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Selected Writings


This blog would seem to be the suitable place to officially announce my new book. I say that because it is culled from the writings here over the past ten years. It is titled, Decade: Selected Writings (2011-2021). Call it a greatest hits, if you will.

As mentioned in a recent post, I've been writing since I was in single digits. It has, however, been awhile since I've actually finished something. Life often gets in the way. It takes focus and discipline to sit down and write. This blog has served as somewhat of a workaround for that. I can typically work-up one of these posts in under an hour, so it serves as a bit-size way for me to engage in a pastime I love, preventing the skills from dulling, while not taking-up a whole lot of time.

In February of this year, the blog celebrated its first decade. Ten years is one of those milestones, isn't it? I took stock, saw that I had written over 700 posts, and thought that maybe there could be a book in there somewhere? So, the back-half of 2021 has been spent reviewing all ten years of the blog, choosing the posts I liked the most, then doing a read-through of them for editing purposes, ensuring I liked them well enough to collate them into book form.

In the end, 50 of the over 700 blog posts made the cut. There's also an additional, special, revelatory, and very personal post that's included, only in the book. I debated how to organize the entries -- should they be grouped by topic? I tried that, initially, but scrapped the idea after awhile. Instead, the entries are in chronological order. The topics are, much like the blog itself, a cross-section of subjects and ideas. If you find this site interesting, you'll hopefully find the book engaging, as well. And, if not, well what are you doing reading this in the first place?

I've debated how to make the book accessible. The publishing service I'm using offers the options to have the book made available for sale across various web sites. It can also just be printed, on-demand, for the author. I've decided to go with the latter option, partly because it is such a personal project, and also because, well, it's technically available for free online already (this blog). To that end, the book is available from yours truly, at no charge. All you have to do is ask.

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If you are interested in reading Decade: Selected Writings (2011-2021), then please let me know by one of the following ways:

- sending an e-mail with your name & address to: MattGladneyBooks@gmail.com. Once I get your order, a copy will be mailed to you (if you live far away).

- leaving a comment on one of the social media links to this blog post (Facebook, or Twitter) if we're able to see each other in real life, and I'll drop-off a copy for you in-person.

Copies will be available in early December.

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Earlier I mentioned how it takes focus and discipline to sit down and write. That is true, though it also takes prioritization. That's where we often fall down and make excuses in life -- not making things (or people) a priority. That said, I've made it a point to try and focus more on my writing. It's an important part of who I am -- always has been. I just have to make the space for it in-between working full-time, serving in elected office, having a partner, co-hosting a podcast, exercising, and keeping-up some form of social life.

With that, hopefully this will be the first of many books to come.


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