Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Snelson
Hi Doug, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a teenager, I was fascinated with rhyming words and phrasing that could create a unique message. Poets like Shakespeare, EE Cummings, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Edna St. Vincent Millay opened my mind to how people could be affected by simple sentences and bursts of words. I was also drawn to authors like O. Henry, Mark Twain, and Edgar Allan Poe for the interesting twists in their short stories.
I began writing messages and poems, some rhyming and some not, for myself as early as 14. I wrote about things that presented themselves in my life. I never thought any of it was poetry. I just needed to express myself. Writing made me feel good then, and it still does.
I enjoyed expressing myself via words on paper. At age 16, I kept everything I wrote in a black gym bag. I held onto all of my poems, almost exclusively for myself, and did so for over 50 years before publishing specific selections from the collection of a few hundred poems for what became “Laughter Includes the Word: Revealed, A Life of Poetry.”
I’ve had two business careers. Completing my first healthcare publishing and communications career brought me to a place where I could make new creative choices. I held onto a lifelong dream to write and publish books at some point. I was ready to start the author journey in my late fifties. To date, with the help of my wife and publishing partner, Diane, I have written and published five award-winning books, including three children’s picture books and one about pickleball.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like most writers, my struggle is not knowing if what I write will impact another person meaningfully. Buddhists believe that life is suffering. I am not a Buddhist, but there is a suffering most writers experience as they commit and develop a project.
The commitment requires tenacity, patience, perseverance, and creative problem-solving.
For all my books, I hired an editor and designer to supplement my experience and sensibilities about telling a simple yet compelling story in as few words as possible. As a small independent publisher, it can be challenging at times to develop the illustrations that supplement the words and then transfer them into a layout that has appeal and meaning to readers. Opening book markets and reaching larger audiences constantly challenges Diane and me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write and publish books. To date, I have published five books. My wife, Diane, is my publishing partner.
Three are illustrated children’s books for up to age 8. Our adult daughter, Renee, who runs her own design business, creates the illustrations. My children’s books are written in rhyming format to increase retention and comprehension.
The three children’s books are:
“Who’s Go the Face?” is about a dog named Face.
“The Fable of the Snake Named Slim” is about Slim, a wobbler who wants to be a wiggler.
“Everybody Deserves a Hug” is a message of kindness, love and understanding.
I wrote my first children’s book at age 55 and published it three years later. The second book was published five years later, and the third was published five years after that.
My children’s books are for early and beginning readers. The Midwest Book Review and Kirkus Reviews have reviewed them, among others, and they have also received awards for early childhood development.
The fourth book, “Laughter Includes the Word: Revealed, A Life of Poetry,” reflects my perspective on my life’s special and everyday events over the past five decades. This first collection includes the scanned artifacts of the original handwritten drafts. Each poem is accompanied by a brief commentary about the circumstances of its composition and the year it was written.
My fifth and most recent book, “Pickleball Poetry: Fun and Whimsical Verses to Dink About,” reflects my passion for pickleball, which came into my life after I formally retired from my healthcare publishing and communications career. This book is also written in rhyming format and illustrated by Jim Ditmars, a former contributing illustrator to The New York Times. The book is for pickleball players of any age.
Readers can order my books through my website or any bookstore in the United States. I receive the most gratification for my work at local craft festivals, school readings, Zoom reading events, and community events. I get immediate feedback when I can show and read my books to potential readers in person.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was an excellent student. I loved to read and to play sports. My gregarious nature served me well. I am competitive in sports and have always strived to be the best I could be in a social or work environment.
I developed a philosophy of play in my writing that emanated from a course on mysticism I took in college. There were two professors who believed that adults should always be in a state of play. They defined play as having two childlike qualities: awe and concentration. Living in awe provides an almost reverential feeling of respect and wonder for things known or unknown. Concentration on the smallest detail or the simplest universal truth combined with awe defines the pleasurable experience of play.
Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” Those words help bring me to a state of play every day. It is something I aspire to but do not always achieve.
Pricing:
- Books range from $12.95 to $17.95
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dougsnelson.com
- Instagram: @petalous_publishing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petalouspublishing
