I first started telling stories on the front steps of my house in Rochester, New York, where I grew up. During hot summer days, in addition to playing sports and creating adventures in nearby woods and fields, my friends and I would turn to adventures where you didn't have to move at all. That's how story-telling became a part of friendship, and I learned pretty quickly that a good story will have interesting twists and turns-and that my listeners liked characters with unusual names who did unusual things. I hope you saw in this book that I still think those are good things. And, while I'm a lot older now, I still find pleasure in creating a story you might share with your friends if you find just the right place to sit down together.
