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Stanley Allen Swanson Author, Musician and Graphic Designer Let me introduce myself. Yes, You Can Call Me Stanley! My name is Stan Swanson (and, yes, mom always called for "Stanley" when she was yelling out the back door) and I developed this simple web site to introduce myself to you. (If you want to see some of my fancier work you can visit them in links below.) I was born in Salina, Kansas some fifty-plus years ago although Colorado has been my home for most of that time. (And yes, it's true, my parents moved to Colorado with me and my three brothers, stayed a few years and then for some disquieting reason, moved back to Kansas. Hmmmm...) How to Get Drafted Anyway -- I went to school here including high school and a couple of years at the University of Colorado before I went into the Army. (I spent way too much time playing my guitar and writing songs along the babbling water of Boulder Creek.) After three "wonderful" years in the Army (most of it spent in Bamberg, Germany) I came back home without an occupation. Of course, when you're 20-something, that really doesn't matter much. Tell A Little Lie -- Get A Job I finally got a job doing layout and paste-up for a small Black newspaper in Denver by telling them I knew all about layout and paste-up (whatever that was). Fortunately for me, I learned fast and was actually quite good at it. Less than 3 months later I found myself being promoted to the position of editor. (Yes, that's right. I was the editor of one of Denver's two Black newspapers. Now that was interesting...) Over the years I've worked as everything from a fry cook at McDonald's to being the production manager of a major Denver metro printing company. And the Muse Flows... But the problem is -- I've always loved music and I've always loved writing. (My first poem was published when I was in the second grade in the local newspaper in Gypsum, Kansas.) I won a literary award in high school for a strange, rather lengthy poem that I don't think I even have around any more. I was in several groups in high school and college and did my share of performing at local coffee houses and, yes, even the occasional baby shower. Hey, Stan -- Where's That CD? I have written over 200 songs, but never seemed to get around to putting out a CD. (I still hope to do that some day before my fingers are crippled by arthritis or something.) Keep On Truckin' Around 1998 I began writing a novel ("The Dragons of Shadara") and actually finished it a couple of years later. In 2003 it was published through AuthorHouse. I've even made a couple of hundred dollars off it. (As you may have guessed, it did not make the bestseller's list.) It is still available and you can get it through the sources listed below. Between 2006-2007 I finished and published "The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck" and two books aimed at songwriters. "Inspiration for Songwriters: Tips and Tricks for Unlocking the Muse" and "The Songwriter's Journal: 52 Weeks of Songwriting Inspiration". More current works include "Forever Zombie: A Collection of Undead Guy Tales", "Write of the Living Dead" and short fiction in "Slices of Flesh" and "Frightmares!" published by Dark Moon Books. You can contact me via e-mail at stanswanson@gmail.com if you so feel the need.
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