Meet the author:  Mark D. Bullard

Why did I write PFYPC?

Well, one day in 2002, my wife and I were discussing whether or not to get an extended cable package.  We were arguing, not with each other, but with ourselves.  On the "For" side of the debate was the fact that cable would make our lives more enjoyable at a time when we were feeling rather down.  You see, we were two years behind in our taxes, had multiple maxed out credit cards, lived in a house worth less than we paid for it, in a town on the other side of the country from where we grew up, in a business that was failing, and in low-paying jobs that we hated.  

On the "Against" side of the debate was the reality that paying for cable would only pull us further into debt at a time when debt was the anchor keeping us in despair. Though we are both from the Northwest, we were living in an adorable little town in the South at the time. It was cute, but it was not where we wanted to be, and we were not happy there. We called it, "our quaint little prison." At some point during the debate on the extended cable, I said, "Getting these extra channels would be like getting pillows for your prison cell. They may make it comfortable, but at what cost?" 

In the end, we did not get the cable package.  

But we did get out of our "prison". 

Over the years since, this phrase, "pillows for your prison cell" , has been ringing in my head.

 In 2005, my wife volunteered to ride a 200-mile bike ride from Seattle to Portland with me in two days.  I'd done the ride before, but she was not a cyclist, so it was going to take some training.  During the training rides, she'd get to a point where she wanted a distraction and asked me to make up a story.  So, I started telling her the story of a boy who went to prison.  As each ride got longer, the story became more elaborate.  Eventually, I had a pretty solid story, and I started sharing it with people.  It really seemed to resonate, and I realized I had something special. 

At the end of that 200-mile ride, my wife bought a book for me at one of my favorite book stores, Powells, in Portland, Oregon.  It had a funny title: 

78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might 

I was super excited.  Then I read Reason #1: Because You Haven't Written It! I felt like such a loser.  I was just talking about a story.  I hadn't written anything.  Seven years ago, I stopped listening to that little voice telling me I was in no position to write anything and finally started writing. And after those six years of writing, I published the book in 2014.

After

I launched a Kickstarter project that ran for 32 days and successfully raised $7,707 from 175 people who ordered advanced and special editions of Pillows For Your Prison Cell.  Those books were delivered in January and February of 2014.  

Please help me spread the word by buying a copy of Pillows For Your Prison Cell today. I love feedback about the book, shoot me an email.  mark@nomorepillows.com