The Key Ingredient to Life
August 4, 2016 – On this date, thirty-two years, my son Jed was born. He taught me many lessons about life, and one of the best-ever revelations was what I've called "the secret ingredient to life." I wrote about this in a newspaper column that was published some 10 years after Jed died following a severe seizure. It's among the many stories in "Counting Crows." Please click on the "Featured story" tab on this website to read the column and rejoice in the incandescent smile of my son Jed, and above all, pay heed to his very wise advice.
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August 4, 2016 – On this date, thirty-two years, my son Jed was born. He taught me many lessons about life, and one of the best-ever revelations was what I've called "the secret ingredient to life." I wrote about this in a newspaper column that was published some 10 years after Jed died following a severe seizure. It's among the many stories in "Counting Crows." Please click on the "Featured story" tab on this website to read the column and rejoice in the incandescent smile of my son Jed, and above all, pay heed to his very wise advice.
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"Counting Crows" wins two national book awards
Not only has "Counting Crows: Stories of Love, Laughter and Loss" been a steady best-seller at Inklings Bookshop in Yakima, it also has earned two national awards along the way.
The 2013 Beach Book Festival awarded first place in the “Wild Card” category to the independently published book by Spencer Hatton, former Yakima Herald-Republic editor and columnist. The contest honors what promoters call the “summer’s hottest reads.”
A month earlier, the 2013 National Indie Excellence Book Awards selected “Counting Crows: Stories of Love, Laughter and Loss” as a finalist in its non-fiction category. National Indie Excellence Book Awards is in its 7th year. Experts from all aspects of the indie book industry — publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copywriters — judge the competition and award winners and finalists based on overall excellence of presentation in addition to the writing.
For more information and a complete list of the winners and finalists for both contests, visit www.beachbookfestival.com and www.indieexcellence.com
About the book
What do basketball legend Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, the Queen Mother of England, actor Al Pacino, writer Kurt Vonnegut, blues great B.B. King and Lady Bird Johnson have in common? They have crossed paths with Spencer Hatton during his nearly four decades as a journalist and award-winning columnist. These famous people are just a few of the colorful personalities found inside the pages of “Counting Crows: Stories of Love, Laughter and Loss.”
Ever walk down the aisle at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas holding onto the arm of an Elvis impersonator? The author has and describes in detail what happened during his hilarious marriage ceremony.
You will also get to meet a group of courageous fathers who, like the author, have raised children with special needs.
And then there are the long, painful steps the writer takes following the death of his wife, and two years later, the tragic death of his 18-year-old son, Jed. It’s a journey of deep sorrow, fresh discoveries and renewed hope, making “Counting Crows” a reading experience not to be missed.
Not only has "Counting Crows: Stories of Love, Laughter and Loss" been a steady best-seller at Inklings Bookshop in Yakima, it also has earned two national awards along the way.
The 2013 Beach Book Festival awarded first place in the “Wild Card” category to the independently published book by Spencer Hatton, former Yakima Herald-Republic editor and columnist. The contest honors what promoters call the “summer’s hottest reads.”
A month earlier, the 2013 National Indie Excellence Book Awards selected “Counting Crows: Stories of Love, Laughter and Loss” as a finalist in its non-fiction category. National Indie Excellence Book Awards is in its 7th year. Experts from all aspects of the indie book industry — publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copywriters — judge the competition and award winners and finalists based on overall excellence of presentation in addition to the writing.
For more information and a complete list of the winners and finalists for both contests, visit www.beachbookfestival.com and www.indieexcellence.com
About the book
What do basketball legend Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, the Queen Mother of England, actor Al Pacino, writer Kurt Vonnegut, blues great B.B. King and Lady Bird Johnson have in common? They have crossed paths with Spencer Hatton during his nearly four decades as a journalist and award-winning columnist. These famous people are just a few of the colorful personalities found inside the pages of “Counting Crows: Stories of Love, Laughter and Loss.”
Ever walk down the aisle at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas holding onto the arm of an Elvis impersonator? The author has and describes in detail what happened during his hilarious marriage ceremony.
You will also get to meet a group of courageous fathers who, like the author, have raised children with special needs.
And then there are the long, painful steps the writer takes following the death of his wife, and two years later, the tragic death of his 18-year-old son, Jed. It’s a journey of deep sorrow, fresh discoveries and renewed hope, making “Counting Crows” a reading experience not to be missed.
