This will be my very first blog, ever. To add some context, I do not have a single social media account. I’ve never posted a picture or commented on any platform. Of course, I’ve forwarded funny or inappropriate pictures to friends, but that has been the extent of my online presence. The reason for my lack of participation is simple, I generally don’t care about most things people post. I could care less about political rants, what you’re eating, how much weight you’ve lost, or cat pictures. (I’m a dog guy.) I have a wife who will inform me of any important events she reads via social media that she knows I would find important, parties and golf tournaments.

This blog, which I plan to post weekly, will be very much out of my box. In all fairness publishing a book was very much a new and scary experience for me. I had never written anything that was not a school assignment and besides my master’s thesis, I had not written anything over five pages since high school.

I have outwardly been an athlete, a coach, and a PE teacher. I’m very comfortable in most social settings. I love to hang out with friends and watch sports while having a few beers. I love to share stories and make people laugh.

I’m a secret reader. Reading has been an escape for me since junior high school. I was never ashamed about reading, but it never fit my persona, and I liked having a small something about myself that people didn’t know. I like the surprise I see in faces when I’m eager to discuss the differences between the book and the movie. The “you read?” question always brings a smile to my face. “Yes, I can catch and read.” Is my go-to response.

I have favorite authors, but I also have favorite book series. Larry McMurtry weaves a story together in a seamless and genius fashion that I could only ever hope to accomplish. Other authors just tell a good story, no criticism from me, few writers can both tell a great story and genuinely blend the art of authorship together perfectly. That concept of not having to be a great writer led me to start my story. I remembered from a freshman English class that if you want the audience to buy into what they are about to read, you need a hook or strong opening statement.

I chose “I was 22 years old the first time I died” That one sentence stayed on my page for over a week while I thought out the story I wanted to tell.

More to come next week

Coop