During an early evening run in the mid-August Tennessee heat, I hold three images in my mind to keep me going:

First, a wedding dress, simple but elegant, the kind worn by a sensible girl who isn’t quite aware just how lovely she really is. A silver chain hangs next to it, with a small, rectangular pendent in the shade of a British police call box, a sign that the girl is a Dr. Who fan at heart.

Not far off is a second dress, with more frills and the hint of train trailing behind it, and a vase of pink roses on a nearby stand.

Between them is a neatly pressed black suit with a blue bow tie and a second white tie. There’s an outline of a stick figure on the second tie, with its head aflame next to the words “I tried it at home.”

Today’s running goal: 5 miles, or about an hour of sweating and breathing and putting one foot in front of another and trying to avoid the ache in my side and the nagging voice that says it’s too hot to run and wouldn’t it be nicer to sit in the shade and sip lemonade.

But those three images of the future beckon me on, promising that if I keep moving, I’ll get to see them for real someday, when my children Sophie, Eli, and Marel marry the loves of their lives — or, in Sophie’s case, the nerd of her dreams.

I am so grateful for the leaders who have poured into my life and development over the years. It’s those same leaders you find yourself quoting as you mature into your leadership voice. When you start to lead a team, these treasured nuggets of advice are put to the test. Here’s some of the best advice I’ve ever received:

1. Cultivate Relationships. More than 20 years ago, a very wise leader told me to work hard and build a lot of relationships. No matter the size of the company or your team, make sure you know everyone.

2. Learn from Weakness. If you find yourself under poor leadership, take time to learn from that weak leader. You can learn just as much from a weak leader as you can from a strong leader. When you have a weak leader, you learn things you should never do, which can be more important than the things you should do.

3. Just Get Happy. Sometimes we just need someone to reset our emotions and expectations. There have been times I have felt unsettled and wondered what life would be like if I made a drastic career change. In other words, could the grass be greener on the other side? These times have been rare, but someone really important to me said, “You need to get happy, you are in a good situation.” When my attitude changed, I found new energy in my work.

Dear Amazon,

My name is Matthew Paul Turner. If my name doesn’t ring a bell, chances are, you’d definitely recognize my credit card number. My wife and I—proud Amazon Prime members!—do a majority of our shopping online at Amazon. Because it’s convenient. And because you’ve made buying almost everything—from diapers to wood carving knives to books and entertainment—easy.

Not only do I shop at Amazon, but as an author who’s written numerous books for a variety of publishers, I’ve also faithfully sent my audience to Amazon to buy both my books as well as the books of hundreds of other authors.

And my next book—my first in 4 years—releases tomorrow (Tuesday, August 19).

As you might expect, I’m excited about the release of Our Great Big American God: A Short History of Our Ever-Growing Deity. I worked for more than 2 years on this book, researching, writing, and editing. I’m proud of this book and am eager for people to experience it.

But that said, I’m also anxious about its release, too. You know why. Because mynew book is being published by Jericho Books, and as you might know, Jericho Books is one of the many Hachette Book Group imprints.

Yep, I’m a Hachette author. And you don’t like Hachette right now. For that reason, for the last three months, you have treated me and my new book like lepers. Basically, you’ve boycotted my book. That wouldn’t be a huge deal if you didn’t command 50 percent of the publishing industry, including 65 to 70 percent of all ebook sales. And yet, according to you, as of August 18, my book isn’t available as an ebook despite you knowing that it is.