Creative Tennis Tales

Creative Tennis Tales is a compilation of humorous-yet-poignant tennis-related stories. I strive to put a unique spin on select aspects of the tennis world in order to enrich readers' love of the game. Characters are as diverse as high school hotshots, lonely backhands, coaching ball machines, singing campers, and merciful draw sheets. And that's only the tip of the iceberg. I guarantee that these off-the-wall tennis perspectives will leave you bursting with laughter as well as reflecting on the embedded life lessons! And the breath-taking drawings from Picasso Jr. will make your heart sing with pure unbridled joy! Okay, so maybe I'm no Picasso but I've done my best ;).You're only allowed to ridicule my artwork if you are willing to buy me some drawing lessons! 

Okay, so you might be wondering, Why in the world is this book so expensive?! Well, here's the honest truth: I'm looking to live off my royalties on a beach down in Florida. Just kidding ;). In all honesty, this price point serves to offset the high manufacturing costs. I do want you to know, however, that 10% of all proceeds will go to a tennis-related charity. It's called the "Andre Needs New Tennis Shoes Fund." Again, I'm just kidding. In all seriousness, I will be donating to the "USTA Foundation." 

P.s. If you buy 10 copies of my book then I'll be your best friend forever. Just saying. 

All jokes aside, get ready to enter into the wonderful world of Creative Tennis Tales! 

I have drawn from my eight years of working as a professional tennis coach, as well as from my four years of Honors writing education at the University of Michigan-Dearborn to bring you a book that offers a fun, creative look into the wonderful world of tennis. Now, I'll warn you up front: the stories that follow are completely off-the-wall and verging on whacked out. You may even start to wonder if I have truly gone off the deep end. Don't believe me? Well maybe once you meet, for example, a talking backhand and a coaching ball machine, you'll start to see what I mean. Although my mental health might seriously be in question, what's not in question is the ingenuity of this work. In the following pages, you will find twenty-seven tennis-related stories that intrigue, tickle, and even inspire. From tapping into the mind of a worn-out tennis ball who is questioning his life's purpose to writing about a six-year-old phenom who wins the Australian Open, I strive to make you think about the game of tennis in a new and enriching way. In the way of organization, the chapters are divided up into six sections called Phases. The fictional events all occur within a chronological time frame that spans from Spring of 2018 to Fall of 2019. And, as is done in Marvel films, characters have their solo stories and then sometimes reappear in other chapters. Ultimately, it all culminates in an epic finish!!

And then there's the matter of the accompanying artwork. Lack of money to hire an illustrator and a misplaced confidence in my limited drawing abilities have led to the creation of the Picasso-like pieces you will find preceding the start of each chapter. The drawings of the characters, as well as the characters' dialogue bubbles, serve to create a comic strip feel that gives readers a snapshot of the stories that follow. 

Please see "Author's Profile Page." Thanks!!