Boss Nova Odyssey
1. What
inspired to write your book? It
started when I would visit the US while I lived in Brazil and finally when I
came back to the US full time When I would tell people stories of some of what
I had been going through, their reaction what usually two-fold: complete incredulity followed by gales of
laughter and “you must write this down.”
Or on the other side was “I can’t believe any sane person would have
done that—we thought you were smarter, Michael.” As I began to list the various
incidents/events that happened it morphed into the idea instead of making it just
a Brazil centric theme move it across to other times in my life where I had
“Boss Nova” moments. I wanted to write
these into short vignettes in a humorous vein so that was the thread that wove
its way through all that was written. I do
not take myself not too seriously and wanted to make sure that when possible,
that came through in my writing. British
self-deprecating way.
2.
What
is it about and whom do you believe is your targeted audience? I don’t think this book
would be targeted at one specific audience as I hope it will be that it can appeal to many.
Its’ intent is to be a humorous look at recounting some of my life
experiences. This
memoir will appeal to readers of irreverent travel stories. Also, some who are
familiar with the feeling of not wanting to retire will empathize with tales of
desperate (not pathetic) attempts to remain young, creative, and in control -
perhaps learning some valuable ‘life lessons’ along the way… but only
perhaps.
Mostly, Boss Nova is for readers who are always looking for a story of
someone who is a dreamer of sorts, most definitely an adventurer at heart, but
with a right brain frequently arguing with its left counterpart…. Never knowing
who on any given day might win that epic battle.
All this, so they, like me, can hold onto the eternal hope that they still have
time to make something meaningful of their lives and on their own terms and
maybe have some sheer fun along the way.
The book traces four
Boss Nova---"the new boss” --- experiences in my life: the restaurant I created and owned at
Snowbird, Utah; when I was Chief of Staff to a Governor; my move back East to
being CEO of an advertising agency and finally, the ultimate dumb ass idea,
opening a restaurant in São Paulo Brazil without
speaking one word of Portuguese. Most of
the book’s chapters focus on all that happened to me in Brazil, when I dove
into the pool without seeing if it had any water.
- What
do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers? I would hope that
people would come away with the thought along the lines of what Amazon
said in their review, “Overall
the manuscript offers a highly entertaining read. This memoir
is a testament to a life well lived, with experiences and lessons that are
sure to inspire its readers. The writing is
clear and fluid, just as intended.” I have also found that most people don't know
what they are made of until they attempt the impossible and that is always
the interesting story. It is my
hope that readers would walk away saying that this was an ode to a dreamer
who often took risks to sometimes test the impossible. And that at any age
if you just hold on to your dreams anything is possible.
- What advice or
words of wisdom do you have for writers? I am sure it is the same that any writer would give and
that is never give up. Perseverance
is the key to getting anything finished as it is so easy just to get
inspired, get enthusiastic support from friends who say do it, start and
get a couple of chapters in and then let it languish. Get an outline done---what should be the
overall flow be and an outline will help, and it will help order your
thoughts in some logical fashion.
Once that is done you then can write around that. Ernest Hemingway said about writing, “The best way is always to stop when
you are going good and when you know what will happen next.” In my case I always
stopped when I got bored and began to meander to other thoughts like “I
forgot to clean the kitty litter” or something as profound. But be disciplined and set aside a couple
of hours in the morning or whenever you are inspired---but don’t write for
too long in a day!
- What are the trends in the
book world? I am sure that I am not saying
anything new or profound, but several of the things I see from my limited
perspective I see:
-people are
reading less and less in general and want the information delivered in short
bursts and if they have free time look at television or gaming as the
distraction and not sitting down reading a novel;
-hard back cover
books are the domain of established writers, paper and electronic help the
indie writers or those self-publishing;
-with all
the associated costs no large publishing house will take the financial risk on
an author who is not well known;
-agents will
not help most new authors unless they see the book has legs across multiple
venues to make money---films, plays, TV etc.
-always
think electronic and self-publication if you are an indie writer.
With all
those realities and more, I think big time book publishers are in a very
difficult financial game where they are having a increasing smaller pool of
options to consider for their next publishing opportunity.
- What
great challenges did you have writing your book? Discipline
and memory. Both slipping quickly
from attributes I possess.
- If
people can only buy one book this month, why yours? Because
the financial side of what I have structured would allow me to get that
house in the South of France.
Beyond, that
unreality, I would say that given the world we live in at this moment in time
with all the issues that are making people more and more anxious and concerned about
their lives and what is ahead, few moments of escape are important. I would hope that a few hours of escape that
comes with a variety of laughs and stories about someone who took risks and
lived his life boldly, might be a good read.
So many people say, “if only I did that or if only I took a risk, maybe
things would be different for me now.”
There are lots of “if only” but I did it, regardless of concerns about the
outcomes. The logical question is “was
it worth it?” and my answer would be “absolutely yes” because I would not have
been able to write this story. So I hope
this book might inspire some to take the risks they only dream about. That is why they should buy it.
About Michael:
Greysage, LLC. is a consultancy
dedicated to the development of sound business strategies for companies in this
new complex world of global competitiveness.
East Restaurant Sao Paulo, Brazil
“East”
brought the concept of Pan Asian cuisine to Sao Paulo Brazil in this the third
restaurant venture of Greysage. It was
selected by Brazil’s equivalent of the Michelin Guide for three years in a row
as one of the best restaurants in Brazil.
CEO Worldwide---Thompson Connect
CEO Worldwide---Thompson Connect
J Walter
Thompson is one of the world's largest and oldest advertising agencies with
office in over 110 countries. Connect was the beginning umbrella for all of J
Walter Thompson's direct marketing and digital. Served on Board of Directors of
JWT. My division had over 600 employees worldwide.
Had all
P&L responsibilities for this advertising agency specializing in
relationship marketing programs for clients executed across a variety of
communication channels. Over 125 employees
Various
Other
-Executive VP of an Ogilvy Direct
Marketing Agency
-Chief of Staff for the Governor of Utah
-Director of Tourism Development for the City of San Francisco
-Owner of restaurant at Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah
-Chief of Staff for the Governor of Utah
-Director of Tourism Development for the City of San Francisco
-Owner of restaurant at Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah
For more
information, please see: www.michaelngraham.com
“There are some books which cannot be adequately reviewed for
twenty or thirty years after they come out.”
--John Morley, Recollections (1917)
“In a sense, one can never read the book that the author
originally wrote, and one can never read the same book twice.”
--Edmund Wilson, The Triple Thinkers (1938)
“If I have to read a book before, it is, to all intents and
purposes, new to me, whether it was printed yesterday or three hundred years
ago.”
--William Hazlitt,
‘On Reading New Books’, The Plain Speaker (1852)
“A person who publishes a book willfully appears before the public
with his pants down.”
--Edna St. Vincent
Millay, Letters (1952)
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