LELAND — Scott Craig said he finished writing his second book when bookstores closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
His wife Carol Bawden encouraged him to release “Laughing in Leelanau: Or I Swear It’s True” anyway because “people need something to smile about.”
“That’s my mission — to give people something that isn’t grim,” said Craig, a Leland resident. “My goal is to make people feel good. There are no unhappy endings in this book.”
The 86-year-old retired television producer and director said the idea started when a member of weekly breakfast meeting brought in a book about humor in Maine.
Craig thought his northern Michigan home must be funnier than that northeastern state, so he spent a year and a half collecting and recording stories from places and people in Leelanau County.
“Everybody has a story worth hearing,” he said. “Many TV shows were assigned to me. This time I assigned myself to go find the funny stuff.”
His book is nearly 150 pages of stories that capture a variety of moments — from tourists asking for directions to old newspaper articles.
Craig said he organized them into categories rather than chapters.
“There are all kinds of stories about animals and people,” he said.
Craig’s grandson Henry Coleman, a recent high school graduate, drew the maps and cartoons.
“There are two old duffers sitting on a bench that keep reoccurring throughout the book,” Craig said. “I was just collecting stories, but as I went along, I found things that would be better as a cartoon.”
Mission Point Press Business Manager Doug Weaver said the company mainly assists authors in editing and designing their work.
Craig approached the staff, who Weaver said all agreed to work with him.
“We’re fairly picky about what books to take on,” Weaver said. “We loved the idea. Regional, local humor is powerful especially in these times.”
The book, Weaver, said will do well because it is geared toward a local audience, provides an introduction about the history of Leelanau County and emphasizes laughter.
“He’s got a winner,” he said.
Craig worked in the television industry for decades, forming his own production company in 1975. Though he lived in Chicago, Craig said he filmed in five continents, particularly for the HGTV show “Extreme Homes.”
He received more than 100 awards, including one national Emmy Award, 32 Emmys from the National Academy of Television’s Chicago/Midwest Chapter and a Peabody Award for his PBS documentary “Studebaker: Less Than They Promised.”
Craig said he loved his job and it made for an interesting career.
He retired about 16 years ago and more recently decided to start writing, something he said was on his bucket list.
His first book “The Story Next Door” came out in 2013. He included stories from his radio show in those pages.
The paperback “Laughing in Leelanau: Or I Swear It’s True” is available for $14.95 from Brilliant Books and Horizon Books.
The e-book costs $4.99 at Amazon.com.
The Link Lonk“My goal is to make people feel good.
There are no unhappy endings in this book.” Scott Craig, author
July 31, 2020 at 08:00PM
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Laughing together: Local author publishes funny tales | ETC | record-eagle.com - Traverse City Record Eagle
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