Dumbo Vol. 1

One part insanely awkward, one part ridiculously funny, Dumbo Vol. 1 is the debut collection of short stories by filmmaker, writer and two-time Emmy-nominated cinematographer, Marcus Bleecker.  Dumbo: Collected Stories are the hilarious autobiographical accounts of one man’s life as a broke musician, living in 1990s-era Brooklyn, Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.  At the heart of Dumbo, is an innocent enough guy who manages to entangle himself in Seinfeld-esque antics, yet never loses the contemplative moment amid the craziness.  Each of these stories explores the most common affairs of everyday life, but with humor, and often poignant outcomes.

What's Inside?
 
In Missy, the task was simple: Take the cat to the vet. One cat bite and two oven mitts later, she’s on her way.

The Gnome tells the story of a temp job requiring intricate computer skills that the author does not have, yet attempts to fake his way through it, rather than face awkward shame.

In Fifteen or Twenty Minutes, it's about getting an AIDS test, and the naïveté at the machinations involved.

Sneak Peek - READ BY THE POUND NOW!

Marcus Bleecker is an accomplished filmmaker, writer, musician and dad. As a writer, Marcus was honored to have an essay he wrote in celebration of his father, published in the York Times Magazine’s Father’s Day edition. Marcus received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Cinematography.
As a freelance director and cinematographer, his body of work includes clients such as HBO, Bravo, and Comedy Central. His most recent short film,The Hit, which Marcus wrote and directed, stars Federico Castelluccio from HBO’s Emmy Award winning series The Sopranos. The Hit screened at both the Cannes Film Festival and The Beverly Hills Film Festival. A seasoned musician, Marcus is the drummer for the John Popper Project featuring Grammy Award-winning harmonica/vocalist, John Popper and D.J. Logic. He has also directed music videos for the John Popper Project (Lap Dance) and the band Attic Ends (Home), respectively. Marcus lives in New Jersey with his wife and two children.  For more on Marcus Bleecker, visit www.marcusbleecker.com or email him This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Marcus Bleecker is very proud to announce the launch of DUMBO Stories: Vol 1 -- a collection of short stories chronicling one man's life as a broke musician living in 1990s-era Brooklyn.

Almost all my life, I have lived in Santa Clara Valley, long before it was 'Silicon Valley' and an Industrial heartland of California. My father had attended school here, graduating from University of Santa Clara in Engineering in 1929. He met my mother while attending college, she attending San Jose State Teachers College at the same time, and working her way through school as a waitress in the Ice Cream Parlor on South First Street in downtown San Jose.

Their parents came to San Jose before World War I, my grandfathers both businessmen in the San Jose Area upon settling down here. My paternal grandparents had met and married during the Klondike Gold rush in Nome, Alaska, and my maternal grandparents migrated here from Kansas City. Neither of my parents however, began their careers here in San Jose. My father traveled back East to work for Westinghouse, and my mother sought a teaching position in the high plains desert of Bishop, California - near the Nevada Boarder and Death Valley. They soon returned to San Jose, unaffected by the Great Depression, where they worked until the coming of World War II brought them to decide to get married.

The first born, I was the oldest of three boys raised in a house my father built with his own hands right after the War. I was an independent youth, attending Los Gatos Union High during the Kennedy Administration, and competing in Cross Country and Track events for four years. I graduated with a PTA Scholarship awarded more because of my mother's prominence in the Local PTA than any particular scholastic achievements, and was named an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scout program at 17.

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This is me. Raw, uncut and vulnerable. Letting it all hang out for the world – and you – to see. My name is Kimberly Riggins and I am the creator of The Art of Eating Chocolate Naked.

Sounds enticing and fun, doesn’t it? Yes, it can be. But it is also something far more serious.

You see I created this for all women including you who have ever been uncomfortable in their own skin. For those of you who have looked into the mirror and hated what you saw.

Welcome to The Movement

The Art of Eating Chocolate Naked isn’t just a program. It is a movement. It is a beginning for all women ready to embrace themselves just as they are. I am 100% committed to you and women of all ages who are tired of determining their happiness with the way they look or don’t look. I am here to tell you that you don’t have to lose those last 5-10 pounds before you can feel attractive, go after the love you crave, pursue your dream career or find the life you know is out there waiting for you. I am going to help you stand in your beauty as is it today and give you permission to be whoever you want to be.

I am going to encourage indulging in the decadent things in life, like chocolate, wine, and passion. I am going to show you that you can have it all without feeling guilty, depressed, or deprived. You can have the life of your dreams, a body you are proud of and all the other kick ass things the world has to offer. It is not about sacrifice…it is about acceptance.

I am a crazy over the top solo entrepreneur with a big mouth but an even bigger heart. I will make you laugh, probably make you cry but one thing is for sure: I will always tell you the truth.

Kim’s Website http://kimberlyriggins.com/

Sandra McLeod Humphrey is a retired clinical psychologist, a character education consultant, and an award-winning author of eight middle-grade and young adult books.  She's also the recipient of the National Character Education Center's Award for Exemplary Leadership in Ethics Education (2000) and the 2005 Helen Keating Ott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children's Literature. You can learn more about her books by visiting her Web site  at www.kidscandoit.com and her blog at www.kidscandoit.com/blog/

"It is never too early to begin talking with our young people about personal values and helping them define their own code of moral conduct. The twenty-five problem situations presented in each of these books have been

developed to help you talk to your children about values in as enjoyable and natural a way as possible. I hope these discussions will help them develop a sense of direction and purpose to their lives resulting in more rewarding and more fulfilling experiences not only for them but also for those whose lives may be touched by their actions and choices."