I just got back from Kansas City and worked three days with the talented folks at Springboard Creative who are overseeing the graphic design of my book. I had a great time hanging out with Young Kevin (on the left), Miranda with baby Ollie, and Old Kevin (on the right). I can call Old Kevin old because I worked with him in college, which means if he’s old, I’m a little old myself, and therefore we can be old together, although I don’t think either of us acts very old. Anyway, he owns Springboard Creative and manages some really cool projects around the Kansas City area, as well as teaches graphic design across the country. I love his slogan: “Defy gravity. Leap Boldly.” That pretty much sums up what I’m doing these days as a writer.

Outside his hired tasks as a graphic designer, Young Kevin is also an expert typist (he received an award in middle school) and plays guitar for the band Mess in his spare time. Check out the newly released song, “Bloodlines.”

And Miranda, when not doing her designing magic, is a model extraordinaire (look for her photo in my book) and potty trains her new puppy, whom I witnessed scratch the door to signal she needed out (the puppy, not Miranda). That’s one smart puppy, not to mention over-the-top cute.

I loved hanging out at Springboard in its very orange, industrious space where Old Kevin keeps a candy dish stocked with chewy orange candies, the kind I last remember eating as a kid at my great grandmother’s house. Local business owners popped in from time-to-time to say hello, but mostly I think to pet the puppy. (Did I say how cute she is?) And we could walk down the street to grab a burger at Town Topic Hamburgers, a KC hangout since 1937 where hamburgers sold for 5 cents. It doesn’t get better than that.

Anyway, between eating candy and petting puppies and eating burgers, we managed to work a bit. I’m excited to see my book go from words, to edited words, to edited words now married with black-and-white photography and graphic design. I like to call this very long process “a contemplative work of art.”

Soon, I will share some sneak peaks, as well as a glimpse at my new logo.

Thank you Springboard for a very productive and fun week back in KC.