“The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories” Recently Nominated Semi-Finalist for The Kindle Book Review’s 2013 Best Indie Book Awards – Non-Fiction!

(Finalists announced on October 1st, 2013)

About “The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories: Observations on Life From the Cheap Seats”

The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories is a collection of humor essays that address every day life including parenting (The School Project: An American Tragedy), relationships (How Bananas Almost Destroyed My Marriage), religion (If We’re Late Again for Church, I Will Kill You), the media (There But for the Grace of God Goes the Weather Reporter), animals, specifically geese who tie up traffic by refusing to fly (Behold the Goose), the afterlife (An Unwanted Glimpse of the Afterlife), and other topics readily identifiable and relatable to anyone who doesn’t employ and house a staff of servants that outnumber their immediate family by a ratio of 16:1.

About John Hartnett

John Hartnett was born in Jersey City, NJ, grew up in Cranford,NJ, and moved to Los Angeles in 1984 after graduating from Emerson College. He has worked in the restaurant, construction, entertainment and publishing industries as well as several others which thankfully have been suppressed from memory. He moved back to his hometown of Cranford in 1997, where his parents still reside, and is married with three children. His first love has always been comedy and his second love is his wife, but sometimes the order is reversed depending on who’s in the room with him. He also writes the humor blog: The Monkey Bellhop

Read an Excerpt from “The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories: Observations on Life From the Cheap Seats”

How to Order

Personally Inscribed Hard Copies can be ordered direct from the author for $8.99 plus $2.50 S&H.

Hard copy (paperback editions) and Kindle versions can be ordered from Amazon.com

Read the Latest Amazon Reviews for The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories

Couple of sample reviews:

“One hilarious, insightful, heartfelt essay leads to the next… can’t remember the last time I read a book cover-to-cover in one day! Hartnett is the middle class family’s David Sedaris – just as funny, minus the angst and OCD! So glad I finally understand the demise of our customer service industry (space aliens, who knew!), and what parent hasn’t worked painfully through the 7 Stages of Every School Project? The final essay, a sweet and moving tribute to Dad, ices the cake. Hartnett’s observations might be from the cheap seats, but we are fortunate he’s let us sit within earshot.”

“Poignant! Hartnett combines family dynamics into a Norman Rockwell painting to illustrate the hilarity of parenthood, livelihood, and life in the hood. These stories are heartwarming, uplifting and hilarious! I found myself turning to the person next to me and saying, “listen to this”. I was in love with the Barber’s Conundrum for its humor and tenderness. The last story is a tribute to the author’s father and honestly did bring tears to my eyes. Compelling prose and quick witted dialogue made an easy read and the book is a a great gift for parents and children alike. Hartnett’s words ring true and you will connect easily to the human spirit.”

“What a great read! Not only does Mr. Hartnett make you laugh out loud from his introduction forward, but he offers some great tongue and cheek advice nuggets as well. Kind of a male, modern day Erma Bombeck with his clever wit on everyday parenting and relationships. The best part of the book however is not only the laughs,but the heartfelt love that is intertwined with the tales of TV negotiating as well as others. Highly recommend this to all!”

“I was delighted to come across this wonderful collection of essays about everyday life! John Hartnett’s unique perspective and wonderful turn of phrase made me chuckle, smile and laugh out loud with each turn of the page. His insights into situations we have all experienced at one time or another may in turn be witty, sardonic, sentimental or curious; know they are always entertaining. Anyone with children, a spouse, a house, a job, parents, a car will definitely be able to relate to the topics about which Mr. Hartnett has directed his humor. Enjoy it!”

“I couldn’t put this book down. Quick reading funny stories about everyday life. I really liked the story about typical soccer parents…………..so funny and brought back many memories of my kids soccer days. One of my favorite purchases this year so far!”

“In The Barber’s Conundrum, Hartnett exposes the quirkiness of life as he shares personal stories, experiences and observations. The collection of 37 short stories will have you laughing, nodding your head in total agreement, or shaking your head in disbelief at the things people do in today’s modern culture. It’s a quick read cover to cover, or one that can be savored when you have few minutes to be entertained (can you say “powder room”?) Hartnett’s view of everyday life is one that should be experienced and readers will definitely enjoy The Barber’s Conundrum!”

Other Reviews:

Misanthropic Musings

Philip Turner, The Great Gray Bridge

The Rabid Reader

Roger Eschbacher Books

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Reviews of Louise Wise

Friday Reads by Philip Turner

WiLoveBooks

Dew on the Kudzu

Journey of a Book Seller

Mary’s Cup of Tea

Author Interviews:

Triangle Radio Interview with Patrick Walters, the Joe Franklin of North Carolina

Radio Interview with Don McGree on WFUV’s Mixed Bag Show

The Indie Spotlight

Mrs. Mommy Booknerd

What Do I Know: A Twisted Book Blog by Jeri Walker-Bickett

WiLoveBooks

The Reading Cat

KY Bunnies

UnBiased Book Reviews

Denise Greenwood’s Blog

Top Shelf Books

Selena Robins Musings

Humor Times

Guest Posts Related to Writing and The Book

Humor Times: Why I Wrote The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories

Author’s Friend: Ten Things I Wish I Knew About Being an Author I Didn’t Know Before

Blog Catalog: What Exactly is Humor?

Mommy Adventures with Ravina: Booksigning Horror Story

Press Release for The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Hartnett, 908-573-5491, JohnHartnett@earlybirdpublishing.com

Early Bird Publishing releases first title, The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories: Observations on Life From the Cheap Seats by John Hartnett

Cranford, NJ, Tuesday, January 8, 2013 – Early Bird Publishing has released its first book, a collection of humor essays by John Hartnett, The Barber’s Conundrum and Other Stories: Observations on Life From the Cheap Seats.

Mr. Hartnett, a former joke writer and long time publishing executive, is the owner of Early Bird Publishing. He’s also head of sales and marketing, new product development, editorial and public relations and when his kids are at school or hiding, shipping and receiving. Hartnett also writes the humor blog: The Monkey Bellhop (http://monkeybellhop.com).

“There’s a lot of stress and sadness these days, and at the risk of sounding grandiose, I wrote this book with the sole intention of giving readers a little bit of a break –hopefully stories and situations to identify with, feel good about and most importantly, laugh at,” said Mr. Hartnett, the guy from the second paragraph (see above). “Much of the humor is derived from real life situations, actual personal or quirky news events and is, for the most part, self deprecating, gentle in nature and not mean spirited, with the possible exception of my unwavering belief that the customer service industry has been taken over by people who formerly lived on other planets, or alternatively, weight bearing meteors or rocks.”

Mr. Hartnett was born in Jersey City, NJ, grew up in Cranford,NJ, and moved to Los Angeles in 1984 after graduating from Emerson College. He has worked in the restaurant, construction, entertainment and publishing industries as well as several others, which thankfully, have been suppressed from memory. He moved back to Cranford in 1997, where his parents still reside, and is married with three children. His first love has always been comedy and his second love is his wife, but sometimes the order is reversed depending on who’s in the room with him.

The paperback edition is available on Amazon and the e-book versions (available in all formats) can be purchased from Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Diesel Books, Kobo, and Apple. For signed copies, purchases can be made directly at http://earlybirdpublishing.com.

Early Bird Publishing began as a greeting card company in 2003 and has shifted its focus to books because the greeting card business is really hard.

For more information, visit our website at http://earlybirdpublishing.com