Mike and I met 23 years ago. We were on the staff of Beverage Industry, a business magazine that covered, you guessed it, the beverage industry. Now Mike teaches news writing at the University of Akron and I do whatever it is that I do.

Once a semester I speak to Mike’s class. They interview me and then write a story about it. For this I get a free coffee from the Starbucks in the Student Union. And copies of the stories they’ve written.

Here’s what Mike’s students thought of me this semester:

Besann:

“From this encounter I will remember three things, an author who never gave up hope of becoming a novelist, a man who didn’t know how to answer a cell phone, and a quote he provided that I will remember in all my journeys: It’s the journey, not the destination.”

Greg:
“After sharing his experiences, and answering a phone call from his wife about their garage door, he took some questions from the students.”

Amy:
“The Medina native is opinionated about many things, from his take on suburbs (not a fan) to his praise of Tolkein. Currently he uses this mindset to teach a class at the University of Akron about writing a novel.”

Shannon:
“He claims to have had a somewhat middle-aged crisis. This caused him to decide to write mystery novels.”

Jeff:
“He likes to write 1,000 words a day and believes the people who make it in the industry are the people who tough it out for the long run. This inspiration comes from his uncle Corwin who was a postal clerk.”

Steve:
“He has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his work, but you wouldn’t know it just by talking to him.”

Rosalyn:
“He used Agatha Christie’s Miss Marble as an influence for his main character in Morgue Mama.”

Yianni:
“He proclaimed that it’s ok to be a hypocrite from time to time.”

Yianni no. 2:
“Regardless of my research, it’s still difficult not to find him impressive in person.”

Yianni no. 3:
“He, by his own admission, was a failed writer for decades.”

Anthony:
“His excitement is difficult to notice.”

Okay, I’ve had some fun at the students’ expense, and my own, taking what they wrote out of context for a few easy yuks. For those who think I was especially tough on Yianni — quoting him three times as I did–I had coffee with him after the class and was quite impressed with his intelligence, introspection and maturity.

Overall, these bright, young folks read me pretty well. And got the message I came to deliver:

Anthony no. 2:
“His journey hasn’t always been easy, as he discusses going through the “Three Ds” of depression, divorce and downsizing. But he understands the importance of sacrifice and that nothing worth having is ever easy.”