Arts & Literature
City of Peachtree Corners launches ‘Color Our Heroes’ children’s community art project (Video)
Color our Heroes- Peachtree Corners City Art Project
Published
5 years agoon
These are trying times for us all. While those with little ones to care for adjust to the new normal of working from home, keeping a regular schedule is a challenge.
Although school-age children continue their studies online, there is still idle time. Walks in the neighborhood, playing video games, and watching reruns on TV helps wile away the hours, but it leaves little opportunity to explore creativity.
To reduce screen time and get those creative juices flowing, the city of Peachtree Corners is launching an arts project called “Color Our Heroes” to recognize the men and women keeping us safe during the pandemic.
Each week, for the next four weeks, a new coloring sheet will be available on the city’s website. The first week depicts doctors and nurses, the second, garbage collectors, the third Police and EMS personnel and the fourth-week features teachers. [The latest one is here (PDF format)]
“For small kids, (Color Our Heroes) is a great way to show how these professions are critical. You know these are callings. They’re not just jobs, these are ones that it’s a calling. You’re giving back to the community and in a phenomenal way.”
– City Manager Brian Johnson
We are asking everyone to show off their artwork by posting on their front door or window. Additionally, we encourage you to post completed artwork on your social media pages using the hashtags, #colorourheroes, #peachtreecornersga or #peachtreecorners.
To show appreciation for your efforts, each week a winner will be selected from a random drawing to receive a gift card from a local business.
Please take time now to download the PDF, add your personal touches, scan and share with friends and find a prominent place to post in and around your home.
Follow these steps to participate:
- Visit www.peachtreecornersga.gov
- Locate the “Residents” tab
- In the pull-down menu click on “Color Our Heroes”
- Select a PDF or PNG file to download
Watch for more coloring sheets in the coming weeks that you can download, color, and display. We look forward to seeing your unique artwork. Parents, be sure to send a copy of your child’s artwork and your contact information via email to info@peachtreecornersga.gov to enter the gift-card drawing.
Source: Press Release from the City of Peachtree Corners
Jim Stone of Tytan Ad Group interviews City Manager Brian Johnson about recent events in Peachtree Corners regarding the response to Shelter in Place local and national orders, as well as the ‘Color Our Heroes” community project.
Resources
Social Media: Facebook: @peachtreecornersga Twitter: @PtreeCorners
City Website- https://www.peachtreecornersga.gov/
Color Our Heroes page- Link
Transcript
Jim: (00:00) Brian here we are it’s Week Four of the shelter-in-place order that you guys started and then the governor came in with a formal one that was statewide. You’re doing another address, you’re addressing the residents of the city and businesses three times a week and a couple times a week we’re going and talking with each other and maybe going in a little bit more detail and today you mentioned a new project, the Color Our Heroes project, tell me a little bit about that.
Brian: (00:28)So it’s a project that we think, you know, might be able to kill two birds with one stone so to speak one, at least for the kids who are in school. From their standpoint, they’re not in school or at least they’re not in the schoolhouse and for you know some of them of certain ages that means that they’re wanting to be on screen time more and they’re wanting to you know do things that sometimes parents are like ‘oh I wish there was something more constructive to do’ right and so and you know I have younger kids myself and it’s a constant struggle. You know, a lot of schoolwork when you don’t have to move at the speed of the slowest person in a class you can get through it a lot quicker so by noon every day my kids are done with all their schoolwork and they’re already like I want to you know get on some screen of some sort and so one way you know we thought of is you know coming up with something more constructive than some of that.
And then – it is to thank some of the occupations that are out there that are doing things that either we take for granted like say sanitation workers or maybe we don’t take for granted but we still need to appreciate them because they’re working either longer hours or they’re putting themselves in harm’s way as far as the virus because they don’t know if they’re being subjected to it or not and so you um you know wethe city came up with and Tytan came up with a project that we thought we could start and that is to have a sketched image of these professions and to publish it and to let them, people in the community, color it and both post it on the front of their house you know in their front window or door whatever as a way of showing support for people driving past and I know if I was driving home and there was a bunch of pictures of city managers in the houses yeah but but you know who would not want to see the support you know being prime military I’ve been you know and at a point coming back from you know where there was a massive outpouring of support and it makes you feel good, makes you feel good about the danger that you voluntarily subjected yourself to as you know while you were providing the service for the greater good and so that’s a great way to do it.
And then it’s not only just posting it on the front of their house just as a show of solidarity but also posting it in some of our social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and that allows you to post it in a creative way right? It allows Tytan to have the people who do that their names dropped into a random drawing right and then you’re going to as an appreciation going to randomly draw ten names per week correct with gift cards from purchased from local Peachtree Corners businesses as a reward for doing this and as a way to support the local economy.
Jim: (04:03)Yeah I think it’s a win-win andwe were really excited when you guysmentioned it. I think it was Kim Jarek, thecity clerk she came up, she was allexcited. She saw we had the other project. Can we talk about the other coloringproject or not?
Brian: (04:17)Yeah, absolutely.
Jim: (04:18) So a little while ago the city came to us and said ‘hey we want to do something different you guys are innovative and remarkable and everybody knows you for Curiosity lab and all this high-tech stuff’ and Rocio Monterrosa and Kim come to us and Judy Putnam when they go let’s do a coloring book for the community. Let’s show some of the different parts of our community- the parks, town center, Jones bridge, you know, and all these different things. And let’s make a coloring book and our artists were so excited and some of our artists are young and they absolutely love this because even though they may be in their 20s they still love, you know, coloring books and that’s a thing now with adults and therapy coloring but we created a coloring book that we’re about to release here I think.
We were going to release it a little bit later but I think we’re gonna release it early with everything that’s going on but Kim and some of the ladies here started going hey why don’t we do something you know for the community and that was the genesis of this and so I want to thank you for everybody at the city for being you know so innovative. Really I mean you guys are always thinking about new ways to reach out to residents and businesses and get people involved.
Brian: (05:22) Well I at least can speak to myself when I say I’m innovative enough to know that I’m not particularly innovative by myself yeah you know and so that’s why you try to surround yourself with people who are you know hopefully smarter than definitely more, you know, looking at things more creative looking at things from different vantage points and this is like you said the genesis of those kind of things I mean when you have a bunch of smart people talking about what can we do different oftentimes it you know that’s you know part of why we retain you guys to to help us with these kind of things because they don’t happen organically. They take effort.
Jim: (05:59) Well one of the things and you guys definitely employ this here but one of my mentors always said ‘the best idea wins’ and you know before I got into the crazy entertainment world and in production world you know I had an engineering company and we had a bunch of engineers and my chief engineer said ‘it doesn’t matter you know if John the guy who takes the trash out at night comes up with a better idea than our engineering team does let’s use his idea and give him credit for it right you know put your ego aside’ and I think we see that in Peachtree Corners. I mean your staff, I mean your entire group, I mean literally you know if one of the guys outside you know washing the windows has a better idea we’ll use it and give him or her credit for it and I think that we got to be that way we’ve got to be agile in this new economy, this new paradigm we’re living now.
Brian: (06:46) We do and you know credits got togo to you know the governing body mayorand council also have supported you knowthese efforts. They give us you know theflexibility and latitude to come up withyou know ideas like this to implement them. They’re not constantly coming in and talking about well I don’tyou know why should we do it. It’s really more of why shouldn’t we right? and you know some of the times we do things that aren’t quite as successful as we want and some of them are more wildlymore successful than we thought right but at the end of the day the one thing that mayor and council have always been clear is we shouldn’t be you know not doing something right and so I would rather be trying something and you know failing than not doing anything at all. So we’ve appreciated this and you know this is another one to that I mean it doesn’t hurt. This is a great way to instill pride and in the community and in these professions and for kids to understand I mean all of these professions that we have.
In Week one we’re doing medical professionals doctors, pas nurses, public health you know officials. Week two we’re gonna do maintenance and sanitation workers. Week 3 will be Police and Fire EMS. and then week four will be our educators teachers and of course there are a lot of other ones I mean if we had more than just four we could be going on and on and on. There’s so many people there. There are the folks at the groceries. Yeah let’s not forget you know.
I mean you know they’ve got every new customer they’re ringing up is technically somebody that could have it, could be asymptomatic and a risk so butwe need groceries and they’re there too right to do it. But you know at the end of the day though especially for small kids this is a great way to also show how these professions are critical right you know these are callings. They’re not just jobs these are ones that it’s a calling. You’re giving back to the community and in a phenomenal way.
Jim: (09:02) So all right well I’m gonna let the kids knowyou mentioned it when you gave your public address but we have hashtag #colorourheroes, we have hashtag #peachtreecorners of course, and hashtag #peachtreecornersga . So when you do your coloring when you finish your coloring, take a picture of it, scan it, whatever you can do to get it digital. If you do it in Photoshop it’s already digital but post it on your social media platform the ones we follow. We talk about Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, are the primary ones. You adults, if you want to put it on LinkedIn we’ll check it out there. I don’t you don’t seem very many you might get a lot of attention on link over here with your colored photos so that may be some white space maybe some of the adults want to go for but we’re gonna be watching all the different platforms and looking for those hashtags and then we’re gonna pull ten names basically from a hat every week and give out gift cards to local businesses which i think is a great idea.
Brian: (09:58) Now so is it fair to say then that if you’re posting on one of those platforms depending on you know the orientation of each you’re okay with them being posted in unique ways?
Jim: (10:02) Absolutely you know so Tik Tok could bein a short video format, Instagram couldbe a unique photo of it, I meanabsolutely use your creativity you know, definitely.
Brian: (10:14) We just wantto see that the photos been coloredright that they participated and thenyou know but other than that it could becreative
Jim: (10:20) Absolutely be ascreative as you want to be you know, loveit, this is a creative town when we didthe casting call for P Street Corner Kidswe were absolutely amazed at thetalent that’s around here and we’relooking forward to getting back to that. I know a lot of kids we had a coupleepisodes queued up to film here and thenthis all hit so anyways kids you’re outthere we’re gonna start soon I knowCarly’s reaching out to some of you soget ready for that.
Brian: (10:46) They really are. I mean this community is phenomenal. I have seen some parents step up me and I’vehad you know neighbor of ours was doingyou know video teleconference bookreadings right amazing you know for kidsdoing it. I mean our neighborhoodhad the Easter Bunny drive around in theback of a pickup truck and so the kidsonly had to go to the end of their youknow yard or driveway and the EasterBunny was throwing out some candy sothat they at least still got to see theEaster Bunny. I mean you know our schoollocal schools here had teacher paradesright where they drove the bus routes tothe schools in their own cars for thekids got to come out. I mean so yes thatwe have a lot of young kids we have avery vibrant you know school system here.
Jim: (11:38)Right and I look forward to seeing somereally good you know really I’m lookingfor too that that family and Brandon’sneighborhood I saw that video they putout I mean goodness sakes it was like
like a live news share was on my new show they produced it was incredible.
Brian: (11:52)There’s some pretty cool stuffgoing on some really forward to seeingboth the pictures colored but alsounique ways in which it’s posted. (11:58)
Jim: (11:59)I think that’s it and so you know check it out we do monitor Tik Tok the P Street Corner Kids have a Tic Tok so that could be really fun like you say I see some Tik Tok videos of their coloring. It’s any, Instagram can have some pretty cool pictures on absolutely absolutely you can do all kinds of fun stuff with our G TV and in different ways. You can post on Tik Tok and Facebook so it’ll be fun.
Well Brian thanks again thanks for all you’re doing for the community. Thanks for what your team is doing for the community. I know we talked about that I know you’re a military professional but really this is a time that city government really had to stand up I mean you guys really this is what you get paid for is making sure this city continues to run in times like this so I know only want to thank you and the mayor and the council for the great job they’re doing but every single team member here that’s both working from home and I see the maintenance guys here every single day when we come by here to film. They’re out there fixing the roads there. They’re fixing bravo work with pipes. There’s no working from home when a pipe breaks or there’s a big chunk hole in the road so I mean these guys are out there guys and gals are out there every single day so thank you for what all of you are doing in your team are doing it’s incredible, appreciate it.
Brian: (13:12)Thanks for helping us get that word out about those kind of things we appreciate it and we look forward to keeping you know keeping this momentum up.
Jim: (13:19)Yes sir all right we’ll see you Friday.
Brian: (13:21) All Righty
Source: Adapted from Peachtree Corners City Website and video
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Arts & Literature
Perimeter Ballet Celebrates 30 Years of Dance and Inspiration
Published
2 weeks agoon
March 14, 2025Perimeter Ballet celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Founded in September 1995, the faith-based ballet school in Johns Creek has long been an integral part of the local arts scene and the community.
What began as a bare-bones program held in the sanctuary of Perimeter Church — on carpeted concrete floors, using the backs of chairs for barres — has grown into a respected school of more than 200 students. Ranging in age from five to 18, the young dancers at Perimeter Ballet are not only committed to the study of dance but also to using their gifts to share their faith.
According to the program’s website, their purpose is to “emphasize character along with technique … to counter the natural tendency towards self-absorption in the ballet studio.”
They are “very committed to teaching children to dance — to develop discipline, technique and musicality. [But] the Christian instructors [also] train the students in a context that understands that there’s a reason to dance.”
30 years of dance and faith
Current director, Becky Brown, has led the school for several years, growing the program while faithfully following Perimeter Ballet’s original mission. She oversees weekly classes, summer dance camps and annual productions, including an acclaimed Spring Recital and a presentation of The Nutcracker each December.
For the 30th anniversary, Brown is excited to continue the creative work of the ballet school and share their artistry and message with a larger audience.
“This year will certainly be a special time for us as we celebrate and look back on 30 wonderful years of Perimeter Ballet and 20 years for our performing company, For His Glory,” she said. “We will be performing the Nutcracker December 11–13 and will have some beautiful new costumes to commemorate the occasion. We look forward to seeing many of our alumni and their families at the performance.”
Classes and instructors
Open to the community at large, weekly classes at Perimeter Ballet range from Creative Movement, PreBallet and grade-level classes for preschoolers through third grade to more advanced classes (two or more times per week) for older students.
Summer camp sessions as well as intermediate level and advanced level intensives are also offered. For the upper-level intensives, students work on their ballet technique but also branch out into jazz and other forms of dance.
The school’s nine teachers are skilled not just as instructors but as performers themselves, having years of experience dancing with companies such as Ballet Southeast, Atlanta Ballet, North Atlanta Dance Academy and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. They bring that experience and their Christian faith to all of their classes and interactions with the young students.
For His Glory
In addition to the work they do as a ballet school, Perimeter Ballet also has an audition-selected performance company — For His Glory.
With three levels, made up of dedicated students striving to advance their skills and reach their “God-given potential while giving glory to [their] Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the program presents several high-quality productions throughout the year.
As Perimeter Ballet shares on their website: “Dancers are trained in the ballet classics as well as contemporary forms of dance, which are used in performances, worship settings and outreach. Classical ballets … in the group’s repertoire include Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, excerpts from Four Seasons and La Fille Mal Gardee. In addition to Christmas and other outreach programs, For His Glory has danced internationally in London, India and Belarus.”
The group most recently performed Beauty & the Beast for two successful shows on stage at the Perimeter Church Sanctuary in early February of this year.
Impact and inspiration
All of this — the focus on faith and commitment to dance, the classes, intensives and stunning productions — have been a decades-long inspiration to the community and especially the student dancers who take part.
Many of the students stay with Perimeter Ballet for much of their childhood, learning and growing in dance as well as in their faith from elementary age through high school. That kind of involvement can clearly impact every aspect of their lives, from discipline learned to how they choose to interact with and be in the world.
One student, Anne Bradley Maxwell has been taking ballet with the Perimeter program since she was three years old. Now a high school junior in Peachtree Corners, she’s reflected on her time at the school and in the performance company as well as Perimeter Ballet’s milestone anniversary.
“For fifteen years … I matured within this unique, local community arts program,” she shared. “This year marks the 30th anniversary of its founding … and I’m honored to say I’ve been a student for half of that era. The talented instructors in [the] program not only helped advance me into an accomplished ballerina but also into a more faithful servant of Jesus Christ using dance as a form of worship.”
A lifelong journey
“This lifelong journey included annual seasonal training, auditions, numerous external summer intensives and wonderful performances on stages across the nation and abroad, for audiences ranging from a few dozen to several thousand,” Maxwell continued.
“… Taking ballet has instilled in me a deep understanding of perseverance and resilience. Pursuing excellence in ballet required me to overcome physical and emotional challenges … I learned to seek out solutions — whether physical therapy for healing my body or prayer and reflection to rejuvenate my spirit. These experiences have strengthened my ability to face setbacks, adapt and emerge stronger.
Ballet has cultivated in me a unique combination of athleticism, discipline and creative imagination. The most elegant performances emerge from the interplay of technical mastery and creative expression. The collaborative nature of ballet, where individuals work in harmony to create something greater than themselves, informs my approach to teamwork and innovation, both in the classroom and community.”
“… Ballet has [also] given me the gift of joy — both in experiencing it personally as a testament to Christ’s goodness and in sharing it with audiences. This joy, while intangible, is a powerful force that I hope to bring into my next chapters following high school. Whether through teaching movement, choreographing performances or exploring ways to expand ballet offerings, I aspire to enrich the community with the beauty and joy of dance.
… My time at Perimeter Ballet has equipped me with perseverance, discipline, creativity and a passion for sharing joy — qualities that I am excited to further cultivate as a young adult. These will not only enhance my personal journey but also contribute meaningfully to the rich tapestry of life. As I enter my senior year later this fall, I am full of gratitude for the solid foundation of technique and creative expression honoring God as the giver of my talent.”
Upcoming events
Perimeter Ballet’s Annual Spring Recital will be held in the Perimeter Church Sanctuary on Thursday, May 1 and Friday, May 2 from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Summer camp sessions are scheduled for June and July. Registration will open on April 15.
2025-2026 classes will start in August with registration opening on April 15.
With help from Anne Bradley, the school is also planning a fundraiser event later in the year to mark the 30th anniversary.
For more information, visit perimeterballet.com.
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Arts & Literature
Q&A with Terry Gabbard, Norcross High’s New Theatre Director
Published
4 weeks agoon
March 4, 2025The Norcross High School drama department has a reputation for presenting quality productions each year, and 2024-2025 is no exception. They staged a one-act show of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in October followed by “Miss Nelson is Missing” in January. Next up for NHS Theatre is Matilda the Musical, set to open in April.
Leading the department this year is NHS’ new theatre director, Terry Gabbard, who came to Norcross with degrees in educational theatre and educational leadership, as well as over 20 years of public school theatre teaching and directing experience.
An award-winning director and playwright, he received the prestigious John W. Parker Award for excellence in directing in 2015, has had numerous productions named “distinguished play” from the North Carolina Theatre Conference and has three Best Musical wins from the Blumey Awards (Charlotte, NC’s version of the Tony awards).
Gabbard has also published two plays, one of which, “Our Place,” was named one of the top ten most produced short plays in American high schools.
Additionally, in 2020, his production of “Puffs” (a clever and comedic play set in the world of Harry Potter) was selected as one of only a handful of productions in America to perform at the International Thespian Society festival.
Though busy with preparations for Matilda, Gabbard recently took the time to answer a few questions about his career, his love of theatre and what’s next for the NHS drama department.
Which productions have you worked on since joining NHS?
We started off performing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in October, and we did a performance of Miss Nelson is Missing in January.
Where did you teach and direct before coming to Norcross?
I always explain that my wife supports my teaching habit, so we tend to move as her opportunities change.
I’ve taught mostly in high schools in Florida, North Carolina and now Georgia. I have taught in Gwinnett Public Schools before at Paul Duke STEM and in Cobb County at Campbell High School.
How did the move to NHS come about?
After leaving GCPS for a short few years, I was anxious to get back to this system and this community, and when this opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance.
Have you always had a love for theatre?
I started participating in theatre when I was in 9th grade and have never stopped. For me, the thing that drew me to the art form was the sense of community that theatre creates.
What led you to pursue a career teaching and directing? Was there a specific moment that you realized it was what you wanted to do?
When I was a senior in high school, my theatre director let me direct a play in his theatre [for] one class. This is when I realized how much I loved directing and coaching other actors.
What was it like to win the John W. Parker award in 2015? And to be recognized with so many other honors?
I have been blessed to have been recognized several times by my peers and the organizations I’ve partnered with. It’s always nice to have these recognitions, but I have come to believe that any high school theatre production is a miracle in and of itself.
Producing theatre in high schools is always a challenge and getting to opening night is always a huge accomplishment.
Will you continue playwriting in addition to your work as NHS theatre director?
I haven’t written any plays in some time, but I’m definitely starting to get the itch. All of my plays have premiered at the schools where I was teaching. I imagine a world premier will happen at Norcross pretty soon.
What can you share about the school’s upcoming Matilda the Musical production? Is it one that you’ve directed in the past?
I have never directed Matilda, and I am extremely excited for the challenge. The music is incredible, and the characters are big and over the top.
What plans do you have for the NHS theatre program for the remainder of this year and next year?
After Matilda, things wrap up for us. I haven’t yet decided what shows to tackle next year. I know that I want to find plays that have a different tone than the pieces we did this year. The shows have been comedic this year. Something more dramatic is definitely in our future.
The NHS production of Matilda the Musical opens in April.
Dates and show times are:
- Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
- Friday, April 25 at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, April 26 at 7 p.m.
- Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m.
For more information, visit nhs-drama.com.
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Arts & Literature
The Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary People: Q&A with Author Dan Leonard
Published
1 month agoon
February 22, 2025Dan Leonard has called Peachtree Corners home for the past 42 years, working in the IT field, building a strong community of personal and professional connections and leading the local Bikes and Friends Cycling Club.
Most recently, he wrote and released his first book — a memoir titled “The Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary People” — adding ‘published author’ to his list of accomplishments.
Drawing on the physical challenges Dan faced (and overcame) while growing up, as well as inspiration from others, the book dives into themes of resilience and personal growth while painting a vivid picture of his family life in New England during the 60s and 70s.
Through personal narrative, he takes readers on a thought-provoking journey through his childhood and adolescence, sharing “formative experiences that were shaped by his Italian-American and Irish-German heritage.”
Dan spoke with us recently about his memoir, sharing his thoughts on the writing process, lessons learned and his future plans.
What inspired you to write a memoir? What challenges, if any, did you face?
On the surface, like many people my age closing in on 70, I wanted to leave a legacy, telling my story of resilience and transformation to hopefully inspire others.
I once read that people should consider their mental health before writing a memoir. At the time I didn’t quite appreciate that statement. Like many outgoing people, I usually enjoyed talking about myself, especially while trying to relate to others.
Writing my memoir turned out to be a very positive experience since I tried to explore my story with honesty and compassion while highlighting the people and experiences that had the most influence on me. However, in the final throes of completing a rough draft, I spent nearly two weeks without sleep and experienced daytime dream-like episodes.
For example, I have a former classmate who is a successful screenwriter, and I was intent on getting him my manuscript because I thought it might make a compelling movie!
The book took me over a year [to write] and was a worthwhile and enjoyable experience and, I would say, cathartic as well.
Can you share a little about your background? Had you written or published anything prior to this?
I spent 42 years in the Information Technology field mostly working closely with major corporations helping them streamline and digitize their operations. I began in sales and marketing and moved to management later in my career.
I have always enjoyed writing for pleasure, but much of my writing was business oriented and expected to be short and concise. I have been interviewed many times in my career leading to industry centric publications but nothing with sole direct personal benefit such as my recent memoir or upcoming novel.
The book is about resilience and recognizing that ordinary moments can have an extraordinary impact on one’s life. Have you always seen the world this way? Or was it something that came to you over time?
I have always been deeply introspective but with a strong desire to relate well with others and make friends.
Given my humble beginnings experiencing many physical challenges from night time seizures, pronated ankles, severe allergies, a slight lisp and ADD among other things, I never felt like I was working from a position of strength. I typically felt like the underdog, especially anxious to prove to both myself and others that I could be just as good.
Each triumph seemed to require an extraordinary effort sometimes just to meet the norm.
What was the most difficult or unexpected thing you encountered writing and publishing the book?
To be completely honest, the most difficult thing was to convince myself that my story was worth telling and that other people besides my family and closest friends would be truly interested.
Who was I, really? I was never a CEO, famous athlete, politician or war hero. I was just a regular guy who lived a mostly ordinary life but, in many cases, encountered extraordinary challenges.
Maybe partly because I have a tendency to be bold and take on challenges that I am not always prepared for, I would sometimes get in my head and say, “well everybody has a story, some lots more interesting than yours, so why would anyone be interested in yours?”
Early and mid-stream through my writing, there were days and even weeks when I let these thoughts stall my writing, but fortunately they were only temporary.
What lessons did you learn from the process?
You’ll have to read my book!
When I began writing the book, I was at a point where I had retired from my 42-year career and was no longer actively consulting. My life involved spending as much time as possible cycling with my club, Bikes and Friends, completing home projects and spending time with family.
I would typically rise at 7 or 8 a.m., unless I had an early bike ride, and move through the day at a very comfortable pace. Finally completing the book and committing to a marketing campaign and future publications over the next several months has given me a renewed purpose. I now start my day at 6 a.m., go to the gym and work harder, write as much as possible and seek out more purposeful endeavors.
I met [recently] with the City of Peachtree Corners to begin planning a charity ride later this year. And I am evaluating a board position at a local non-profit.
What’s the main thing you’d like readers to take away from Extraordinary Lives?
That their life is every bit as valuable as others, and if they have any interest in sharing their story or anything that they desire then to do it to their fullest!
You’re traveling for events to promote the book. Will you be doing any promotional events closer to home?
Yes, I will be speaking at the local Fowler YMCA on March 14, and as my book marketing reaches a proposed 300 platforms over the next few weeks, I expect to have at least a few nearby book signings and presence in local bookstores.
Do you have plans to write another book?
Absolutely! I am currently working on a futuristic sci-fi novel based on a group of cyclists called “Defending His Life,” which will hopefully be available by June.
The Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary People is available on Amazon. Are there other places readers can purchase the book?
It will also be available on BN.com and in select Barnes and Noble stores. My publisher hub partner plans to push 200+ copies out to select bookstores, so hopefully many other places [as well].
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Many people my age relate to the way things used to be, where only famous people wrote books and they were limited to highly selective publishing houses that controlled their intellectual property.
It’s a new world, anyone that has something to say can say it, and there are so many different mediums available today. Be bold and get out there and say it. Your reward will go way beyond practical measures and may certainly open up new opportunities.
If nothing else, writing my memoir has given me an opportunity to reengage with people that I haven’t talked with or thought about in years and even decades.
About The Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary People
From enduring challenges and overcoming adversity to honoring the strength of family bonds, Dan’s debut book offers a look at how ordinary moments can have an extraordinary impact.
The memoir is currently available on Amazon as an e-book, hardback and paperback. It should soon be available on bn.com, at our local Barnes and Noble and in other bookstores as well.
For more information about Dan Leonard, visit booksbydanleonard.com.
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Upcoming Spring Events You Won’t Want to Miss in April
Why Patient Experience Matters: A Conversation with Dr. Aristo Shyn
Burn The Ships: Alex Wright on Committing to Success & Helping Businesses Thrive
Fun for a Good Cause at Curiosity Lab’s Inaugural 5K Run/Walk
Expanding Horizons: How KGM Technologies Balances Defense, Medical, and Precision Manufacturing
Inside the Solicitor General’s Office: Lisamarie Bristol on Justice in Gwinnett County
Mike Schleifer to Leave Alliance for Lincoln Center Theater
Public Notice: Scheduled Maintenance on Town Center Parking Deck
Expanding Horizons: How KGM Technologies Balances Defense, Medical, and Precision Manufacturing
Mike Schleifer to Leave Alliance for Lincoln Center Theater
Public Notice: Scheduled Maintenance on Town Center Parking Deck
Inside the Solicitor General’s Office: Lisamarie Bristol on Justice in Gwinnett County
Why Patient Experience Matters: A Conversation with Dr. Aristo Shyn
Burn The Ships: Alex Wright on Committing to Success & Helping Businesses Thrive
Fun for a Good Cause at Curiosity Lab’s Inaugural 5K Run/Walk
Upcoming Spring Events You Won’t Want to Miss in April
Light up the Corners [Video]
Capitalist Sage: Business Leadership in Your Community [Podcast]
Cliff Bramble: A Culinary Adventure through Italy
Top 10 Brunch Places in Gwinnett County
A Hunger for Hospitality
THE CORNERS EPISODE 3 – BLAXICAN PART 1
Top 10 Indoor Things To Do This Winter
The ED Hour: What it takes to Remove Barriers from Education
Peachtree Corners Life
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Business2 days ago
Expanding Horizons: How KGM Technologies Balances Defense, Medical, and Precision Manufacturing
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Peachtree Corners Life4 days ago
Inside the Solicitor General’s Office: Lisamarie Bristol on Justice in Gwinnett County
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Around Atlanta3 days ago
Mike Schleifer to Leave Alliance for Lincoln Center Theater
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City of Peachtree Corners4 days ago
Public Notice: Scheduled Maintenance on Town Center Parking Deck