Upbeat Times

In his surprise opening sentence,  “Upbeat Times” creator and editor Paul Andrew Doyle offered his audience of somewhat somnambulant Sunriser’s the opportunity to ask him questions first:  “I am lyzdexic(sic), and often get things backwards.”   The more clinically erudite caught Paul’s pun, and thus launched Paul’s very personal and disclosing path toward his early-recognized goal of producing a newspaper.  Not just any paper, but one filled with good news!

Drawing on childhood memories on his family’s Candy Cane Lane Christmas Tree Farm in Sebastopol, Paul’s inspiration for building had origins in a six story tree house project, each story linked with rope swings and scrap lumber steps.  Encouraged by his grandfather’s love of construction and tempered by his parent’s divorce and sibling companionship, with references to cartoonist Charles Schultz, Paul persisted in pursuing his dream of writing and publishing despite erstwhile disruptive detentions and assignments imposed by his fourth grade teacher, Miss McPherson.  One involved writing to New York newspapers and actually receiving a reply.  “That opened my awareness of a much wider world,” Paul revealed. 

A wide variety of vocational sampling followed, including restaurant salad prep, dishwasher, waiter and carpenter.  His waitering gift shined one sweltering day when Paul asked a heat-beleaguered customer if he preferred round or square ice cubes! A $3 tip ensued. From Carrows to Cattlemen’s, Paul gained confidence in customer service-sales and eventually the Sebastopol Times in mid-1990. It was there that Paul uttered, or at least thought of that frequently used and regretted phrase:  Take this job and ~~~ it!  His story on a local 87 year old’s retirement tribute censored, Paul decided it was time to take one step beyond his comfort zone and be an Editor himself. 

Strongly believing the power of good new is what makes things work, Paul parlayed his advertising aptitude from Windsor and Healdsburg paper experiences and built what Sonoma County now knows as “Upbeat Times”, the regional monthly which is circulated free, aside from the reader’s smiles generated on each page.

Treat yourself to a dose:  www.upbeattimes.com.  “Where No Bad News is Good News.”