December 31, 2017

Why “New Year, New You” Fails (And What Actually Works Instead)

Every January millions of people decide this will finally be the year everything changes. They buy gym memberships. Start diets. Purchase planners. Create ambitious goals. And within weeks, many are right back where they started. The problem isn't a lack of desire. It's believing lasting change comes from one big decision instead of hundreds of small ones. Becoming a better version of yourself doesn't happen because the calendar changes. It happens because your daily habits do.

December 30, 2017

Lessons I Learned Hiring a Children’s Book Illustrator During My First Self-Publishing Project

Writing a children's book manuscript felt like a major accomplishment. Then I discovered I was only halfway through the journey. As someone with little artistic ability, I suddenly faced an entirely new challenge: finding an illustrator who could bring my story to life. What I imagined would be a simple handoff of the manuscript turned into months of collaboration, feedback, revisions, and creative problem-solving. Although the book itself was never published, the experience taught me valuable lessons about communication, creative partnerships, and the realities of producing a picture book. If you're considering hiring an illustrator for your own children's book, I hope these lessons help you begin the process with more realistic expectations than I had.

December 29, 2017

Why Endings Are Often New Beginnings

The end of a year always catches me by surprise. No matter how much we anticipate it, time seems to move faster than we expect. One moment we're making plans for January and the next we're looking back wondering where the last twelve months went. As I've gotten older, and especially after becoming a husband and father, I've become increasingly aware that life moves in seasons. Years end. Jobs change. Children grow. Goals evolve. But I've also learned something encouraging. Most endings are not really endings at all. They're beginnings in disguise.

December 2, 2017

How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans Review: A Funny Children’s Book About Vegetables

Let me just start off by saying it this way. My son doesn't typically ask to keep library books. But the other night, after reading How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans by writer David Larochelle and artist Mark Fearing, two times mind you, he quite legitimately asked if we could keep it.

Now, I don't care who you are, it begs a question. What is there to this children's book that would cause him to say such an unexpected thing? My wife and I have read thousands of books to him and, while he may not want to return a book to the library right away, he rarely asks to keep them.

December 1, 2017

Illustrator Jo Painter on Creativity, Freelancing, and Breaking Into the Game Industry

Jo Painter is a freelance illustrator, concept artist, and animator whose creative journey began with little more than MS Paint, a computer mouse, and a determination to improve. Since then, she has worked with authors and companies around the world while building a portfolio aimed at the video game industry. In this interview, we discuss artistic growth, freelancing, client relationships, animation, technology, creativity, and what aspiring artists can learn from building a career in a competitive field.

November 4, 2017

Lessons on Writing, Discipline, and Publishing from Science Fiction Author Thane Keller

My brother, Thane Keller, is a science fiction author, U.S. Army veteran, husband, and father. His experiences serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have influenced both his worldview and the stories he writes. In this interview, we discuss self-publishing, writing discipline, military influence on storytelling, building fictional worlds, and what aspiring authors can learn from the long process of finishing books. Although this conversation took place in 2017, many of the lessons about persistence, creativity, and craftsmanship remain just as relevant today.

September 1, 2017

How to Make Time for Your Goals When Life Feels Busy

Most people don't fail to achieve their goals because they lack ambition. They fail because life gets busy. Work expands. Family responsibilities grow. Unexpected obligations appear. Before long, the goals that once felt important get pushed further and further into the background. The challenge is that meaningful goals rarely arrive with extra time attached to them. If we want to make progress, we often have to intentionally create space for what matters rather than waiting for a perfect schedule that never arrives.

August 31, 2017

Why The Terrible PLOP Is Such an Effective Children’s Book

The Terrible PLOP by Ursula Dubosarsky, illustrated by Andrew Joyner, is one of those children's books that proves first impressions can be misleading. At first glance, I wasn't sure what to expect. The title felt odd, the cover didn't immediately grab my attention, and I assumed the story would be fairly forgettable. I was wrong. Beneath the unusual title is a clever picture book that combines humor, suspense, rhyme, and an important lesson about fear and group behavior.