Local musician, actor, and author Alan Doyle has penned a new book out on store shelves this week.

“All Together Now, A Newfoundlander’s Light Tales for Heavy Times” is a compilation of amusing and sometimes embarrassing stories. Doyle says they’re told as they would be if he were sharing them with friends in a pub.

He says he was in the habit of writing in a journal, especially in all the long hours of travel associated with a successful musical career. He likens the whirlwind of touring, recording, and appearances to rowing a boat.

He says you have to keep your head down and row hard or the boat ride will be over, but you can’t row so hard that you never lift your head and enjoy the ride. That’s the balance Doyle says that must be struck for anyone who gets to do what they love.