Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Dreamy-Man-Voice

I had a hard time tracking Sawyer down to get a character interview. When I did, he was reluctant to talk about his part in the book. I can’t imagine why...

I did, however, manage to convince him to fill in one of those silly Facebook / internet quizzes that get passed around.




THE QUIZ: 

Can you fill this out without lying? You've been tagged, so now you need to answer all the questions HONESTLY. 

Here we go... 

1.What was the last thing you put in your mouth? 
Tea and a morning glory muffin – it was a bit dry, to tell the truth.  

2.Where was your profile picture taken? 
On stage at the Rustbucket during one of our gigs. I’m the one playing the drums.  

3. Can you play Guitar Hero? 
Sure. I’m a drummer. Guitar Hero is a piece of cake. But seriously, why would I waste my time on a video game when I can play the real thing.  

4. Name someone who made you laugh today. 
Now, that’s a tough one. I don’t think I’ve laughed yet today. Let me think about it. No. I definitely have not laughed yet today.  

5. How late did you stay up last night and why? 
I’m a night person, so I would guess I went to bed around midnight.  It’s not something I usually keep track of. 

6. If you could move somewhere else, would you? 
Nope. Toronto will also be my home.  

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks? 
Of course I have. You don’t get to be thirty without kissing someone under fireworks – or at the very least feeling like there’s fireworks when you’re kissing.  

8. Which of your Facebook friends lives closest to you? 
Willow – of course. We live in the same building.  

9. Do you believe ex's can be friends? 
Of course they can be – well, unless you did something really awful, then maybe not. Or – maybe not for a very long time. I guess it all depends on your ex. 

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper? 
Really? What a strange question. I don’t think I feel anything about Dr. Pepper. I could take it or leave it.  

11. When was the last time you cried really hard? 
Huh?  You’ll have to read the book to get that answer.  

12. Who took your profile picture? 
Back to the picture? I think Olive might have taken the picture – it’s hard to say, it was a while ago.  

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of? 
I don’t even own a camera.  

14. Was yesterday better than today? 
No. Every new day is better than the last.  

15. Can you live a day without TV? 
Probably not. I’m addicted to all things electronic.  

16. Are you upset about anything? 
Well – if I told you, I’d have to kill. Ok – so that was very cliché. Again, you’ll have to read the book to the very end to see what my current emotional state is.  

17. Are you a bad influence? 
Uh – probably.  

18. Night out or night in? 
Out – definitely a night out, always.  

19. What items could you not go without during the day? 
I couldn’t be without my cell-phone and laptop (I do work in IT). 

20. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? 
I don’t think I’ve ever actually visited anyone in the hospital. At least, not that I can remember.  

21. What does the last text message in your inbox say? 
Kind of a personal question, don’t you think? Well, since I’m being honest, my last text says something like: R U 2 busy 2 meet up? 

22. How do you feel about your life right now? 
My life is a bit of a mess just now, but I’m picking up the pieces and getting everything sorted out.  

23. Do you hate any one? 
I can’t think of anyone off-hand, so I guess that would be a “no”. 

24. If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find? 
You wouldn’t find much, mostly I use my phone for texts and e-mail. Facebook is fun, but it can be a dangerous place to play. 

25. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? 
Yes. 

26. Has anyone ever called you perfect before? 
Willow might have thought I was perfect at one point, but aside from my mother, no one has ever called me perfect.  

27. What song is stuck in your head? 
I’m a musician – there’s always a new tune floating through my head. But I have to say, I’m partial to Mumford & Sons’ Little Lion Man, is currently running through my head.  

30. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be? 
Uh . . . read the book?  

31. Do you want to have grandkids before you’re 50? 
Since I’m not married and don’t have any kids that I know of, I doubt that’s even an option. If it is, it would mean my non-existent teenager would be a parent – so – no, I do not want to be a grandparent before I’m 50. 

32. Name something you have to do tomorrow. 
Go to work and then practice with the band.  

33. Do you think too much or too little? 
Sometimes I’m pretty sure I don’t think as much as I should. If I did think things through, then I would have an easier time staying out of trouble.  

34. Do you smile a lot? 
Sure – when there’s something to smile about.
  

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Bee in the Yellow Jacket

My son decided he wanted to write and illustrate a children’s book this summer. He sat down, mapped out the story and came up with an idea for the artwork. Each day he wrote a little, edited a bit and molded plasticine into vibrant pictures, rich in texture and imagination. He worked diligently until the project was completed.



The story is about an adorable little stinging insect who thinks he’s a bee. Harry sort of looks like a bee, he acts like a bee and is often mistaken for a bee. However, small differences start to become noticeable. Harry isn’t covered in a fine layer of hair like his friend Bill. It also seems that Harry has a bit of a weight issue – he’s too skinny.



So Harry sets out on a journey to discover exactly who or what he is. His adventure takes him into the city where he discovers there is more than one kind of stinging insect. Once Harry finds his own kind, he settles in to learn all he can about his heritage – but he never forgets about his friends, the bees.



It’s a cute little story with adorable pictures.  My pride for this child is overwhelming; this is quite an accomplishment for an eleven-year-old boy. AJ is currently waiting to receive his proof copy before making it available on Amazon.