Chris Rodell's Blog, page 63
March 1, 2016
My book club night with "Last Baby Boomer"
(721 words)
Being the author of a book a room full of strangers like is like being the father of a beloved honor student on parent-teacher conference night when everyone from the principal to the custodian assures you your kid’s special and has a bright future.
I now know this.
It happened to me Saturday.
A Pittsburgh-area woman heard me on John McIntire’s radio show and said my book’s
Being the author of a book a room full of strangers like is like being the father of a beloved honor student on parent-teacher conference night when everyone from the principal to the custodian assures you your kid’s special and has a bright future.
I now know this.
It happened to me Saturday.
A Pittsburgh-area woman heard me on John McIntire’s radio show and said my book’s
February 29, 2016
Tweets of the Month
Thanks to book promotions, my @8days2amish followers for the first time cleared 1,000. That sounds about right. As a writer, I find twitter invaluable. I love having this little treasure chest of what I think are great lines I can mine over and over. I know very few of my readers actually follow me on twitter and that’s fine. I also know many of them look forward to the monthly round-ups.
February 25, 2016
About those typos ...
(716 words)
One aspect of my new book of which I’m quite proud is one of which most authors are most ashamed.
I’m talking typpos.
Er, typos.
Not the typos, per se. They, of course, make me cringe.
What I’m proud of is the page one absolution I bestow on myself for their pesky existence.
It reads:
“This book is self-published by the author. That means it enjoys none of the traditional
One aspect of my new book of which I’m quite proud is one of which most authors are most ashamed.
I’m talking typpos.
Er, typos.
Not the typos, per se. They, of course, make me cringe.
What I’m proud of is the page one absolution I bestow on myself for their pesky existence.
It reads:
“This book is self-published by the author. That means it enjoys none of the traditional
February 23, 2016
Dad had balls, real (golf) balls
(651 words)
I remember just a few things about the 2002 Golf Magazine story I did about the man with the world’s largest golf ball collection.
I remember he had more than 36,000 golf balls from around the globe. I remember he lived in York, Pennsylvania. And I remember my Dad eager to learn the collector’s secrets.
I told him nothing.
That’s because what I most remember most about
I remember just a few things about the 2002 Golf Magazine story I did about the man with the world’s largest golf ball collection.
I remember he had more than 36,000 golf balls from around the globe. I remember he lived in York, Pennsylvania. And I remember my Dad eager to learn the collector’s secrets.
I told him nothing.
That’s because what I most remember most about
February 22, 2016
I cure hangovers
(600 words)
The reason Val and I wound up dining for free Friday at one of Pittsburgh’s most elegant restaurants was because the owner’d heard me speak and said I cured his hangover.
He insisted the only proper compensation was that we dine as his guests at his restaurant.
And today I’m left to wonder how different my life would be if that October morning, instead of restauranteurs, I’d
The reason Val and I wound up dining for free Friday at one of Pittsburgh’s most elegant restaurants was because the owner’d heard me speak and said I cured his hangover.
He insisted the only proper compensation was that we dine as his guests at his restaurant.
And today I’m left to wonder how different my life would be if that October morning, instead of restauranteurs, I’d
February 19, 2016
On being nice & nice PG article about me
(696 words)
I don’t know whether I’m a nice guy because I’m actually nice or because I've learned people treat nice people nicer.
It’s like what Major Frank Burns said when the bubbly cheerleader Henry Blake was trying to screw said old Ferret Face was just so nice.
“It’s nice to be nice to the nice!”
This confusion was cast in stark relief on Wednesday when I saw a woman in distress
I don’t know whether I’m a nice guy because I’m actually nice or because I've learned people treat nice people nicer.
It’s like what Major Frank Burns said when the bubbly cheerleader Henry Blake was trying to screw said old Ferret Face was just so nice.
“It’s nice to be nice to the nice!”
This confusion was cast in stark relief on Wednesday when I saw a woman in distress
February 16, 2016
Someone stole Buck's book at Tin Lizzy
(795 words)
I figured at $16.95 my book was a real steal. I just never figured anyone would ever really steal it.
But that’s apparently what’s happened.
I guess that means my little morality play is backfiring.
See, Buck paid $20 for the book last week but we pretended he paid $50.
Buck owns the Tin Lizzy, which in a small town way is like saying Walt Disney owned Disney World.
People
I figured at $16.95 my book was a real steal. I just never figured anyone would ever really steal it.
But that’s apparently what’s happened.
I guess that means my little morality play is backfiring.
See, Buck paid $20 for the book last week but we pretended he paid $50.
Buck owns the Tin Lizzy, which in a small town way is like saying Walt Disney owned Disney World.
People
February 14, 2016
Valentine's Day re-run: Capt. Mark Kelly the heavenly hubby
Happy Valentine’s Day — and isn’t that a wonderful redundancy? How could Valentine’s Day be anything but happy? This is from way back in ’11.
On this Valentine’s Day, I’d like to salute Capt. Mark Kelly, husband of recovering gunshot victim, U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.
He’s succeeding in looking like Earths’s most steadfast husband while preparing to abandon his brain-damaged wife to go
On this Valentine’s Day, I’d like to salute Capt. Mark Kelly, husband of recovering gunshot victim, U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.
He’s succeeding in looking like Earths’s most steadfast husband while preparing to abandon his brain-damaged wife to go
February 12, 2016
I suffer from a glibness deficit
(729 words)
This is going to surprise anyone who remembers me from the days when I’d race nude across campus at Ohio University, but I’m really kind of shy.
Not in general, I enjoy conversation and meeting strangers.
But I’m terrible at parties, especially when I’m by myself, as I was last night at a corporate mixer on the Gateway Clipper on Pittsburgh’s Monongahela River. I last year
This is going to surprise anyone who remembers me from the days when I’d race nude across campus at Ohio University, but I’m really kind of shy.
Not in general, I enjoy conversation and meeting strangers.
But I’m terrible at parties, especially when I’m by myself, as I was last night at a corporate mixer on the Gateway Clipper on Pittsburgh’s Monongahela River. I last year
February 10, 2016
My book is $20
(756 words)
So exactly one hour after posting the last month piece emphatically titled, “This book is NOT free,” I gave away four copies of my book for free.
And next time I think of writing on that topic, I’ll use the headline, “I am a spineless promoter.”
So who were the lucky recipients?
First was Allan Zullo, to whom the book is dedicated. I’m unaware of the protocol, but I can’t
So exactly one hour after posting the last month piece emphatically titled, “This book is NOT free,” I gave away four copies of my book for free.
And next time I think of writing on that topic, I’ll use the headline, “I am a spineless promoter.”
So who were the lucky recipients?
First was Allan Zullo, to whom the book is dedicated. I’m unaware of the protocol, but I can’t
