the birth of i am convicted

May 18, 2012 in the story

Our story actually started in July 2010 at the Designathon here in Nashville, where I met Andy and Linda for the first time.

The book’s journey started about 6 months later  on a cold winter morning, a few cups of coffee crowding a small table at the back of Fido’s.

Today, 17 months after we agreed to write this book, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that the journey has been worth every step, every bump, every bruise.

I wanted to share that story of our beginnings with you, so here’s a refreshed and rewritten piece that I originally had earmarked as a possible prologue in the book. It needs a bit more work, but I figured what the hell – no time like the present.

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something worth saying

May 17, 2012 in legacy storytelling

Noise.

It’s an occupational hazard of communicating for a living in this loud, loud world.

So many of us are broadcasting 24-7, tuned into a matrix of our own making. It’s dials and doohickeys and whatnots of all shapes and sizes. It’s bright Vegas neon to those of us hungry for more productivity, for more connectivity, for the latest and greatest (bells and whistles not optional).

I’m guilty of it, of losing myself in this maze of applications that are supposed to help us connect more, harder, easier. I often feel like I’m holding the last golden ticket, anxious for that next great Wonka wonderment to download into our virtual lives.

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a machine that affects us all

May 14, 2012 in prison stories

I nearly choked on my coffee this morning while reading an article (here) from the Times-Picayne.

Would it shock you if I said that the world leader in prison populations is the 25th most populous state in the U.S.?

It’s not Texas or California or any of population behemoths in the good ole’ USA. It’s not Iran, China or any of the mega-industrialized countries notorious for their razor-strict incarceration policies.

Louisiana is the world’s prison capital.

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the foster farm

May 11, 2012 in chapter 5

A new excerpt from Chapter 5 that briefly chronicles Andy’s experience with foster care. His second parents, Virgil and Rovein, were a very positive influence in both he and his brother Doug’s life … one of the few outside of his grandmother that worked tirelessly to break Andy out of the life.

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the tools you’ll need most

May 7, 2012 in legacy storytelling

To write and write with passion and confidence, you’ll need more than physical tools.

Yes, you’ll need technology. You’ll need a blog or tumblr or other platform to house your words. You’ll need an email service provider like Mail Chimp or Aweber or Emma to help you build an opt-in list and start that permission train down the tracks. You’ll need a presence on Twitter, Facebook et al so that you can connect and build relationships. You’ll need to take those connections into the real world at some point as well, but that’s for another post.

The tools I’m talking about won’t be found in the 10 secrets to blogging success, or social media 101, or the best blogging headlines to fish hook the greatest number of hungry eyeballs. There is no shortage of capable bloggers and/or strategists of various ilk that can point you to the right tools to build a presence and community online.

You don’t need me for that.

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