Pump Up Your Book Chats with Humorist Pat Snyder
Author Interviews, Featured — By Dorothy Thompson on November 26, 2009 at 8:11 pm* * * * * * * * * *
Editor’s Note: Pat will be right in this very spot live on Friday, Dec. 4 from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., answering any questions you may have about her book. Leave a question or comment (along with your email address) and you may win a free copy! One lucky reader has until 8 p.m. eastern time on Dec. 4 for a chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Pat’s book, The Dog Ate My Planner. The lucky winner will be announced on Dec. 5. Thank you and good luck!
* * * * * * * * * *
Pat Snyder, a humor columnist, certified laughter leader, and recovering lawyer, offers stress relief to the overbooked in her just-released first book, The Dog Ate My Planner: Tales and Tips From An Overbooked Life. Pat has written a newspaper and online column called “Balancing Act” for nearly a decade. When she’s not writing, she offers workshops, speeches and laugh-ins, to help others laugh their way through life’s obstacles and find time for joy in their lives. Her columns appear in Suburban News Publications, a chain of 22 weekly papers in her home of Columbus, OH, and on her website, http://www.PatSnyderOnline.com. Find her also on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1388697570&ref=profile and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/patsnyder. Also, look for her weekday lunch hour “tweets” on time management and life balance from Henry the Time Management Dog (http://www.twitter.com/plannerdog) and her Sunday afternoon posts on her blog, The Dog Journal (http://www.PatSnyderOnline/journal).
Thank you for this interview, Pat. Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later? Do you remember your first published piece?
Pat: As children, my next-door neighbor Diane and I published a mimeographed poetry collection called “Pat and Diane’s Poetry.” I think we used the mimeo machine at my dad’s office. Anyway, we distributed it door to door on Oak Grove Rd. in Atlanta, Ga., for a nickel a copy, and I’m pretty sure the literary level of DeKalb County skyrocketed as a result.
What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?
Pat: I love writing, and with all the speaking and marketing, there hasn’t been so much time to write. Still, because I’m passionate about using laughter and humor to enhance life balance, the speaking is extremely rewarding.
Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life? Do you have support?
Pat: I became a widow in May 2009, with the unexpected death of my husband Bob. With my youngest away at college, I try to avoid combining a too-quiet home with writing. Coffee shops are a favorite, and recently, a co-working community inhabited by young professionals and entrepreneurs. I have to stop myself from becoming the mom who washes the coffee mugs, though. My writing friends are my greatest writing support system now, along with my daughter Sarah, who is happy to read my columns in advance, especially when she suspects she is in them.
What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing? Where do you like to vacation? Can you tell us briefly about this?
Pat: I’m a certified laughter leader with the World Laughter Tour and get a kick out of leading laughter exercises. I also love babysitting my new granddaughter, Taylor Joy, one afternoon a week while my son James and daughter-in-law Tracy work. (Would you like to see pictures?) As for vacationing, my favorite spot is the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York. Lectures, concerts, readings, heaven!
If you could be anywhere in the world for one hour right now, where would that place be and why?
Pat: In the kitchen of a villa in Tuscany, overlooking a checkerboard expanse of farm fields, taking in the aroma of some tomato-garlic-onion-artichoke concoction cooking slowly. I was there once and would go back in a heartbeat. Meanwhile, it’s on my screensaver.
The Dog Ate My Planner by Pat Snyder (click on cover to purchase)
Who is your biggest fan?
Pat: Now that my husband is gone, I would have to say my daughter Sarah (if we’re talking writing, not fashion). I value her comments, even when they are preceded by “Nothing personal, but…”
Where’s your favorite place to write at home?
Pat: I have an office on the loft upstairs. There’s a sign that says “Creativity Is Not A Pretty Sight” and that’s pretty accurate. I have a high tolerance for papers on the floor up there. Also, dustballs.
What’s your favorite library and why?
Pat: The Old Worthington Library in Worthington, Ohio. I love the buzz of young families rushing in and out, dropping off books, landing at the computers. There are some wonderful quiet areas there, too, but I like libraries to be alive and full of eager readers, with a minimum of “Shhhh!”
What’s your favorite bookstore and why?
Pat: The Book Loft in German Village near downtown Columbus. It’s packed with treasures, one room after another. You really need a map (and they have them). It’s one of a dwindling number of independents, and I love it.
Do you have any pets?
Pat: No, which does make you wonder about the title of the book. I have two granddogs, though. My older son Paul and his wife Shelly in Tempe, AZ, have a pug named Winston Tate, who is a sensitive little heartbreaker. And my younger son James and his wife Tracy here in Columbus, have a St. Bernard named Brutus (Go Bucks!).As far as I know, neither one has eaten a planner, but Brutus would if we gave him half a chance. My son keeps threatening to drop Brutus off at the house, to keep the book title honest. That’s why I’m letting everyone know that I don’t own a dog. It cuts down on the blackmail.
What are you reading right now?
Pat: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.
Tell us a secret no one else knows.
Pat: My secret fantasy is to show up at Professor Mark Sandel’s “Justice” class at Harvard and actually sit in. I love watching the classes online.
What’s the first thing you notice when you meet someone?
Pat: Their eyes.
Have you ever won anything?
Pat: I once won a sheep at a church charity auction, but happily “re-donated” it to the cause.
If you mean writing awards, yes. I won a Penney-Missouri award and a number of writing awards from the National Federation of Press Women and Ohio Press Women. I’ve won a Thurber House humor writing contest and an award from Writers Ink.
What’s on your to do list today?
Pat: I’m working on a presentation called “Don’t Let The Dog Eat Your Holiday Planner” for one of our local Barnes & Noble stores and pulling together some tips for sanity-izing the holidays.
I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in December via a virtual book tour. Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?
Pat: Nothing can eat a writer’s planner like do-it-yourself online marketing. If I were just flitting around the Internet randomly, before you know it I’d be in a bidding war for pink socks by the gross on eBay. With a virtual book tour, I can focus on getting my message out about the importance of leashing in our chaos and if that fails, learning to laugh it away.
Thank you for this interview, Pat. Good luck on your virtual book tour!
Pat: My pleasure.
You can visit Pat’s official tour page here to find out where else she’ll be touring in December!
Tags: blog tours, book campaign, book marketing, book promotion companies, book promotion services, book promotions, book tour, humor author, humor self-help, humor writer, nonfiction, online book promotion, Pat Snyder, promote your book, self-help, sell your book, The Dog Ate My Planner, Two Harbors Press, virtual author tour, virtual blog tour, virtual book tours
Tweet This
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
49 Comments
Visitors, please leave your questions and comments for Pat! She will be here on Friday, Dec. 4 to answer whatever questions you might have about her writing life or her fantastic book, The Dog Ate My Planner. What’s it like to be a humorist? Pat will give you the lowdown tomorrow!
Pat, have you thought about getting a dog? I’ve got one who just ate her weight in candy canes, and I’m sure that she would be happy to eat you planner for REAL!
Great interview…I enjoyed it very much:-)
Okay – someday I’ll learn to proof read before clicking on submit!
LOL, hi Libby! Sounds like my dog!!!
:) Looks like a great read!
I love humor columns! Your book sounds like the perfect one to relax and have a few laughs during the holidays.
I really hope I win the book!
Good luck with the tour, Pat!
I’d love a description of a laughter exercise! It sounds intriguing…
I totally smiled when I read about the blackmail thing. I am very sure this book would be a huge success, I can see the humour here!
Thank you for a great interview
givingreadingachance AT gmail.com
I love that they asked you what your favorite library is. Excellent.
I love dogs and would love an opportunity to read this book.
Thanks for the great interview.
Hi Pat: Love your title. Laughter is a gift best shared. (OMG, I sound like one of those deep people posting their profound thoughts on Facebook, lately. Have you noticed them? It must be some kind of deep thought virus. Anyhoo…back to you.)
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you while doing promotion? Got any good stories? ;)
Come visit my blog to find out about how you can get a free copy of MY book. Hopefully, I’ll make you laugh, too. ;) See? Laughter. A gift to be shared. Not so viral after all…
Mornin’ Pat! You mention “speaking.” Where do you speak?
Another one – for aspiring humor writers, can you give them a tip or two as to how to get started writing humor? I would say finding your voice might be #1. Do you agree?
how long was this book in development?
Great interview, Dorothy and Pat! Pat, I have to say that I absolutely LOVED your book! It truly is a treasure to lighten my day with your humor and insight. I know that often, humor is an excellent way of dealing with stress – is this the case for you as well? Also the combination of writing and humor seems as though it would be a wonderful therapy.
Hi there, Neas,
Oh, yes. I’ve thought about getting a dog. But mostly my son, who owns a St. Bernard, has thought about me getting a dog. HIS dog, to be exact. Love that Brutus (he’s a Buckeye, you know), but too much slobber for me. Can’t imagine how many Candy Canes he’d have to eat to get up to his weight, but wow. Hope your pup wasn’t adversely affected. I’ve heard of them eating everything – checkbooks, calculators, Advil, but Candy Canes – that’s a new one. You should train him to eat fruitcake in case you are the unfortunate recipient of one.
Heather,
It’s a quick read. The USA Today of humor stories. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks, Mayra!
If your life is overbooked, you may find yourself in “The Dog” somewhere. If you don’t win, I’ve got a great holiday deal going on my web page – personalized autographed message to a friend, free gift wrapping. http://www.PatSnyderOnline.com/buy-the-book.
Hi, Veens,
Ah, yes. Now that the word is out on the www, I think I’m Brutus-proof. Don’t get me wrong, though. He’s a sweetie :).
Morning, Dorothy,
I speak anywhere people want to put a more positive spin on their lives through humor and laughter, and I love traveling. Earlier this year, I led some laughter exercises in Tel Aviv! One of my more unusual venues recently was on the floor of a reverse trade show, where I was thrilled to notice that several hundred people stopped texting on their Blackberries during the presentation. Astonishingly, life (and trade) went on.
Hi, Ed,
I started writing pieces for the book nearly a decade ago as humor columns for our local papers. Once I started putting the book together, it took over a year. The devil’s in the details, proofing, editing. All that not-so-fun stuff.
Juju,
Yes! You must be a library fan, too. What’s your favorite?
April,
Thank you! So glad you liked “The Dog.” Humor and laughter are magical ways of building our resilience and also fueling our creativity! This summer, I taught a workshop at The Chautauqua Institution in New York on humor and creativity and was amazed at the interplay between the two. If you think about it, some of the same dynamics that make humor work – unexpected reversals in thinking, exaggerations of fact – are at play in the creative problem-solving process. Very cool stuff.
Thanks, Cynthia.
Love the Facebook observation. You’re right! And would I rather know your deepest thoughts? whether you just brushed your teeth? ALL of the above? NONE of the above? I guess ALL. People-watching on Facebook is almost as good as being at the bus station, but not quite.
What’s your blog? Your book?
Pat, where did you get your start writing for the paper?
Dear Pat,
I am a small business owner. Can you give me a couple of time saving or organizational tips to maximize the hours in a day?
Barbara
My dogs have eaten so many things in the house and the yard, thankfully, my planner isn’t one of them. Sounds like a great book. I do have to be careful of the cat though as she does like to curl up and sleep on items on my desk.
As a speaker myself, I am wondering if you enjoy this type of dialog or if you prefer face to face? What is your “ideal” audience? Also, have you ever done a radio show or an telephone mastermind talk?
Hi Pat,
Do you have any tips on how to make the best use of your time when fashion shopping?
Pat, I’d love to know what kept you going through the drudge work of the book.
Dorothy,
I worked for a little weekly paper during the summers I was in college, called The Wadsworth News-Banner in Wadsworth, OH. The subtitle was “The Only Newspaper In The Whole Wide World That Cares About Wadsworth.” With those clips, I moved on to the nearest weekly, the Akron Beacon Journal, which assured me they also cared about Wadsworth and told me, by the way, I could not work for both. Too bad. The weekly provided pretzels and beer when we went in to hand-stuff the papers on Wednesday nights.
Barbara,
I will pass on what I learned from a friend who, when she’s too busy to attend a meeting, finds someone who did and asks, “What are the 1-2 most important points you picked up there?” I think the strategy is absolutely brilliant!
By the way, are you same the Barbara McVicker who wrote “Stuck In The Middle”? Great book on caregiving your elderly parents.
Rebecca,
Those cats! I have never known one to eat a planner, either. The St. Bernard I’m not going to take was attacked by a couple of cats in residence the other week. I felt sorry for him. But not sorry enough.
Karen,
Love the last name! Great questions, too. As a writer, I love this chat format, but for a really intense discussion I’m all for having some body language and eyes to go by.
Ideal audience? One that laughs at all the right places. Like my son said about his elementary school teachers, “I grade them the way they grade me.”
Love radio talk shows and most recently had a great time on “All Sides With Ann Fisher,” our local NPR station, talking about “The Dog.” Coming up January 13, I’m on a call-in teleconference with Integrity Coach Susan Ireland called “Ask The Experts.”
Whew! You had me scrolling up and down there. Now your turn: What do you speak on and who’s YOUR ideal audience, Karen?
Oh, Leslie. You’ve honed right in on a “Dog” chapter here. Fashion is one of those dirty dozen dogs that can eat your planner. And I’ve pretty much concluded that going online and getting travel clothes is the way to go. Unless, of course, fashion is fun for you. Then have at it. Experiment. Play around. Even buy an iron. It’s just not for me.
Amy, I love that “drudge” word. The perfect blend of sound and sense. Not to sound schmaltzy here, but having to check in regularly with friends who were cheering me across the finish line was really helpful to me. I meet monthly with some other writers and weekly with several friends who are also working on projects, and we kind of keep each other accountable.
Dorothy,
Oops. You asked about getting started in humor writing, and I skipped over that. I agree that finding your own voice is what makes writing easy and fun. Also, humor for me is a genre that syncs with my personal philosophy that it’s more energizing and even efficient to look on the upside of things. I blame this on my mother, who drove us all nuts with her optimism. She even tried to convince me once that a colonoscopy prep solution “doesn’t taste all that bad.” After that, I didn’t take much stock in her rave reviews of my cooking. She was right, though, that stepping back and finding the positive is extremely helpful. She’s gone, but I’m very lucky to have that little tape still playing in my head.
Pat, we really enjoyed your chat today! Thanks for all your insights and the time you spent answering our questions. Pat will be selecting a winner tonight so stay tuned for the announcement of who wins a copy of her book, The Dog Ate My Planner (I have it and am loving it!) on Monday. Good luck!
Thanks to you, Dorothy. It was great fun. You should know that I have chosen the winner of the giveaway in this high-tech virtual tour by writing everyone’s name on a slip of paper and drawing one out of a brown paper bag. This is my level of technological sophistication. The winner is MAYRA CALVANI – probably because she really hoped she would win it. Just goes to show there’s power in envisioning what you want! Hope you enjoy “The Dog”, Mayra.
Wow, congratulations Mayra!!!!!