Spark
78 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingThe question I most get having now written 5 books together with my kids is not about the characters or the dog or the castle or if Lu will ever stop eating fries.*
No. The question I get from parents is, "How in the world did you manage to do a creative project with your kids, how did it go, and how can I do it, too?"
The answer was:
1.) I just decided to do it,
2.) it went both terribly wrong and wonderfully right, and
3.) this book is how you can do it, too.
One parent pulled me aside, a bit frazzled, and almost threatened me with, "If you ever hold a weekend workshop on how to do a creative project together with your kids, I'll pay whatever you want to charge."
When I sat down with my then-8-year old on the red chair in early March of 2014, having just read a really bad children's book and said, "Wow, that book was pretty bad." I then immediately followed up with, "We can do better than that." My son looked at me like I was crazy (I was) and challenged me to follow through on my dare.
I did.
Within a month, we had a book on Amazon.
Now we can boast almost all of the list below:
1.) We have sold 1,000,000+ books in 89 countries and 7 languages.
2.) We sometimes had to resort to bribery, coercion, and ice cream to get a chapter done.
3.) Just on royalties alone, Li is eyeing a Maserati for his 16th birthday.
4.) We created something from nothing and no one can ever take that away.
5.) We get regular calls from Hollywood producers about making the movie versions.
6.) We broke all of Audible's rules when we recorded the audiobook version--and got rejected.
7.) Both boys have transformed into perfect angels who study Mandarin in their free time after violin lessons and before their volunteer work for global literacy.
8.) I have a audio proof of my 10-year old narrating Chapter 8 that I can use at his wedding to embarrass him beyond his wildest nightmares and I can bring that up whenever I like to remind my boys that we are a family who shares experiences (and it's good for blackmail).
9.) We did it all right.
10.) We did it all wrong.
11.) We did it. Period.
HINT: Take the list above and choose which one you like.
This podcast is proof that we can create something from nothing together with our kids. What you're about to embark on is a journey that no one can take away from you. We're going to create a time capsule you'll be able to cherish until your 89-year-old neighbor finally tells you she's deaf and hasn't heard a word about it.
This is going to help you create a bond with your kids.
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Episodes
Nicole Akers, no, wait, Cassie Akers, and “Flowers Make Me Happy”
December 19, 2019 17:00 - 16 minutes - 12.2 MBWhen an 8-year-old girl becomes an author.
Decide + Create = Spark
December 12, 2019 16:00 - 6 minutes - 6.21 MBIt's no longer a question of "Will I do this thing?" but how or when?
Spark graduates Meg & Matthew Leal have their book on Amazon!
December 05, 2019 15:00 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBMeg joins me on the show and digs deep into the process of writing a book with her 10-year-old son who … didn’t really want to write this book. Yeah, how does THAT work? Tune in to find out. Their book, “It’s The Way God Made Me.: A memoir of a little boy and his […]
Part III: What | Fire
November 28, 2019 16:00 - 3 minutes - 7.2 MBWe should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
Accountability is often a necessary evil. Oh wait, but it’s not evil.
November 21, 2019 16:00 - 7 minutes - 6.09 MBSo, how are things going?
Cinderskella, Amie Borst, and her 9-year-old daughter who said, “I wrote a book I want to read”
November 14, 2019 15:03 - 6 minutes - 5.83 MBThen came "Little Dead Riding Hood." This is just too good.
This might be the worst book you ever write.
November 07, 2019 18:00 - 7 minutes - 6.09 MBBut it’s better than the book you didn’t write. Live from “the office.” Ooh, I said I’d post a photo. Here’s one below. The Office
Ch. 10: Maggie
October 31, 2019 17:00 - 5 minutes - 13.3 MB“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”?-- Yoko Ono
“They’re her words, not mine.”
October 24, 2019 16:00 - 2 minutes - 2.03 MBWho is writing this book, anyway?
“This book might be terrible.” and why that’s a WIN
October 10, 2019 15:00 - 6 minutes - 5.79 MBA celebration of Chapter One or, that is, Chapter Won.
Productivity Success, “enough content for 3 books,” and systems for action with Jack Heimbigner
October 03, 2019 17:00 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MB“Hey, I’m kinda stuck here.” Identify the problem, where they want to go and make dreams come true. Sounds simple, right? Jack seems to be able to make it happen.
SPARK: Ch. 7: The Widow and the Orphan
September 19, 2019 16:00 - 3 minutes - 8.24 MB“The way to connect to people is to relate to who they are and do something that stretches you outside of your comfort zone.” — Stacy Brown-Philpot I have a specific person in mind with this concept. She’s 94 years old and is sharp as a tack. She has stories to tell until the cows […]
“I get to be the fun mom.”
September 12, 2019 14:00 - 2 minutes - 2.21 MB"How can I be more engaged with my daughter?"
Epic Dad with Jason McCleery
September 05, 2019 15:00 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MBHow can you have a better relationship with your kids?
SPARK: Part 2: Who: Ch. 6: Introduction: Campers
August 29, 2019 14:00 - 1 minute - 4.49 MBThis section is called “Who” and I just wanted to make sure we’re checked in at the same campground.
SPARK: Ch. 5: Rina
August 22, 2019 14:00 - 3 minutes - 8.75 MBRina is something of a perfectionist.
SPARK: Ch. 4: Let’s create a family tradition
August 15, 2019 14:00 - 3 minutes - 7.02 MBJust trying to make every night a little special.
SPARK: Ch. 3: Message in a Bottle
August 08, 2019 14:00 - 1 minute - 4.26 MB“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” -- Paulo Coelho
Ch. 2: The quarter-inch drill bit, sparks, and expectations
August 01, 2019 14:00 - 3 minutes - 7.66 MB“Who’s going to buy a book about our stupid story on Kite Hill anyway?” asked Lu. He had a point.
Spark Campfire Sep. 2019 FREE Pass
July 25, 2019 14:00 - 7 minutes - 6.97 MBWanna get that book done?
Taylor Dines reads from her new audiobook production: Escaping the Light
July 18, 2019 14:00 - 2 minutes - 2.62 MBHow's your audiobook production going?
Spark: Ch. 1: Introduction: Embers
July 11, 2019 14:00 - 2 minutes - 6.04 MBWe, dear parents, dear adults, are the ones who probably need the spark.
You just wrote and published your first book. Yay! Here’s a list of what just got easier.
July 04, 2019 17:12 - 3 minutes - 3.65 MBNow what? Now the fun starts!
Spark: Foreword by Gavin Reese: “This is an important book, maybe the most important you’ll read this year.”
June 27, 2019 17:00 - 5 minutes - 5.21 MBHow do I get them to put down the tablet?
“It’s been on my wall for years and I regularly read it.”
June 19, 2019 15:00 - 4 minutes - 4.12 MBWe never know when we’re going to make a connection. For this reason, I keep creating.
It was both “just a fun little thing we did” and a “monumental shift in who I was” at the time.
June 18, 2019 15:00 - 2 minutes - 2.42 MBAs cheesy as the cliché is, that little book changed my life.
Because your imagination can change the world.
June 17, 2019 15:00 - 2 minutes - 2.56 MBWhy create anything? Why not just sit back, relax, pass the chips, and binge Netflix? “Because your imagination can change the world.” — Neil Gaiman Yeah. So that’s why. Welcome to Spark.