Y’ever think about breathing?

Our baby does. Usually.

Baby H, as we’ve nicknamed him, is approaching his two-month anniversary in the NICU. He’s a whopping six-plus pounds, which is the most any son of mine has ever weighed. He cries, poops, and stretches his little arms with the best of them. As far as the doctors can tell, he’s a healthy baby.

But he’s gotta work on his breathing.

The “suck, swallow, breathe” reflex is his current hangup. He’ll start drinking milk with the ill-fated gusto of a college freshman who thinks whiskey is a chuggable beverage. In the process, he puts his breathing on pause.

The alarms go off. We rub his chest and his back to remind him that breathing, like eating, is one of the building blocks of living (credit: Mike Birbiglia).

Within a few weeks, as his lungs and brain develop, he’ll develop the capacity to do three things at once, or at least in sequence.

In the meantime, he reminds me of me.

How on earth can I be a father and a husband and a professional musician and, somehow, a published author? Four hats is too many for my solitary head.

But then I remember the journey.

Once upon a time, I was that baby. I learned to suck, swallow, and breathe. I learned a heck of a lot of other things, too, and I’ll recite a few of them with the bombastic parallelism of a Baptist preacher:

Sometimes I suck at things, and then I suck less.

I can swallow the pride, hubris, and paralyzing self-doubt.

And, as long as I keep breathing, I can do it. I can accomplish three things at once.

Or, at least, in sequence.

Want a free ebook?

All you have to do is preorder/purchase Marrow and Soul anywhere before February 5, then send me a screenshot of your receipt. I’ll send you a download link for The Sun and the Shade, a story featuring one of my favorite side characters from the book!

Here are some places you can order the book:

Amazon: eBook | paperback | hardcover

Barnes & Noble: paperback | hardcover

Walmart (yes, even Walmart!)

Writing Updates

SPOOKY SEQUEL // Edits continue!

SPOOKY THREEQUEL // Writing has been slow this week, ostensibly because of book release, baby, and client edits. But I think the real reason is my reticence to push past this particular part of the narrative. I’ve only worked on this chapter three times in the last two weeks. Today, I’m planning to sit for an hour and finish it so I can get to the fun part.

What’s the fun part, you ask? I’ll give you a hint: giant, hungry salamanders.

Don’t forget to preorder Marrow and Soul at your favorite retailer!