living under my rules they snuck under them. And over them. And around them. And through them. And that was just the first week. And never mind the house, these days they pretty much run my office.

A big thank you to everyone who ordered the new book, which is now also available as an audiobook (read by me). It’s a little different, and that’s turned out to be good, because we’re meeting a whole new bunch of readers.

Okey-doke. Gotta get this cat off my lap and back to work. Not that a cat ever works.

Forward!
Mike

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Michael Perry Returns to The Professional Noticer – Episode 361

From Mike: Not only did Andy Andrews and I talk about the new book, but we revealed how the new book came about only because Andy and I were stranded at sea. Very dramatic.

Listen to Mike visit with his friend and fishing partner, Andy Andrews as a guest on The Professional Noticer with Andy Andrews

One key topic was Mike’s newest, Improbable Mentors. Click HERE for links to the signed paperback, eBook version, and audiobook version.

You can watch, or listen to, the episode on your platform of choice.

Facebook YouTube X (formerly known as Twitter)

You can also find the audio-only version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and a handful of other places.

Andy has an amazing desk:

Andy’s book desk (coupla Perry titles in there).Breeze-shooters (from a previous visit).

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Michael Perry Returns to The Stuph File Program with Peter Anthony Holder

From Mike: I’ve been talking with Peter Anthony Holder since the Population 485 days. He’s up there in Canada.

Michael recently joined Peter Anthony Holder, the host of The Stuph File Program. Michael and Peter discussed Michael’s latest book, Improbable Mentors and how nursing, firefighting, learning to type, along with slacking as a high school student, can have a profound effect on your future.

You can listen to the episode here. Michael’s interview begins at 29:33 and ends at 40:14. It is a really great show and worth your while to listen to all the guests on the episode. If you only have time to listen to Michael’s portion, click the player below.

https://sneezingcow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-Stuph-file-interview.mp3

You can find all the episodes here: https://www.peteranthonyholder.com/.

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Michael Perry On The Passion Pod

From Mike: This one was a long time coming. I’ve observed Chris from afar in passing for a while now. It was a treat to ease on over to his place, pull up a chair, and shoot the breeze. He put me on the spot a couple times (in a good way) and he got me to admit that my greatest talent may be…stubbornness.

A few weeks back, Mike joined The Passion Pod, an inspirational storytelling experience featuring unique guests that are also pursuing careers based on their passions hosted by Chris Johnson in Eau Claire, WI. The goal of the show is to inspire the listener to think about their own passions and to help them find more ways to incorporate those passions into their lives. Guests range from famous comedians, to professional athletes, to Grammy award winning musicians, and more.

You can watch the interview on YouTube.

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

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Turning Down Oprah? Michael Perry on Infinite Loops (Ep. 289)

Turning down Oprah? You won’t hear many interviews with Mike as far-ranging as this one: Michael Perry Joins Jim O’Shaughnessy on his Infinite Loops podcast.

You can watch the interview here or on YouTube.

You can also listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify,

From host Jim O’Shaughnessy:

“What happens when a shy farm kid from rural Wisconsin who never dreamed of being a writer becomes one of America’s most beloved storytellers?

Michael Perry joins Infinite Loops to share his remarkable journey from cleaning calf pens to pitching scripts at Universal Studios, all while managing to still make a few calls with the local volunteer fire and rescue service.

This conversation is a masterclass in authentic storytelling, practical wisdom, and the power of staying true to your roots while navigating an industry that often values credentials over character. Perry shares unforgettable stories about turning down Oprah (yes, really), why he sells hundreds of books to “people who don’t read” at firefighter conventions, and how his nursing background taught him the most important skill for any writer: human assessment. We explore his philosophy of “kindness is not weakness,” the difference between cash and cachet, and why sometimes the best career move is knowing when not to move at all.

Whether you’re a writer, entrepreneur, or simply someone who believes in the power of authentic storytelling, this episode will remind you that sometimes the best way forward is to embrace your own improbable path and never stand behind a sneezing cow.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. We’ve shared some highlights below, together with links & a full transcript. As always, if you like what you hear/read, please leave a comment or drop us a review on your provider of choice.

— Jim”

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Sharpie Session

Sign’em and…

…ship’em.

Thank you to Becky and Mike, neighbors right down the road who handle our distribution, personally seeing to it that each and every order you place–whether it’s a brand new book, a T-shirt, or a can koozie–is tucked carefully into its shipper and sent to your home.

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Gratitude and Latitude – UPDATED 10/2025

I’m profoundly fortunate to do the work I do, and I never, ever forget: it’s only possible because people generously give of their time and attention to read and listen, to show up at live events, and to stay with me across books, podcasts, performances, and whatever else I manage to conjure and deliver.

The overriding message: I’m deeply grateful and very lucky. Thus, what follows is neither a complaint nor a solicitation of sympathy, it’s simply a message regarding the state of the situation.

My day-to-day life is real regular. Just another self-employed dude. But like a lot of self-employed folks, we get spread a tad thin now and again. Between the weekly podcast deadlines, the travel for speaking gigs, one-man shows and band concerts, the ongoing book and script projects (plural, always), the recording and voiceover sessions, the speculative stuff that consumes big swathes of time but may or may not ever see the light of day (there’s a bunch of that), the self-promotion (yep) required to keep things clicking these days, and the very real joys and responsibilities of being a father and husband, and—over the course of the past two years and right through the present—helping my family support other beloved family members through serious health challenges and deep loss, I’ve simply hit a wall when it comes to reading manuscripts or offering blurbs, feedback, or commentary on new creative work, or even responding to emails. I’d love to say yes to more and keep things one-to-one, but in order to keep putting out the work that I hope speaks for itself, and in order to give my best when I am “public-facing,“ I have to guard my offline time more fiercely than ever. It’s not about being aloof—it’s about staying afloat. In order to meet the expectations I’ve set for myself and the promises I’ve made to others, now more than ever I must narrow my focus to work, performance, and family, and I respectfully request grace in this regard.

I am fortunate in that I have a terrific manager named Ben, and this is my chance to thank him publicly for all he does for me and our family behind the scenes.

Ben also handles my speaking and musical bookings. More information here.

Also, please consider joining the mailing list so we can let you know when I have new work or am performing in your area. And so I can thank you in person, in real time and space.

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Sneaky Artist

Different genres, overlapping paths…

A decade (or so) ago I was writing in a coffee shop when a man with a sketchbook approached me with questions about how to survive as an artist without formal training. I answered as best I could.

Now that man has a global following of over 300,000 Instagram followers, over 20,000 Substack subscribers, and at every stop on the tour for his new book the rooms are full to overflowing. All because he risked going off on a tangent.

In reading the introduction to Make (Sneaky) Art, I was struck by how we both left promising careers (him in neuroscience, me in nursing) for far more uncertain pursuits. And as I continued to read, I was struck by how although he is a graphic artist and I am a typist, and although our backgrounds are divergent, our mindset and determination overlap. We are both the product of benevolent mentors and happy tangents. How lovely it is to recall this man speaking his dream that day in the coffee shop and see him living it now. Congratulations, Nishant Jain.

From the introduction to “Make (Sneaky) Art”The shop where I met Nishant.I may or may not have been writing over there in the corner.

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Michael Perry Joins the The Thing We Never Talk About Podcast

Michael Perry joins the “The Thing We Never Talk About” podcast, hosted by Timothy Iseler, a former recording & touring audio engineer turned certified financial planner. Episode listening options are lsited below:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/michael-perry-self-employed-writer/id1803416939?i=1000732632828

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5o4AxeTkeK2hMmWIN5y6fs

Main hosting site: https://thethingwenevertalkabout.transistor.fm/episodes/michael-perry-self-employed-writer

For more than 30 years, Michael Perry has built a life around words — from essays and bestselling books to one-man shows and live events. In this conversation, Mike shares how his blue-collar roots shaped his approach to creative work and money, why he still keeps his nursing license “just in case,” and what it really takes to sustain a self-employed creative life. He and Tim talk about saying no to the wrong opportunities (even when Oprah calls), learning business skills on the fly, and how low overhead, multiple income streams, and a willingness to keep “shoveling” have allowed him to keep doing what he loves. Mike and Tim also discuss Mike’s newest book, Improbable Mentors.

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