Say it now!

As I get older the words of my elders have more meaning. Adults have always told me that time goes by too fast. As a kid it didn't really seem that way. Summers seemed to last for eons and birthdays seemed to take forever to come. But now I am a father of two beautiful kids. Time ticks much faster now. Summers are short and birthdays zoom by. Time for my children is as it was for me at their age. They see too much of it while I see far too little of it. Time will march on regardless of how we perceive it. My son and daughter will grow up and have their own lives to live. It's bitter-sweet to me. I complain about their arguments, tripping over toy trucks in the middle of the floor, lights being left on in empty rooms, and Punch Buggy games gone wrong but to not have those things in my life would be far worse. I love the madness more than I dislike it. I love my kids and I love my wife. This takes me to my point. I make sure that they know that I love them. I tell them several times a day and show them with random hugs and kisses. I'm sure that it must be quite annoying being wrapped in my bear hugs and plastered with my kisses, especially my kids, but it's the price that my family must pay for having a dad and husband that loves them so much. When the day comes for my children to leave me and start their own lives, I don't want there to be a shred of doubt about my love for them. Too many people reserve their affections for weddings, funerals, and other significant moments. But I believe the time in between those moments is the best time to voice our feelings. Don't wait until your loved one is on their death bed. Don't wait until a crisis erupts. Don't wait until the time is right. Go tell your loved ones that you love them now. Presents and cards will perish and become lost but the words we relay will endure forever. So go kiss your parents and tell them you love them. Go hug your kids, sister, brother, uncle, and aunt. Tell anyone that you love exactly that. If it means that you have to end an old dispute to do so, then so be it. End the grudge and get on with life and the words that must come from your mouth. Love is more eternal than time. Don't let a second slip away. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Let today bring the words 'I love you' from your lips.

Juggling Work

Do you hate having a lot of work to do at your job? Do you hate looking over at a pile of work that seems to be staring menacingly at you, daring you to attack it? Well, I don't. I like the challenge of finishing projects and beating deadlines. I usually complete projects way ahead of their deadlines. I don't rush the work to get it done. I just spend a lot more time making sure that it is completed as soon as possible. I don't really know why I work this way. I think a part of it is that I don't want people waiting on me. I don't want my part in a project to hold up the entire thing. I also despise being late! My wife knows this very well. If an event is set at 8pm, I'll probably be there at 7:15. My quirks dictate my work. The good thing is that my work ethic makes the people that I work with very happy. But it can also put a strain on my mind. I'm happy that I have a good wife though. She will pull the plug on my work day when I can't or refuse to do so. Well, I have an assignment to do. I better get started before my wife gets home. It's the 4th of July and I don't think my family would appreciate me being glued to a computer and an art pad all day. I have burgers to flip. Peace!

Gruff begins...again?

You are not seeing doubles. Gruff: Twisted Fate is back in the all new 2nd edition. I mentioned this book in my last blog but now it's time to announce its release. It is now available for purchase at Lulu.com. In a few weeks it will also be available through most online book distributors. I would like to thank everyone for their encouragement and support. I hope that you will enjoy Twisted Fate as well as the other two books in the series. I will keep everyone updated on this and all of my other projects. I look forward to your comments too. I guess that's it for now. Please check my blog and website for all the things that I am doing. It may be hard to believe but there is more to my work than Gruff. Peace!

I'm still here!

I know that it has been a while since my last post but I'm still here. I've been working on an assortment of projects that have kept me very busy. I've been entering writing competitions, making comics, writing scripts and screenplays, and writing the 2nd edition of Gruff: Twisted Fate. All of this along with everyday life with my family has kept me away from my blog and website.
Some of the projects that I mentioned are still up in the air. The winners of the writing competitions have not been determined yet. I still need an agent to handle my screenplays (James Cameron, I have what you're looking for). I am a part of a team at my church that has released one comic and others are on the way. My own comics are just scripts at this point. I don't know if I will put together full comics or just write them and leave the art to someone else. If Marvel, DC, or some other company picks them up, I'll do what ever I need to do. The 2nd edition of Gruff: Twisted Fate will be released in a few weeks. I drew a new cover design for the 2nd edition. I like it much better than the original.
So what's next? Basically more of everything that I already mentioned. Gruff is the only thing that will have a rest for a while. I'm really going to chip away at this pile of work and get it into the hands of the people that can help me realize my goals.
I really appreciate all the people that have supported me this far.
*This is the new book cover for Gruff: Twisted Fate (2nd Edition)