Interview with Special Stories author Mike Kelly
Interview with Special Stories author Mike Kelly
This interview was conducted by Courtney Williams from Disability Life.
CW— FIRST OFF, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BOOK. I READ IT AND ENJOYED IT. YOU HAD ME LAUGHING, CRYING, THINKING—A BUNCH OF EMOTIONS. WELL DONE.
MK— Thank you. I appreciate the kind words. Glad you enjoyed it.
CW— FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ YOUR BOOK, HOW DID YOU GET INTO WORKING WITH KIDS WITH DISABILITIES AND WHAT WORK DID YOU DO BEFORE THAT?
MK— Well, I worked in public relations in the corporate world for about ten years. The first few years I really enjoyed my work. I was learning new things, got to travel, work with a lot of great people, plus, I was paid well. After about five years I just felt this calling to do something more personally meaningful with my life. No disrespect to the PR profession, of course. I began rolling around the idea of working with kids, in some capacity, and being a role model-slash-mentor. But when you’re making good money and you need X amount of dollars coming in each month to help pay the bills, it’s hard to walk away from that and do something for a lot less money. So, I hung on for a few more years. Though my wallet was full, my heart had become empty. I knew I eventually had to make a career change.
CW— WHAT DID YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS THINK ABOUT YOUR DECISION TO JUMP SHIP?
MK— Those closest people to me understood why I needed to, but others were bewildered and doubted my sanity at the time. Why would anyone in his right mind and in mid-career make a complete career change, while taking a reduction in pay to do so? I can’t blame them for thinking that. It’s a natural reaction, you know? At times, I wondered myself if I was making the right decision.
CW— SO, YOUR WIFE WAS ON BOARD?
MK— Absolutely. My wife was completely supportive of my decision to make that change. Because she was very successful working in her own career, she afforded me the opportunity to make that switch. Less pay coming in that we had to deal with, but we adjusted and made it work, thanks to my wife’s career.
CW— WAS THERE SOMETHING SPECIFICALLY THAT GOT YOU WORKING WITH KIDS WITH DISABILITIES?
MK— I grew up with a dad who had some problems and wasn’t interested in spending any time with me. It was a horrible feeling and a big hole in my heart as a kid. I remember longing for someone to help teach me about life, answer the many questions I had, and act as a guidepost to success. I had some challenges as a kid, but back then—in Catholic school—you got a smack on the head and were told to pay better attention. I needed help. I had older siblings, but I wasn’t close to them growing up. They were living their own lives and had little to no interest in me. I rarely saw them. I was close to my mother, but she spent a good deal of her time and energy directed at my father’s problems. I guess the seed was planted back then that when I got older I could fill this hole I felt as a child. To be that positive male role model to a kid. Someone who’s present and engaged.
When I was ready to change careers, I met someone who owned a nonprofit company that served kids with disabilities. I thought, this was my opportunity to help kids. And the added bonus was that I’d have the chance to help kids with all kinds of disabilities. How cool was that? I met the owners of the company and we hit it off. Without any experience working with kids, I was hired on the spot and started in my new career a few weeks later.
CW— WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO WRITE AND PUBLISH A BOOK ON YOUR EXPERIENCES?
MK— It’s interesting. While there are books written on how to raise or teach a child with autism and children’s books featuring a single character with a disability, there were zero books featuring numerous kids or adults with all different types of disabilities all in one book. That’s incredible, isn’t it? Think about that for a second. Not even a single book!
CW— THAT IS INCREDIBLE.
MK— After looking into the matter to find out why, the universal response from multiple publishing industry insiders was: “We don’t publish books like that.” End of story.
So, it’s pretty simple why I wrote Special Stories and brought it to life by publishing it. I felt it was time to share the untold stories of individuals with disabilities to help inspire others think outside the box and reach for the stars. To think that the publishing industry finds the millions of individuals with disabilities a disinteresting demographic is sad and, quite frankly, disturbing.
CW— BEFORE THE INTERVIEW I TRIED TO FIND OTHER BOOKS LIKE YOURS THAT TELL THE STORIES OF EITHER KIDS OR ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES, AND I COULD NOT FIND ANY. YOU’RE RIGHT. THAT IS SAD.
MK— I agree. I feel like just by me writing the book, it provides validation to kids with disabilities everywhere that they do live interesting lives and they do have compelling stories to tell and that their stories are worthy of being told. Unlike the traditional publishing, I do publish books like that! (Laughs)
CW— HOW LONG DID THE BOOK TAKE YOU TO WRITE—ALL IN?
MK— Oh, wow! (Laughs) I actually kept track . . . A few months back I totaled up the hours. Believe it or not, more than eleven thousand hours over the course of thirteen years. Add to that a few hundred extra hours over the last few months—with me writing releases, making last minute edits, coordinating the printings and e-book material with the book printer, reaching out to people and organizations to generate interest, doing interviews such as this, handling and managing orders, working on the website and blog and marketing materials, and a dozen other things. So, yeah, I’m closing in on twelve thousand hours.
CW— THAT’S A LOT OF TIME!
MK— It is. But for me to be able to breathe life into the book, it has been worth every second. Over the years many people have told me they have ideas for books and want to write one, yet few have followed through to actually make it happen. Easier said than done. Though it took a lot of time and effort to do, I accomplished the goal of both writing and publishing the book. And now to see the stories I experienced with my students in print, it’s an enormously rewarding feeling. But I joke with my wife that I’d need to sell about a hundred thousand copies just to be able to break even for all the time I spent creating it.
CW— SPEAKING OF SALES, HOW ARE BOOK SALES GOING?
MK— I’m nowhere close to that hundred thousand copies, I’ll tell you that. (Laughs) The thing is, people have to know about the book and care about it. If nobody knows about it, it will never get a chance to sell.
CW— TRUE.
MK— I feel like I’ve climbed a mountain that’s taken me twelve thousand-plus hours to ascend. And now I’m standing at the top of that mountain. I scooped up a handful of snow and made a little snowball and rolled it down the hill, hoping it will gain traction and grow larger as it rolls. Of course, I need some people along the mountain to help keep the snowball rolling and not allow it to get stuck, or melt. If it reaches the bottom, that snowball has the potential to be enormous. If the disabilities community and parents of kids with challenges support it, the book has the potential to sell lots unlimited copies.
CW— THAT’D BE NICE IF YOU CAN GET THAT SUPPORT FROM THE DISABILITIES COMMUNITY.
MK— There’s no doubt about the potential huge audience for the book. Think about it: parents and family members of the millions of kids diagnosed with disabilities just within the United States alone. ADD/ADHD. Autism. Down syndrome. Cerebral Palsy. Dyslexia. Cognitive Disabilities. Hearing impairment. Sight impairment. Tourette syndrome. Williams syndrome. OCD. And more. Plus the millions of individuals with disabilities themselves. Add to that the millions of people who work for disability organizations across the country. Then there’s the hundreds of thousands of federal and state and local government workers who work in the disabilities field. Add to that the hundreds of thousands of special education teachers and administrators and paraprofessionals working in the thousands of schools across the United Sates. Let’s not forget about the thousands of corporate diversity and inclusion professionals working in American corporations. Plus the folks across the country who enjoy a good read that features not just stories on kids with disabilities, but a lot of other topics including the educational establishment, famous professional athletes who donated their time to headline fundraisers—unlike the celebrities who wanted fifty thousand to appear, and so on.
CW— NO DOUBT, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF POTENTIAL SUPPORTERS.
MK— The thing is, the book has no competition! There’s nothing else like it. It’s not like I’ve created a fast-food restaurant that sells hamburgers and fries and expect it to be a hit. People could easily say, hey, Mike, there are already restaurants like that called McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and more. That’s already been done. My book hasn’t been done before. So, it’s not like people within the disabilities community can say that they prefer the other books written about individuals with disabilities, over mine.
All that said, if the targeted demographic doesn’t buy it and or help spread the word about it, the book will be doomed. So, I’m doing everything in my power now to make as many people within that community know about the book. Then it’s up to them to care about it . . .
CW— IS THERE ANY REASON WHY THE DISABILITIES COMMUNITY WOULD NOT STAND BEHIND THE BOOK?
MK— I can’t think of any reason why they wouldn’t. The book is inspirational in nature and showcases the abilities kids with disabilities have. It tells their collective stories—the only book in the world that does. It promotes inclusivity and empowers kids to think outside the box and reach for the stars. The book provides tips for parents and special educators to help them. It’s not like the book’s message is that individuals with disabilities are bad people and do not deserve to be in the workforce. If that were the case, then I can see the book not getting support.
I’ve been told countless times by parents of children with disabilities over the years that they want their sons and daughters to be accepted and included in our society—just like everybody else. This book accepts and includes them, as the book is about them.
CW— OKAY, SO … I GOTTA ASK SINCE YOU REFERENCED IT EARLIER. IN YOUR BOOK YOU HAVE STORIES ABOUT HOW YOU REACHED OUT TO CELEBRITIES WITHIN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, ASKING THEM TO DONATE THEIR TIME TO APPEAR AT CHARITY EVENTS BENEFITING INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. AND THAT THEY ALL DEMANDED FORTY OR FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS TO APPEAR AND NONE WERE INTERESTED IN DONATING THEIR TIME. CARE TO DISH THE DIRT AND GIVE US ANY NAMES?
MK— (Smiles while shaking head) You know, it’s despicable that people with so much money—made wealthy by us everyday folk who buy their movies and watch their TV shows and buy magazines with their faces in them—are so incredibly greedy. Beyond comprehension. They wanted thirty, forty, or fifty thousand dollars just to make a 90-minute appearance to help raise money for a nonprofit that serves individuals with disabilities. Not just one or two of them, but several dozens of them. Basically, everyone I reached out to.
Yeah, yeah, yeah—I’m sure there are a lot of celebrities who would donate their time. But I haven’t found one of them, let alone lots of them. And believe me, I looked. Everywhere! After discovering how that industry works and the process by which celebrities are gotten to appear at charity events, I couldn’t believe it. It was shocking. Like a child finding out that there’s no such thing as Santa Claus.
CW— ANY CLUES YOU CAN GIVE US AS TO WHO THESE CELEBRITIES ARE? INITIALS?
MK— Part of me would love to name names, but the bottom line is that it wouldn’t change a thing. They’d still be greedy. And their team of money-hungry agents and lawyers and publicists and managers would all still demand astronomically high fees for their clients to appear at charity events. After all, those same folks get a twenty percent cut from those high fees.
For the record, let me just say this. I know they’re busy people, these celebrities. I get that. But they never seem too busy to not appear at awards shows or other glamorous events where they are showered with gifts worth more than what most working Americans earn in a year. Or too busy to appear at events where they’re paid $50,000 to do so. And these celebrities are supposed to be the ones who care more than the rest of us!
CW— WELL, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU MANAGED TO GET SOME FAMOUS PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES TO APPEAR FOR FREE AT THESE CHARITY EVENTS WHICH HELPED RAISE A LOT OF MONEY. THAT’S IMPRESSIVE.
MK— Thank you. Yeah, I was fortunate to secure famous world-class athletes who agreed to donate their time so I could build events around them. These athletes were just as famous and just as busy as the celebrities I reached out to. They were just down to earth. And cared. That’s why they answered my call to help. As you know having read the book, there are plenty of stories about the athletes I secured and the ups and downs of the process in getting them. Great stories for any sports fan or for event organizers and fundraisers of nonprofits. Lots of tips in the book.
CW— LOOK AT THAT! WHO WOULD THINK THAT A BOOK ABOUT KIDS WITH DISABILITIES WOULD FEATURE STORIES ON FAMOUS PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES?
MK—Hence the subtitle of my book . . . and my adventures working in the disabilities field. These sports stories are part of those adventures. As I’ve said, the book not only tells the untold stories of so many kids with all different types of challenges, but it also hits on other topics as well; the educational establishment, both the generosity and greed of people, society’s perception on kids with disabilities, and so on. It’s a smorgasbord of short stories; something for everyone.
CW— MOVING ON, DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE STUDENT OR TWO THAT YOU’VE WORKED WITH OVER THE YEARS?
MK— (Laughs) Hmm. I used to ask my mother if she had a favorite child of the four she had. She would always say the same thing: I love all my children the same . . . but there’s nothing like a daughter. I feel similarly with my students. I love them all the same but . . .
I’ve been blessed to work with some absolutely adorable and wonderful kids over the years, and I have to admit, I have my favorites—for different reasons. My wife knows who they are. And though I’ve never outright told those students that they were my favorites, some of them know. Of course, we all have our favorites.
CW— LAST QUESTION: IF YOU WERE NOT WORKING WITH YOUTH, WHAT OTHER WORK WOULD YOU WANT TO BE DOING?
MK— Good question. Either writing books full time or working for some type of historical museum or national park.
CW— THANK YOU FOR YOU TIME AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BOOK.
MK— My pleasure and thank you.
To learn about the book “Special Stories: Short Stories On Youth With Disabilities And My Adventures Working In The Disabilities Field” by Mike Kelly (Vendue Books) visit www.specialstoriesbook.com.
