Life Is Short: Book Blog

Leiberman Live

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Interview: Leiberman Live on Howard 101

The door to Howard's compound, I wasn't allowed in but if the rest of the Sirius studio is any indication... it must be amazing!

The door to Howard's compound, I wasn't allowed in but if the rest of the Sirius studio is any indication... it must be amazing!

What is a Wack Pack?

If you've ever found yourself singing "Imran Khan lives with his dad and mom", the Wack Pack needs no introduction but for those of you that are not familiar with the Howard Stern radio show... the "Wack Pack" is a term used for the people who regularly call into the Stern Show who may not be, lets say, so regular. Over-the-top fans, angry drunks and people who appear less than balanced are but a few of the folks who make up this odd yet completely fascinating group.

'Leiberman Live' is a fifteen minute news program that runs daily on Howard's SiriusXM radio channel. The show is a rather unimaginable mixture of real news, Wack Pack reactions to said news, and one outsider who has a unique perspective on the topics of the day.

Yesterday, I was that outsider...

The show was incredibly fast-paced, often serious and periodically ridiculous - I had a fantastic time and getting to do the show live at the Sirius studios in New York City was a blast. When I was booked on the show last month the topic was parenting and spanking but the tragic school stabbings that occurred yesterday and the news story about the couple who took their small children on a ill-fated trip across the ocean, were also addressed. The show may not be for everyone, but if you think you may enjoy hearing me give rapid-fire answers to serious parenting questions just moments after men named Bobo and Ira the Weatherman (I don't think he was really a meteorologist) prattle on about, well, I'm not sure about what - I'd check it out.

Huge thank you to Howard Stern (Who I'm sure doesn't know I exist), Jon Leiberman (Who was a mensch) and Connie (Jon's fabulous producer) for having me on the show - great time, big fan!

My apologies to those who are currently singing "Imran Khan Lives with his dad and mom" - maybe the audio from my segment will help to cleanse your brain pallet...

Check out the reader reviews for my book, 'Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal', I think you'll like them!

Check out the reader reviews for my book, 'Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal', I think you'll like them!

Opening Day: The Language of Baseball

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Image property of Major League Baseball

Image property of Major League Baseball

Today, in celebration of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, a chapter from my book is available as an excerpt on both Huffington Post Parents and Huffington Post Sports. Baseball, Part II, is the story of how my son and I often communicate about life in baseball terms and how the game lends lessons that go far beyond the field.

The chapter captures a moment from my son Cole's 2012 Little League all-star tryout and ends with a conversation that we had about setting goals, perseverance and the love that we share for each other and baseball.

I hope you have a few moments to check it out and click share over at Huff Post. 

2013 Fall Championship game

2013 Fall Championship game

Winner of the Gold 2013 Mom's Choice Award

Winner of the Gold 2013 Mom's Choice Award

I can't tell if I'm more excited to share my book on a big stage or to see a picture of Cole playing baseball on the front page of HuffSports, on Opening Day. 

Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal is available at Amazon.com and everywhere that books and eBooks are sold.

The goose is getting fat..

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If you've read my first book, 'Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal' and enjoyed it,

I hope that you'll consider picking it up as a holiday gift for the readers on your list.

 

...and if you've yet to pick it up, I can't wait for you to find

'Life Is Short'... I'm so very proud of it.

 

Please consider checking out the many reader reviews on Amazon,

and Barnes & Noble, I think you'll be glad that you did!

 

 Thank you, as always, for your generous support. 

My very best, Scott 

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Speaking: Federation of Woman's Clubs

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I want to say a huge thank you to the Edgewater, NJ chapter of The Federation of Woman's Clubs for inviting me to speak at their meeting. I had a fantastic evening!

These lovely woman gather together and do good works, giving back to their community and helping others to realize their dreams. I was lucky enough to be with them on the evening that a young high school student returned to tell the group about what their generosity meant to her. - Very inspiring stuff!

Later, I spoke about my journey to being published and we laughed about the crazy year that followed the release of 'Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal'. I hear that I'm going to be invited back for a Q&A/Book Review. I hope they like it! 

Contact Scott with speaking, freelance or interview requests.

Great women, doing great work!

Video from my Katie appearance

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Author Scott Benner speaking to Katie Couric about his new book and being a Stay-At-Home Dad.

Since we were away on a family vacation when my 'Katie' appearance aired, its possible that I was the last of us to watch it. I want to thank you all for the FaceBook messages and tweets that you sent during the show, they really helped me to feel like I wasn't missing it - you guys are the best!

Okay, well... my hair was a bit fluffier than I would have hoped and my (IMO) best and funniest answers were edited out (Likely because I strayed off topic) but here is my first appearance on nationwide television. I had the audience laughing a number of times with my pithy and sarcastic antidotes about married sex but since they didn't make the cut, I'm assuming that they weren't in line with the tone of the piece. I mean, I don't think that I was too dirty... I'll have to find another way to share them with you someday.

Radio Interview with NPR Philadelphia

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Blurb from the WHYY, NPR Philadelphia Website 

The forecast looks favorable for Father's Day weekend, and whether you're the designated driver, griller, or just plain chiller with family and friends, you're hopefully not in the same boat as Scott Benner, tasked with the endless job of doing laundry — or so he claims in his ode to fatherhood, "Life is Short, Laundry is Eternal: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad." He spoke with NewsWorks Tonight Host Dave Heller.

 Interview: June 13, 2013

Being invited to do this interview was a huge honor! I couldn't believe Dave Heller read my book! The interview can also be found on the WHYY website.

 

Video: My Interview with Katie Couric

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I had the chance to sit down last week with Katie Couric at the ABC News studio in Manhattan. We talked about life as a stay-at-home dad, my new book, 'Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal' and how I feel about family. The interview is live now on Yahoo News. I would really appreciate it if you could check out the video and share the link while you're there. Thank you so much!

My Diabetes Mine Guest Post and book GiveAway

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A big thank you to Mike Hoskins and Diabetes Mine for featuring me today on the site for Father's Day! In addition to some nice words from Mike about my book you'll find a guest post from me titled, "The Outcome Is Not Important" and a giveaway.

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I hope you get a chance to surf over and check it out... Diabetes Mine is one of the great sites and Mike's writing is top shelf - spend some time there (after you read my bit).

Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold Recipient

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scott Benner’s Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal Honored with Mom’s Choice Award

May 16, 2013, Ann Arbor, MI

Author Scott Benner’s best-selling parenting book, Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad, has been named a 2013 recipient of the Gold distinction from Mom’s Choice Awards®. 

Globally recognized for establishing the standard of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services, Mom’s Choice Awards® honored Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal as an outstanding book within its “Adult Books: Parenting—Contemporary Families” category. An esteemed panel of judges that includes industry leaders in education, publishing, parenting, the performing arts, science, and medicine evaluated the book based on its   production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal, and cost. Products that receive honors from Mom’s Choice Awards® help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually; they are morally sound and promote good will; and they are inspirational and uplifting.

A pithy, modern parenting book written from the viewpoint of a seasoned stay-at-home father with an inspiring story and an irreverent sense of humor, Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal delivers both hilarity and perspective to readers everywhere. With a wide range of topics that anchor individual chapters (fatherhood, marriage, sex, gender roles, diabetes, laundry, “dropping the baby”), the book is an entertaining collection of stories about the mishaps and misadventures of parenting.

Through the lens of Scott Benner’s experiences, readers are reminded that the path to happiness is paved by figuring out how to turn life’s challenges into life’s rewards. Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal tells the story of an American family that has overcome an array of obstacles to discover peace and joy within their own home.    

According to Library Journal, “[Benner] asserts the secret to happiness is to never stop and never give up … his unabashed “dad humor” brings a distinct charm to his writing without being mawkish or overly sentimental.” The NYC Dad’s Group declared, "Scott Benner’s book, Life is Short, Laundry is Eternal, is a book that proves that the family route is one that is paved with bumps and washed with tears, but filled with fun and love."

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How I See Mother's Day

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I wanted to share an excerpt from 'Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal', in honor of Mother's Day. This slice is from Chapter 12 which is titled, "I May Be Growing Ovaries".

I saw a movie back in 1996 called Microcosmos. It’s a documentary about insects. The filmmaker used incredible close-ups and time-lapse photography that gave me as the viewer the feeling that I was standing next to some of the most amazingly varied and fascinating living things on the planet. Slowing down the filming let me examine each step of each frame in a way that left me feeling like I’d experienced the subject’s entire life in just a few moments. As truly awe-inspiring as the film was, my real takeaway leaving the theater was the knowledge that all of this was going on all around me and I never knew it.

It may sound a bit crazy, but that is how I see motherhood. Each day is full of wondrous and critically important moments. Endless decisions are made and carried out by our moms in homes all around the world. Each step holds the hope of survival, growth, and prosperity, but as important and plentiful as these women and their work are, it goes unseen by most. When someone does finally pay attention, it’s unlikely that the viewer will take the time to learn about the complexities of these seemingly simple tasks. You can watch bees collect nectar and dismiss it as just bugs eating, or you can spend a few minutes understanding how their repetitive act literally makes the world spin.

This chapter is dedicated to the women I know who asked me if my book was going to help their husbands to understand what they do all day. I hope this is what you had in mind, girls. I don’t just think that you are the center of everything, I know that you are. I may not be a woman, but I try very hard to be even half the mom that I know my gorgeous wife would have been if our lives would have gone a different way. I hope every day that I am making Kelly proud, while properly representing all that you ladies do, feel, and love so diligently when no one is looking. 

Goodreads Book GiveAway

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My publisher is giving away autographed copies of 'Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal' ​to ten lucky Goodreads members... 

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Looking forward to signing your book... Good luck!

-Scott

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal by Scott Benner

Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal

by Scott Benner

Giveaway ends June 07, 2013.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Life Is Short: Amazon

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An email arrived in my inbox, it was from a guy I worked with at the job I had 13 years ago, back before I became a stay-at-home dad. He was writing to tell me that he pre-ordered my book and wished me success with my writing. His note was wonderful and it opened my eyes to an aspect of the process that I didn't give much thought to, people were going to buy my book and read it. Obviously, that is the hope, but I just imagined that my mom would buy a copy, maybe my brothers. It was difficult to imagine any success beyond that.

It felt strange when I read his email. My friend went online, clicked on a few buttons and just like that, bought a book that I wrote. Everything about that thought freaked me out. I felt very responsible all of the sudden because he spent his money on something that I created. I was very overwhelmed by his words, they warmed my heart.

Since that day others have ordered, I get really nice tweets, FaceBook messages and other notes from a lot of you saying how excited you are for the book to arrive. The book even charted in the US and Canada as a pre-order a number of times! It's a great feeling that I wish I could share with each of you.  You know what? Maybe I can try...

I didn't exactly grow up in a hot bed of creativity. Back then I didn't feel comfortable sharing my desire to write with most of the people in my life. Only ever speaking of my dream with my friend Mike. Today as I sit here writing to you, I find myself wondering what my parents would have said if I announced that I wanted to be a writer. I think that idea would have been so far outside of the norm that they wouldn't have known what to say. When I was sixteen I began working in my Uncle's sheet metal shop, I was okay at performing the work but each day reminded me that I wasn't where I belonged. The teenage me didn't hold out much hope that he would find any success outside of that factory. I wasn't hopeless but it was very difficult to be hopeful. 

A lot has happened since then...

I began writing on this blog almost six years ago and that act saved me when I was lost. Then my salvation unexpectedly become my passion. I finally found a place where I "belonged" and I was writing. If you would have asked me two years ago, I would have told you that all of this couldn't get better - but then it did. 

So when you reach out to tell me that you can't wait for my book, it feels like a dream coming true - each time. I'm instantly reminded that I was once a a young man cutting steel who would drift away in his head and envision himself sitting at a keyboard, but he could never imagine a path to getting there.

You guys have saved me twice so far, once from the isolation of type I parenting and again from the disappointment of a dream not realized. I can only hope that I've helped you somehow, because I owe you all a serious debt. Thank you.

#DOCLove

Life Is Short: Intent meets Doubt

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I've painted more than my fair share of rooms in my life and by all accounts, I've done a very good job. The trim is always straight and the walls are evenly covered. I don't skimp on primer and I have decent eye for what colors work where. Even with all of my experience, I'd be nervous to walk outside with a ladder and paint the exterior of my home. A job like that seems too big for me to tackle and I wouldn't want to take on such a monumental challenge unless I was sure that I could deliver a great result.

That's what sitting down to write Life Is Short felt like. I had writing experience even though it wasn't in the form of book writing. I had the determination and I was confident that my story was a fresh look at an interesting, emerging social issue. As I wrote I felt good, the words felt good coming out and the text was taking the direction that I'd imagined. There were benchmarks along the way, my publisher looked at that the first 15,000 words and provided feedback. She made me feel like I was on the right track, her support gave me the confidence to believe in the direction I chose for my first book. I was sure that my intent for the book was materializing on the page, I couldn't ask for more.

When the day came that my manuscript was due, I handed it in with a lightness of heart. The book really did come out the way that I envisioned. I was more than pleased with what I had written but I struggled to hold on to that positive feeling in the days after I submitted the file.

Soon my stress level was through the roof. What if they didn't like it? What if my writing doesn't measure up? Doubt rushed in and clouded my every waking moment. I began to experience a stiff neck and it's grip intensified each hour that I didn't hear back. I couldn't think about anything other then my manuscript. A week later I stopped wishing for someone to tell me that they liked the book, opting to hope for any response, good or bad. I needed relief and decided that it would be better to hear that people hated my book rather than hear nothing at all. I was quickly lost in the mindset of a sixteen year old boy who had just passed a note to a girl he liked. I wasn't able to wait patiently for her reply. Did I make a mistake trying to take on such a big project? Was my house now the laughing stock of the town? I should have stuck to painting rooms.

It is incredibly difficult to put yourself out into the world in a way that invites critique. In this case I wasn't prepared for how crippling it would feel to lay my heart out for all to see. I put so much of myself into my book, told so many deeply personal stories. I needed someone to either circle yes on the note that I passed or send it back so we could get the pointing and laughing over with.

I did not expect to feel so exposed by the process.

Some early reviews have been good and I've received a few wonderful personal messages from folks that are reading advance copies. Responses have been very positive and heart-warming... I am happy to report that I can once again turn my head completely to the left.

I expect that there will be people that won't enjoy my book and that some of them may well take to the Internet to voice their feelings, but I'm okay with that possibility now. This process has given me the confidence to say, and mean, "I wrote a book that I am proud of, some will love it, some will like it, a few may not - but I know it is good. Felt good coming out and I should have trusted that feeling".

Looking back I see that I couldn't help the doubt, but it didn't emanate from insecurity the way that I initially imagined. My fear was rooted in a desire to please the reader, to please you. I can see now that I care deeply if you enjoy the experience when you read. My fondest desire is for you to leave the text richer then when you arrived... nothing else matters. Today I'm confident that can happen. I'm no longer nervous, that terrible feeling has been replaced by excited anticipation. Look for my next entry, Life Is Short: Amazon sometime soon.

Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal will be in stores on April 2nd but you can Pre-Order today.

Final Version of my Book Cover Revealed!

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There isn't too much to say other then I am genuinely happy to be able to share the final version of the cover to my new book Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal here on Arden's Day before it appears anywhere else.

The cover will begin to populate on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other seller's websites in the coming days and weeks along with new and specific page length information, chapter titles and much more. You can Pre-Order a paperback copy today, eBook readers will have to wait until closer to the release date on April 2nd.

I've added a new page to Arden's Day that contains all of the information pertaining to the book. You can reach it by clicking on the cover in the sidebar, this link or at the heavy-handed and slightly embarrassing, 'Buy My Book' tab in the Arden's Day navigation bar.

Thank you all so much for taking this crazy ride with me, look for a new blog piece about type I diabetes coming tomorrow morning on Arden's Day titled, 'Everyone Poops'... I know, what could that be about?