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"We all have so much in common. You wouldn't think it from the endless cavalcade of animosity and discord on the Internet, but we do," observes author Matt Geiger as he prepares for the release of his debut book. "We all live, we all die, and we are all far more confused by the world around us than we like to admit."

"I'm no more enlightened than anyone else, but I do try to at least admit that I have no idea what's happening around me," he adds.

That admission opens endless narrative possibilities, which he explores eagerly in The Geiger Counter: Raised by Wolves and Other Stories.

Published by HenschelHAUS, a small publisher based out of Milwaukee, the book's cover shows an image of a little girl biting into fruit, which he refers to as "the fruit of knowledge."

It represents Geiger's approach to writing the book, in which he actively engages in his own life with humor and insight, telling stories about his most monumental challenges. Those stories have appeared in various newspapers, winning several awards. And now they are collected in Geiger's first book.

"The book is about admitting you are in the dark and enjoying the glimpses of light you get. Seeking them out, even. If you get really lucky, bathing in one and dancing a little jig in it," said Geiger.

As he examines life, he may not always be sure what he is looking at, but Geiger feels he has met life's inconveniences – including puberty, a formal education, and raising a child – as his greatest adventures. When describing his work, he reads a quote from author G.K. Chesterton: "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered."

There are real-life tragedies, like the time he lived in New Jersey or the many times he caught his daughter eating dog food, but in all the stories he went on a journey, overcame obstacles and grew.

When writing the stories, as Geiger worked his way through understanding all the aspects of his life, he found humor in his voice.

"I once read an article about how author and humorist David Sedaris, who is transcendently funny, knows that not understanding things is always funnier than understanding them. In that way, I think he's like Socrates," Geiger said. "And by mentioning both of them in this interview, I hope people will think I'm smart and funny by association."

Early versions of Geiger's moving, yet hilarious, stories first appeared in his column, "The Geiger Counter," published in a variety of News Publishing Company newspapers.

New York Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Chiaverini observed, "Matt Geiger is a writer of deft humor and exceptional insight. By turns poignant and hilarious, his witty, empathetic observations of fatherhood, family, and community evoke laughter and touch the heart in equal measure."

Kristen Lobe, author of Paris Hangover added, "Geiger's writing is a thrilling discovery. You feel as though you're standing in a queue somewhere and all of a sudden you chat up the stranger next to you, who you realize inside of three sentences is just a fascinating, ridiculously fun individual. His work is simply brimming with wit and insight. A truly modern American storyteller!"

As he humbly speaks about his work, Geiger admits writing comes easy to him, but editing the stories was the most challenging part of the process in publishing his first book. He says it has been one of the great joys of his life to work with HenschelHAUS Publishing to prepare the book for publication.

He also feels very lucky to get honest, helpful feedback from countless readers of his newspaper column.

"Many of those people over the years encouraged me to publish a book, which was always my plan anyway, but their input and encouragement were an integral part of the process," he recognized.

As he prepares for the book to become available in major bookstores on December 1st (it's already available for pre-order now on Amazon.com), Geiger enjoys doing readings and sharing the book with others.

"When it comes to reading the stories to people, I like the one about the fact that some mythological creatures, like giants, are real," he said. "And my story about being in a parade with hundreds of Ernest Hemingway look-alikes always makes me laugh, even though I've read it a thousand times. The same with the knight trying to use a portable bathroom in New Glarus."

He shares that the first, middle and last chapters of his book are intended to work together as a single narrative.

"It's one story broken into three parts. It's about death, and I hope it makes people smile," he said.

Overall, he hopes the book will encourage people to engage with their own lives and the people around them.

"Truth and language are dynamic. They are real, but they don't just sit still and let you use them however you wish. They move and change, and in order to get at them – at truth, good language, other people, happiness and life in general – you must constantly engage with them. You have to throw yourself in with them and become part of what they do," he concludes.

Matt Geiger was born in Brunswick, Maine, in 1979.  He studied philosophy and religion at Flagler College and went on to write for newspapers and magazines in Florida, Wisconsin and the United Kingdom. He is the winner of numerous journalism awards.  He currently lives in Wisconsin with his wife, his daughter, two dogs, a cat and a flock of chickens. The book is available for pre-order now at GeigerBooks.com and Amazon.com. It will be available through brick and mortar booksellers starting December 1.