The Hope and Joy I Seek to Create in Stories...

“Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of the world by telling stories.”

~ Yuval Noah Harari

One of the many things I am grateful for is, that I have been given the opportunity to be a story teller – and in doing so, try to do something healing and healthy for the world. And as a writer I am grateful for every open-minded reader who chooses to devote a bit of their precious and finite time, to opening one of my books, or turning to that last page in Fly Fisherman magazine where my Seasonal Angler column resides… and reading my stories.

On a recent podcast I was asked, “Is writing work for you or joy?”  “Writing is absolute joy for me,” I replied. “But I work hard at it.” I don’t write for me… I write for you – the reader. Without you, I’m just another person with a journal.

Stories – Imagination… is what make humans so unique in the animal kingdom. Other animals have culture that is passed down through the generations for whales to macaws and corvids… but we seem to be the one being who is able to create something in our minds that doesn’t actually exist – yet. With this in mind I write stories that contain lessons learned and images not only of what is… but what could be – if we choose differently. Stories bring people together or rip them appear. We have been seeing way too much of the latter and not enough of the former. I’m doing my best to change that trajectory. The world becomes what we make of it – first in our imaginations and them in our realities.

Another thing I am deeply grateful for is when my friends send me photos of where my books live in their homes and lives. For example, I love these images of my books at the studio of my dear friend Bob White, and the homes of my friends Rodrigo Salas in Brazil and Luciano Alba in Argentina. I want my books to be a part of people's lives… to be picked up again and again and reread in moments when they are seeking comfort and joy. I want to know that they are living stories that touch people’s lives and warm their homes. These gifts give me a sense of hope, joy, and gratitude. And I hope they do for you as well.

This entire series is to my mind, timeless. Each book was written to complete a bigger story that does not turn away from facing our challenges but also, provides a path for hope and health – if only enough of us would choose it. I hope you choose to read this entire collection. It’s a small investment for a lot of meaningful messages. And I hope you all come to love the stories I am writing now in my next book… the first in a potential new series. It will be released in September of 2026. I can’t wait to hold a copy in my hands…it’s been a long, hard, beautiful journey.