Matt Emma
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Bret Bodlovic is the kind of guy who can make you laugh while making you think about life’s weird twists. A Missouri native, born just south of St. Louis, he spent his early years casting lines into the tributaries of the Mississippi River. At five, his family packed up and moved to Montana, swapping suburban sprawl for the wide-open, jaw-dropping beauty of Big Sky Country. “It was like going from checkers to three-dimensional chess,” Bret says with a chuckle, recalling the shift from the mighty Mississippi to the untamed Blackfoot River. That move didn’t just change his address, it sparked a lifelong love for storytelling that led to his debut book, Performance on the Bluff.
A Montana Childhood and a Storyteller’s Spark
Growing up in Montana, where mountains made him feel “as significant as a dust mote,” Bret learned to see the world through a lens of wonder. He played baseball from T-ball at five through college, picking up lessons in discipline and finding humor in life’s chaos like the time his sister turned a baseball mitt into a sandwich holder. With a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminology from the University of Montana, Bret developed a knack for understanding what makes people tick. “Studying deviant behavior came in handy for writing about a Bigfoot encounter,” he says, grinning at the unexpected connection between his studies and his creative work.
A Decade at Amazon: Recruiting and Resonating
For the last ten years, since March 2015, Bret has been a senior executive recruiter at Amazon. He’s worked with teams like Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios, IMDB, and more recently the People Experience and Technology (PXT) group, which works to create a better workplace for Amazonians by developing and implementing HR technologies and strategies. “It’s flown by,” he says of his decade at the company. His role in talent acquisition isn’t so different from writing both are about connecting with people, understanding their motivations, and telling stories that resonate. “Recruiting and writing often center around people and their stories,” he explains, a thread that ties his career to his passion.
Performance on the Bluff: A Wild, Funny Ride
Bret’s first book, Performance on the Bluff, is a wild, funny ride that hit Amazon in Kindle, eBook, and paperback just last week. The story follows a guy hamming it up with a dramatic, made-up tale of a Bigfoot encounter, only to find himself staring down the real thing. “It’s about karma coming back with a sense of humor,” Bret says. The twist? It’s all a dream, but one that leaves you thinking about life’s knack for throwing curveballs.
“Sometimes reality just looks at you and says, ‘That’s cute, but watch this,’” he laughs. With a satirical, comical style, the book invites readers to giggle at life’s absurdities while pondering the mysteries we can’t quite explain.
Inspiration from Family: The Push to Publish
The spark for Performance on the Bluff came from Bret’s kids, a son and daughter he calls his proudest accomplishment. “They inspired me to get these works published,” he says warmly. Over the years, he jotted down ideas in notebooks, scrapbooks, and his phone, but his children pushed him to turn those notes into something real. His daughter’s reaction to the book was pure gold. “She just started laughing and said, ‘Daddy, you are so silly,’” Bret recalls, his pride evident. That moment was like watching someone light up after trying a new dish, a joy he hopes readers feel when they dive into his story.
A Dreamer’s Writing Process
Bret’s writing process is as free-spirited as a Montana river. A vivid dreamer, he often wakes at 3:19 a.m. with ideas that are “a little out there, goofy, and odd at times.” Performance on the Bluff came from one such dream, rooted in memories of sitting on cliffs as a kid, legs dangling over the edge, staring out at the vast Montana landscape. “I saw the movie before I wrote the book,” he says. He didn’t follow a rigid template, just a “let’s see where this goes” approach, aiming to capture moments when reality flips the script. His stories are for daydreamers and overthinkers, people who’ve mentally rehearsed an Oscar speech or wondered about squirrels forming a union.
A Lifelong Love for Storytelling
This isn’t Bret’s first stab at writing. In fifth grade, he won a class award for a short story that’s now evolved into his third book, set to be published soon. Two more books are in the pipeline, each blending paranormal themes with his signature humor. “They’re creative fiction that make you say, ‘What if?’” he explains. While kid-friendly for ages eight and up, they’re not scary, just playful tales that lean into life’s unpredictability.
Family as the Ultimate Cheerleader
Bret’s family has been his biggest cheerleader. Growing up as one of six kids taught him to embrace the weird. “When your siblings try to convince Mom that homework dissolves in milk, a Bigfoot story seems tame,” he jokes. His wife, who is both his biggest fan and his reality check, reminding him that the world needs stories that make people smile and think. His approach to publishing is like a day at the river: “You can plan all you want, but sometimes you just jump in and see where the current takes you.”
Learning from Life’s Missteps
Mistakes, Bret says, are just “first drafts of better decisions.” From botched work presentations to reckless swims in Montana’s whitewater, he’s learned to weave missteps into his story. “They’re plot twists,” he tells his kids, encouraging them to laugh at failure and keep swinging, like a batter studying the pitcher after a strikeout. This mindset shapes his writing, where characters face the unexpected with wit and humility.
The Heart of Performance on the Bluff
What does Bret hope readers take from Performance on the Bluff? “Lives got a wicked sense of humor; so, laugh along the way,” he says. He wants people to embrace the absurdity of existence and stay open to the idea that reality might be weirder and more wonderful than we think. He advises “Don’t mock what you don’t understand,” with a nod to the unimpressed Bigfoot in his story. Above all, he hopes readers walk away with a renewed love for life’s off-script moments, when the universe pulls the rug out and reveals something magical.
More Stories on the Horizon
With two more books coming and a website in the works under his business, BwB Works, Bret’s just getting started. His journey from a Missouri kid by the Mississippi to a Montana dreamer, and now a Nevada-based storyteller sharing tales with the world shows that life’s twists can lead to something extraordinary. As he puts it, “Life without mistakes would make for a pretty boring book.” And Bret Bodlovic’s story? It’s anything but boring.
About the Author
Bret Bodlovic is a Montana-based senior executive recruiter at Amazon with over two decades of experience in talent acquisition. A Missouri native, born South of St. Louis, as he grew up fishing rivers and playing baseball, later earning a sociology and criminology degree from the University of Montana. A father of two, Bret’s debut book, Performance On The Bluff, blends humor and the paranormal, inspired by his vivid dreams and his children. With two more books in the works, he writes to spark laughter and wonder, drawing from his love for Montana’s wild landscapes.
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