The Caffeinated Chronicles

When facing a major decision, do you lead with your gut, brain or heart? Coffee house owners Brian Thinkalot, Amanda Heart, and Al Gutsenberg face the biggest decision of their lives. In a matter of days one of them must leave to open their first international coffee house in Beijing. They all know it’s a true honor, a second chance to build something anew, and an even bigger responsibility. Who is to be the one? A contest ensues and six coffee house regulars are brought to life to help them settle it. Brian, Amanda, and Al bring us on one of their patron’s first date with a sexologist to experience the pressure of high expectations, to accompany three scrapbooking mamas in search of their true identities in Seattle, and to witness the adventures of a renegade executive determined to build her own Water Cooler Republic. They also take us for a subway ride from Harvard Square to the American Dream, introduce us to the Left Handed Queen of Caffeine, and allow us to tag along while a love-torn minor royal goes on a hunger strike at the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language in Madrid. The ride is caffeinated, the emotions are real, and the laughter is the social lubricant that allows the learnings of our characters to sink in. The essence of the book The corner stone of our humanity is actually a triangle. We are all programmed to measure every action and decision that we take against the wishes and expectations of three forces at play inside of us. These are our romantic heart, calculating brain, and hopefully courageous gut. Humbly, I offer that this triad yields not only the 3-D validity to our lives, but is also a model for how we gather and take shape as groups. It’s a model that shapes our corporate, political, and communal spheres. The balance of these forces can…