By It’s A Shore Thing
Mike Herron’s made a living being manly.
Don’t take that the wrong way in this politically correct world. That’s part of the reason Herron, a resident off Shore Drive in Virginia Beach, ventured into writing his first book: “The Book of Testosterone: Stuff Men Say,” published by Virginia Beach-based Köehler Books.
“I’m not trying to shill books; if they sell, great,” Herron recently said in a phone interview. “I’d certainly love it to sell a million copies, (but) the objective was really to put a tribute out to my family, role models and my friends.”
The idea of a collection of “humorous, thought-provoking quotes, euphemisms, clichés, and opinions useful in shaping real men” began on a lark, said Herron, general manager and associate publisher for Hampton Roads Business Journal, son and grandson of renowned adventurers, an accomplished big game hunter and worldwide angler, an American rugby forefather, husband, father and grandfather.
As the men who shaped his thinking, morals, values and the way he treated people, started to die off, including his grandfather, father and a dear friend, Herron began to notice other people saying the same pearls of wisdom he heard from his family, mentors and friends, like “don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story,” or, “if you hang around a barber shop long enough, you’re going to get a hair-cut.” These two sayings he heard frequently from Virginia Beach commercial real-estate developer, salesman extraordinaire and Herron friend Roger Herring, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 59, resonated with Herron, and became metaphors about life that Herron has used on his own son, a VMI graduate and career U.S. Marine.
“Not everybody is lucky to have the right kind of male role models,” Herron acknowledged.
The book can help.
Said former Marine F-18 pilot John Owens in the book’s foreword: “This is a book that fathers will share with sons, sons with fathers, brothers with brothers and mates with mates.”
Herron originally was going to self-publish the book, but, along the way and through people he knew, including Köehler publisher and founder John Köehler, he was able to secure a book deal; “The Book of Testosterone” was released June 1.
The book is resonating with men, Herron said. It also is winning a place in women’s hearts, including his wife and mother of their two children, Elyse, for whom he dedicated the book.
“There’s a lot of flattering lines in there about women,” Herron said.
Like: “Defend your Queen, whether you’re playing chess or not” and “Particularly with women, good things come to those who wait.”
“Women” is just one of the 178-page book’s many subjects, including attitude, toughness, drinking, hunting, fishing, work, nature, sports, survival, fun, games and leadership.
So, where did that title come from, and the book’s cover art?
It happens to be the name he dubbed a photo album Herron has been adding pictures to for more than 35 years, scenes of fishing, hunting, rugby, deer heads, catch of the days and men being men, or “all the photographs that you wouldn’t put in your family photo album,” he said.
And the artwork – well those are items in his man cave, Herron said, including boxing gloves, fishing lures and cigars.
As word of the book spreads, Herron continues to be active in the community, works hard at his day job, dotes on his wife, children and grandkids and does the manly things that shaped who he is.
Oh yes, you can know add author to that list.
Said Herron: “This will probably not be my last book.”
The book can be found at Amazon.com, koehlerbooks.com and at barnesandnoble.com.
