INSPIRATION THROUGH HORROR

So, writing and publishing 3 books, so far, has been pretty exciting for me, but it seems it's even more exciting for those around me who have watched the progress from the time I talked about doing it to the time I got the first copies in my hand... and eventually into theirs.

Inspiration has been the byproduct of these books, lately, and I'm probably even more proud of that than the books themselves.

This isn't the first time I've had the joy of inspiring someone with something I created. When I produced my first short film, The Shed, I had a good friend who had a 10 year old son named Kyle who was totally enamored with the little black and white movie. So much so that I gave him one of the first DVD copies and he watched it practically everyday. Kyle was excited because he never knew anyone who had ever made a movie before and was so inspired by it that he went on to study film and music production at UCLA and is now working on producing music for indie films in California. He's living the dream because I shared mine with him. That's a pretty awesome feeling.

I never thought about the kind of change I made in Kyle's life until now, because, I have several friends who are inspired to write their books after seeing me do it. That's pretty awesome, too. And I am happy to give any advice or encouragement that I can to ensure they stay on track and make absolutely no excuses why it can't be done.

AND I MEAN NO EXCUSES!!!

I wrote these books while barely living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to put food on the table or pay the electric bill. Writing is my escape - actually, anything creative is my escape, but writing is the least expensive thing I can do with my time. Paints and canvas cost money and producing a movie costs way more. So, writing keeps me from going crazy thinking about bills and lack of money, plus, it gives me something to do when I can't sleep at night.

And, now, I have something else that can bring in just a bit more money through book sales... of course, I have to sell them, first.

But, in the end, it's one more thing I can say I've done in my life. Some people can say they climbed Everest or went swimming with sharks or sky diving with 50 Elvis impersonators. Well, when I'm old and grey, if I never do anything else significant in my life, I can say that I wrote and produced 5 movies, created paintings that have adorned the walls of Army generals and published 3 books. It may not have made me rich or famous, but I did it. And what's even more special than that is the inspiration I passed on to the people who have watched me accomplish these dreams.