My Dad Shares His First Book

My dad presents his first book.

My dad overcame many obstacles in his life in order to share his stories with the world.  Rejection letters from publishers inundated his mailbox.  Refusing to give up, dad got creative and investigated a little known self publishing option.  Twenty years ago, there were few choices available to writers searching for ways to get their books to the marketplace.

I will never forget the smile on my dad's face as he presented us with his first book, "The Bisbee Doll with the Purple Tongue,"  self published under the pen name, Just Mulligan.  He had t-shirts made up for his grandchildren with the main character on the front, a doll sticking out her purple tongue and saying, "Blaahhh." The shirts were like oversize pajamas for my young children, covering them to their knees.  They enjoyed mimicking the character, often sticking out their tongues and yelling out, "blaahhh."

Dolly shows off her purple tongue.

The biggest lesson I learned about writing from my dad is the value of perseverance.  He found a way to get the whole town of Bisbee behind his book and his t-shirts helped get the word out.  Don't ever give up on your dreams no matter how many people tell you that you will fail.  Ignore the rejection letters and keep moving forward.  Thanks, dad, for inspiring me to live my dreams.