After more than six years of creating smiles and laughter, local resident and author Skip Simonds has compiled more than 1,500 of his humorous texts into a single volume.
Simonds, a Boothbay resident, has been creating smiles daily with both his Facebook posts and on his “Skip of the Day” board at the Southport General Store where he has worked for the last five years. His daily quips have become a staple, and locals and visitors often come by the store just to read the latest.
“Often people would say to me that I ought to write a book of these jokes,” said Simonds. “It occurred to me this past winter that I was writing it, one day, one joke at a time.”
Over the winter he compiled all of his missives into a single volume and had them published. The book’s title, “The Skip of the Day,” is a term coined by co-worker Michael Beane for Simonds’ daily grease board posts at the store.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from people who’ve bought the book has been very, very gratifying,” Simonds continued. “One fellow told me he randomly opens the book and reads one joke before he heads out for work each day to put a smile on his face. Another gave the book to her 15-year-old who, with his dad, sat for hours on the living room floor howling — her words, not mine! The whole purpose of the daily posts, and then this book, was to counter the daily bad news we get on every front. I didn’t know about COVID-19 when I started this, but the timing of the book couldn’t have been better. I’m really glad I had it published when I did.”
“The Skip of the Day” is available on Amazon and can also be purchased at the Southport General Store. Simonds will gladly inscribe copies purchased at the general store.