So, I woke up one day and I realized that I actually knew an author. Cool huh?

Then I found out that I knew another one! Yes, it was a little upsetting... but I talked it over with my therapist and now I see that I can be okay with it.

Then at a reunion, whammo! Another one! Before I knew it I was surrounded by people that I actually know (good friends some of them) who had the audacity to sneak behind my back and publish a book.

In some cases more than one!

I was beside myself, so I tried to call my therapist, but she's off on a book signing tour.

So what could I do? I could do the obvious thing and be resentful (okay, I'm a little resentful), but instead of brooding over my resentment (I've been known to brood) I'd thought it would be fun to promote their books. After all, I like these people. They're nice. All of them. Some of them are even kind to animals.

And hey, they're AUTHORS! That's cool!

I'm proud to know them and I'm proud of what they've achieved (the finks).

From my blog:

Giving Preservation a History
by Randall Mason & Max Page

Okay, I don't know Max Page from Adam, but what a great name for a writer! On the other hand, Randall Mason is my brother-in-law's brother and a fine fellow to boot. He's a bona fide professor, but not the least bit stuffy, in fact he's more of a GQ sort. Oh, and he likes old buildings, and he thinks you should too.

The End of Art
by Donald Kuspit

Now this guy is one smart cookie (a common theme on this site). Another professor, Donald is a highly respected art critic whose influence has certainly had a significant impact on a host of contemporary artists. Although he might not remember me by name, I've had the good fortune to have my paintings critiqued by him on three occassions. Each time I came away with much grist for the intellectual mill. I do like to think that one painting of mine. entitled Sunrise, may have made a lasting impression on him. It was a mammoth painting, some 96 feet long, but only 4 feet tall, and the only way I could show it to him was to unroll it across the floor of the graduate studio gallery. His remarks were inspiring and insightful and I wished I was "wearing a wire" at the time because I would have liked to have saved a transcript of that conversation for future review. Thanks Donald for your generous intellect and for one of the most nervous, yet stimulating conversations of my life.

It's a Game
by Edith Frost

Technically this is not a book by someone I know. It's a CD by someone I know! Which makes it just as fun in my book, so there! Edith was my first internet pen pal, er keyboard pal, e-pal? Well you get the idea. I was a fledgling Baltimore freelance web designer and she was a cowgal in New York with wonderful rockabilly songs that could be streamed from her website (hey that was gosh darned rare back in '94). The harsh toll that the compression algorithms exacted from the music somehow enhanced the experience, evoking the nostalgic feel of an old Edison cylinder recording - somehow appropriate for the still pioneering days of the early World Wide Web. Edith's many fans may not realize that she has serious webmaster chops, but lucky for them she has allowed her musical muse to hold sway over her inner nerd. As for me, I'll always remember the joy and static of listening to the Holler Sisters over a Real Audio plug-in.

From Edith's blog:

The Internet Telephony Toolkit
by Jeff Pulver

I'm getting redundant: this smart guy, that nice guy, yada yada yada. So here I go again. Jeff isn't just smart, he's cool. He stays up later than you do. He hob-nobs with rock stars. He's helped launch over 50 companies. He's met the president. Yet he still answers his email faster than anybody else I know. Jeff is the tireless heart of the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) movement. He maintains a fantastic website www.pulver.com that is the central hub of the VOIP and SIP universe. I met Jeff back when I was working for Telet. My good friend, Mr. Taft, and I somehow ended up doing the first major redesign of Pulver.com. It was SORELY needed! :) Jeff might be the nads when it comes to programming, entrepreneurship, promotion, and partying, but as a visual designer he is the pits. Fortunately he is the first to admit it. He also knows a good thing when he sees it and he still works with the talented Mr. Taft for many of his numerous web and print projects.

Beloved Island
by Jonas Klein

Jonas is my cousin, and about as nice guy as you could ever meet. His only complaint is that it is too hard to find good Thai food in Maine.

It's here!

Q & A with
Cousin Jonas!

Swing Hacks (Hacks)
by Josh Marinacci and Chris Adamson

Joshy and Chris used to work for me. No kidding, they really did. Who could have predicted back in that innocent time that one day their names would appear under one of those little hammers that doctors use to test your reflexes? You know, a Diagnostic Percussion Reflex Hammer - Now that's an accomplishment!

From Joshy's blog:

Q & A with Josh!

Monkey vs. Robot
by James Kochalka

James invented the "arm dance" long before I met him in grad school. He is living proof that a person can survive on a diet of just peanut butter. Besides having tons of graphic novels and comics to his credit, he is also a rock 'n' roll star (as if you didn't know).

A recent post
from Kochalkaholic!:

Q & A with
James Kochalka!

Is Your Cat Crazy?
by John C. Wright

Okay, I really just met John, but it STILL COUNTS! He is helping our cats sort through their issues. Apparently they have a lot of baggage. Kitty baggage, that's so cute!

The 10-Minute Energy Solution
by Jon Gordon

Jon has a lot of energy. A LOT of ENERGY! And it is all positive. By the way, he used to work for me too - hey maybe I should work for me, then I could publish a book! Hmm... I'll have to think about that.

Q & A with Jon Gordon!

 
Don't know any of these people? Well, why not search for a book by someone YOU know?

Or you can visit the Books By People I Know shop where you can buy books, music and even movies by these people, other people I know, people with similar names (hey filters ain't perfect) and even a whole mess of complete strangers!

    SHOP HERE!

Or just continue on with your web surfing...

Thanks for visiting!

We Changed the World
by Sidney Pike

Sidney is my cousin's husband - hey I can have more than one cousin, right? He really has changed the world and he has the frequent flyer miles to prove it!