Tag: Mark Piggott

When life gives you lemons, trade them for some limes and make a cocktail!

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ba426c39-1691-42d8-a323-c17077cd46e1I usually don’t get personal in my blog. I try to focus on the things I love—faith, family, writing and all this geek! This week, I have to be serious because I’ve got some really bad news. After 30+ years of service to my country, as a Sailor for 23 and a civil servant for the last seven, I was fired from my job. For the first time in 30 years, I find myself unemployed.

I won’t go into details, so as to save myself from further embarrassment and humility, but safe to say it was my fault. I just didn’t think that, after all my years of service, this one mistake would get me fired. Unfortunately, it did.

If find myself at a crossroads. I’m 52-years-old, slightly overweight with only an associate degree in education. My experience in writing/editing and public relations is way up there, but without that piece of paper, many companies won’t take a chance on you.

I keep trying to find the silver lining in all of this and all I can find is that I now have more time to write. I can focus on the third book in my trilogy and continue marketing my books in hopes of gaining some recognition. Just before I was fired, I received word that one of the studio reps I pitched too at Pitchfest 2015 in New York asked for copies of my books. This could be the break I need to take my writing to the next level.

Unfortunately, the other shoe fell off and I was fired. From good news to very, very bad news, it hasn’t been a good week. As you can imagine, I have been on an emotional rollercoaster this past week. I’ve gone from feeling completely lost, a total failure to a glimmer of hope and faith that God will get me through this.

I have always had faith in God, believe in him, but I was never a religious person. I tried so many times but I always found an excuse not to go to church or pray on a daily basis. I don’t mean to get religious here with you, but I just wanted you to know what’s been going on inside me.

Everyone keeps telling me that, “when one door closes, another one opens” and I want to believe that. It’s just hard when you’re trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage, car payment, etc. I want to believe that things will get better but it’s hard when your actions have hurt so many in the process. My wife and my kids are also facing the brunt of me being fired and that puts a lot of guilt on me.

I guess I needed this opportunity to vent a little, and I appreciate you being there for me by reading this blog. I hope I can find the courage and fortitude to get back to writing, because it is what I love to do best. Right now, though, it’s hard to focus on writing a novel when I need to be writing my resume.

Any advice or kind words would be appreciated in the comments below. It’s going to be a long jaunt to reach the end, but to quote Clarence the Angel from “It’s a Wonderful Life” — A man with friends is not a failure!

Would you go to see Humphrey Bogart as Indiana Jones?

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RaidersImagine Clark Gable as Han Solo or maybe Anthony Perkins as Hannibal Lecter. Think about it? Alfred Hitchcock directing Halloween or Charlie Chaplain directing and starring in Big.

I love classic movies. Rear Window, Key Largo, and The Quiet Man are just a few of my favorites. I love to imagine what modern movies would have been like with the great stars of the silver screen cast in those roles.

We see the reverse all the time, when they take a classic movie and remake it. You Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan was originally Shop Around the Corner with Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. This time, though, I want to try things in reverse.

I could see Raiders of the Lost Ark with Humphrey Bogart as Indiana Jones, Lauren Bacall as Miriam, Peter Lorre as Sallah and Edward G. Robinson as Belloq. That would have been a classic right up there with Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

With all the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, how would you cast Star Wars in classic Hollywood? I would cast Jackie Cooper as Luke Skywalker, Audrey Hepburn as Princess Leia, Clark Gable as Han Solo, Douglas Fairbanks as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yul Brynner as Darth Vader. In a twist, I would cast Sir Alec Guinness as Governor Tarkin.

If you want to take things to a whole new level, imagine Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe in the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally; or maybe Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly as the paleontologist sin Jurassic Park. The possibilities are endless.

Here’s something to keep you thinking about the many possibilities. Pick a movie and recast it with stars from classic Hollywood (30s to 50s). Post your choice in the comment section below. I’ll pick the best one and the winner will receive a copy of my book, The Dark Tides. Good luck!

Doctor Who, Steampunk and Time Travel are some of my favorite anachronisms

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[UNSET]“The straightest line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting!” That’s a quote from the third Doctor from the long running British sci-if television series Doctor Who.

I will admit, if I haven’t already, that I am a diehard Whovian. I was introduced to Doctor Who in college in the 1980s. I saw this strange man wearing a scarf that had to be over 20 feet long, fighting robot tanks with a screwdriver and a blue box.

It was watching Doctor Who that made me realize that I felt like an anachronism, that I was born on the wrong time. Some people might relate this to reincarnation, but I don’t really know if I believe in that. I just know that I feel out-of-place in this modern-day and age.

Oh don’t get me wrong, I love the modern conveniences we have today. I prefer indoor plumbing, modern medicine and the Internet. It’s weird that when I look at movies from the 30s or 40s, or even period pieces from the late 1800s, I get nostalgic and I am awash with a sick feeling, almost like being homesick.

It’s ironic that, when you look at television and movies from the past, they all strived to look ahead to the future.Did you know that the original Lost in Space TV series I the 60s was set in the 1980s? Or that the Back to the Future movies were looking ahead to the 2000s? The world didn’t quite turn out that way for us, but we’re getting close. They did just get an actual hoverboard working recently.

I think that why I like Doctor Who so much, all the modern convinces inside a flying time machine that can take you to anywhere in time and space. At the same time, I’m also a big fan of steampunk. The outlandish Victorian style combined with modern technology is absolutely amazing to me. My wife and I would love to decorate our home in steampunk.

I think that’s what we need today. We need a little old fashion style and sensibility combined with modern technology and thinking. That’s what steampunk represents, bringing two worlds together to make a functional lifestyle.

I don’t want to get political here, believe me I don’t. Our world today is so combative when it comes to either the left or the right that you can’t have conversations on even the simplest of topics. I refuse to talk politics with my daughter in the same room because she is so passionate that she gets argumentative.

I remember the old saying, “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.” I think we are headed down that path in the world today. We are so busy looking to the future that we forget the teachings of the past.

gallery_k9_p1_03So, let’s all climb into the TARDIS and take a stroll through time so that, as the Doctor would say, “You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don’t alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views.” (By the way, that was said by my Doctor, Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor!)

Never forget September 11, 2001

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firefightersToday is the Day of Remembrance, honoring victims of terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. I wanted to take the time to tell you where I was on 9/11.

On September 11, 2001, I was station aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. We were near the end of our six moth deployment, beginning our trek home. The ship just left the Persian Gulf and we were sailing in the North Arabian Sea, heading south.

The plan was for the ship to make a port call in South Africa, the first for a nuclear aircraft carrier, before crossing the Atlantic and returning to our home port in Norfolk, Va. We were even planning our “Crossing the Line” ceremony for when we crossed the equator, a proud tradition in the U.S. Navy.

I was the Assistant Public Affairs Officer, leading a division of seven Sailors in operating the shipboard radio and television stations as well as publishing the daily newspaper for the crew. I was looking forward to getting home. My daughter was turning 16 in October and I was going to make it home just in time for her party.

It was in the middle of the afternoon and I was listening to the morning news from the U.S., live via satellite. That’s when I saw the first tower, smoldering as smoke billowed out. Reports said a plane flew into the tower.

At first, I thought it was a terrible accident, then I watched in horror as a second plane flew into the other tower. I knew then something was wrong.

The first thing I did was to send out an email to all the Chief Petty Officers onboard, telling them to “turn on the news, I think the U.S. Is under attack.” I continued to monitor the news and saw that a plane flew into the Pentagon and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

Though you couldn’t actually feel the ship turning around, we all knew what was going to happen. We were going to stay right where we were, waiting for orders on who to retaliate against for this cowardly attack.

Over the next few days, we all watched in horror at the devastation left behind; but I also saw our country coming together and the pride of America grew strong. All around the ship, people were hanging up pictures and cartoons related to the attack. Most of them demonstrated the resolve of the American people to strike back against the terrorists who attacked us.

Everyone on the ship was ready to do our duty. Weapons were readied, aircraft were maintained and the crew was anxious to get going. As much as we wanted to get home, we also wanted to be the ones to lead the first strike.

It was ironic that, on the night of the first wave of air strikes against the Taliban and Al Qaeda forces, the chaplain who led the evening prayer that night was Muslim. I think that demonstrated to everyone that were striking back at enemy forces, not the Islamic religion.

We were eventually relieved by another carrier and started our return home, one month late but it was worth the extended deployment. I am proud to have been a part of that mission and to tell the story of what the brave men and women of the U.S. Navy did that day.

It is something I will never forget.

Not the most memorable quotes, but still a favorite to most!

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Young Frankenstein (1974)

There are some lines in books and movies that are remembered throughout history. “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!” or “I’m gonna make him and offer he can’t refuse!” just to name a few. As an author, I recognize the fact that these are part of the story that makes it memorable.

But there are some lines,maybe not as memorable, but they still stick out every time you watch a movie or TV show. One classic line, to me, is Bill Murray in Ghostbusters when he said, “He’s a sailor, he’s in New York, we get this guy laid, he’ll be no trouble!” I’m a little biased as a retired sailor, but that’s the line that I think of when I think of Ghostbusters. These are plug lines, story transitions or even ad-libbed dialogue, but they’ve become just as memorable. Here are just a few of my favorites:

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this!” — any character, Star Wars

“The bitch hit me with a toaster!” — Bill Murray, Scrooged

“Why is all the rum gone?” — Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Carribean

“Your the best son money can buy!” — Donald Trump, The Little Rascals

“Blucher!” (Horse Whinny) — Marty Feldman, Young Frankenstein

“Excuse me while I whip this out!” — Cleavon Little, Blazing Saddles

“You’re one ugly mother f#@!er!” — Arnold Schwatrzenegger, Predator

“I can’t believe I just gave my panties to a geek.” — Molly Ringwald, Sixteen Candles

“Demented and sad, but social.” — Judd Nelson, The Breakfast Club

“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room! — Peter Sellers, Dr. Strangelove

“Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to exit the donut!” — Samuel L. Jackson, Iron Man 2

As I said,  not a lot of classic lines, but still quite memorable. These are lines that will come to mind whenever you’re flipping through channels and you come across one of these movies. What are some of your favorite lines from movies? Let me know in the comments!

Family will always be there to give you advice, raise your spirits or kick you in the butt when you need it

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f0ccc3b6-4243-49a0-878d-11e449bd63aeI’d like to take a moment to talk about family. Family is at the heart of the Forever Avalon series. It’s the very core of my own life experiences and I can’t imagine what my world would be like without it.

Everyone has their own experiences when it comes to family, both good and bad. I can honestly say I’ve been on both sides and I’d like to think that it’s made me the man I am today.

Through writing, I’ve tried to share my love for my family through my stories. It’s not the exact picture of the perfect little family, but what is? They have been, and always will be, an inspiration to me. My family kept me strong during long deployments with their love and support. I kept that going through my novels, Forever Avalon and The Dark Tides.

In this excerpt from The Dark Tides, I wanted to show how family comes together in times of adversity and demonstrates the strength of love, faith and courage. Caution, SPOILERS!

***

Bryan and Stephanie stepped outside their tent, where Ashley, Andrew, Rose and Edan are waiting. Bryan looked over at Edan and saw he was holding Rose’s hands as he talked to her. Before Bryan could say anything, Sarafina and Hunter joined them, bringing the whole family together.

“Captain O’Brian, are the guns ready to go?” Bryan asked.

“Yes milord, we have 20 canons with about 100 rounds each standing by.”

“Good, stick to the plan. If I have any changes in my orders, I’ll relay messages to you through Maverick, alright?”

“Yes Gil-Gamesh, it will be done,” he said with a bow. As he turned to depart, Rose ignored protocol and, in clear defiance of her parents, kissed him goodbye. Once Captain O’Brian was gone, Bryan glared at Rose, but he knew this wasn’t the time or place for it.

As they gathered together, Hunter broke the silence hanging in the air. “The King asked me to tell his Grandpa good luck today,” Hunter quipped. Everyone just laughed at that, except for Ashley and Rose who were in the dark. “Ask Mom, she’ll explain it to you later.”

“I’m not going to say anything except to tell you all how proud I am of each and every one of you,” Bryan told them. “You have all grown and matured into the best I could have ever hoped for in my children … that includes all of you!” he added, looking directly at Sarafina and Andrew.

“I never really believed in fate or destiny until I arrived on Avalon. Though I still believe that we are in control of our own future, everything that happened has led us to here and now. No matter what, this doesn’t end here. This is only the beginning.”

Bryan’s words inspired them as they hugged each other one last time before leaving … brother and sister, parents and children, husband and wife. Hunter and Andrew head off with Sarafina, leaving on the Gil-Gamesh as he said one last goodbye to Stephanie.

“I love you husband,” she said as she kissed him.

“I love you wife,” Bryan added with their traditional goodbye.

He turned to leave while Ashley, Rose and Stephanie headed toward the hospital. “Okay, now what was Hunter talking about?” Rose asked. “Is Bowen his …”

“Uh-huh …” Stephanie interrupted, trying to be discrete.

“You mean, Hunter and the Queen, they …”

“Yes …” Stephanie cut her off before she said anything out loud.

“Holy …” Ashley cursed.

“Oh that little player,” Rose quipped as they continued to gossip amongst themselves.

***

The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

How pizza, beer and late night “Dungeons and Dragons” sessions started my writing career

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dungeons_dragons-5I was first introduced to Dungeons and Dragons in 1981, as a college student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I got in with a small group of friends who spent their weekends eating pizza, drinking beer and playing D&D. One of my friends was nicknamed Frodo, which tells you a lot about them.

I was hooked instantly. I played constantly, learning everything I could about the game. I bought all the manuals, dice, Dungeon Master boards and graph paper for drawing out dungeons. I even had a Crown Royal bag for carrying my dice, something most D&D players from that era can relate to. It was an obsession.

Unfortunately, I think my over-indulgence in D&D led to troubling issues of living on my own for the first time. I left college and returned home, but I brought D&D with me. I introduced it to my friends at home and we started having all-nighters. That led to low job opportunities and zero prospects of returning to college.

Are you starting to see a pattern here? Well, so did my parents. My father, a retired U.S. Marine, pointed me towards military recruiters. Reluctantly, I did and I soon found myself enlisted in the U.S. Navy; and guess what, I brought D&D with me again.

After I graduated boot camp, I was assigned to Journalist “A” School, where I introduced my shipmates to D&D. We spent our off duty hours playing the game, drinking beer and eating pizza. My first duty station as a young Sailor was the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, where once again, I got in with a group of Sailors and played D&D.

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Me in the SITE-TV studio aboard USS Forrestal circa 1986

I think you can see my obsession forming here. D&D consumed my time, especially when we were underway and there was nothing to do. You have to remember, this was before the Internet, email, satellite TV, or video game consoles.

I know you’re wondering why I went to all this length to tell you about how, as a young adult, I was obsessed with D&D. Well, that’s where the story really begins. It was all those late night, weekend long, D&D sessions that led to me writing my two novels, Forever Avalon and The Dark Tides.

I tell this story every time I’m interviewed about my novels, but I wanted to tell it one last time so everyone can understand where the ideas for my stories came from.

I always thought that I had a big imagination. As a teenager, I was creating my own superheroes and I originally wanted to be the next Stan Lee or Jack Kirby.

Playing D&D took it to a whole other level. As a Dungeon Master, I created whole worlds, ever-changing scenarios and formidable characters to challenge the players.

During my first deployment on the Forrestal, I was playing almost nightly, every day while off duty. At the same time, I was missing my wife and newborn baby girl terribly. It was the first time I was separated from family and it was heart-wrenching. That led to some seriously disturbing dreams.

I started dreaming about being stranded on a deserted island; an island filled with the magical fantasy found in D&D. Soon, my wife ended up on the island with me and we had to survive and adapt to living there together.

Over the years, as my children grew, they started to invade my dream. I had that same dream nightly, whenever I was underway, at-sea, away from home; even though I stopped playing D&D altogether in the 90s.

One of the strange things was that, in my dream, I found myself living as one of my best characters I ever created in D&D, a half-elf, chaotic good, fighter/thief/magic user called Luna Moonstone. It was that character that started it all.

After my last deployment in 2001, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, I decided to start writing the dream down and developing it into a story. It took me almost five years to finish my first novel, Forever Avalon, but I did it. I based the Drake family on my own and the rest just fell into place.

After I finished writing Forever Avalon, the dream ended. I haven’t had the dream since then. There was a purpose behind the dream, super-charged by an imagination fueled by D&D and the separation of a family. This is what gave birth to the world of Forever Avalon. I know I can continue the story for everyone to enjoy the adventures of Lord Bryan MoonDrake, the Gil-Gamesh, and his family.

The main thing I wanted to say, through all of this, is that whatever your inspiration is, follow your dream and it will be there for you.

Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

Five things I’ve learned about self-publishing

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self-publishing-in-india-whySelf-publishing my novels has been a learning experience for me, and I will admidt an expensive one. Between my two books, “Forever Avalon” and “The Dark Tides,” I’ve put out a little over $10,000 in publishing, travel expenses, setting up book signings, a publicist and more. To some people, that’s probably right up there with people spending thousands of dollars on extreme Christmas decorations or collecting Ty Beanie Babies.

I have to admidt, it wasn’t an easy decision for me either. As much as I love writing, I know that publishing these books has to be beneficial for me and my family, not just a boost for my ego. I honestly believed that my stories about the world of Forever Avalon can and would bring that financial success to me. That’s why I decided to self-publish.

When I first started the process of finding someone to publish my book, it was a completely different story. I honestly thought that once someone read my manuscript, I would get that call, sign with an agent and be able to retire, spending my days writing about the things I love. However, that wasn’t how it happened. Rejection letter after rejection letter showed me I had a lot to learn. If I wanted to see my story in print, I’d have to pay for it myself.

So what did I learn from this experience? First and foremost, be prepared for the expense of self-publishing. If it’s something you truly believe in and want to pursue, be prepared for the cost. There are a lot of little expenses you don’t realize once you start down that road. I’m talking travel expenses, book signings, advertising and publicity, not to mention editorial changes and corrections. In the end, they all add up.

Second, don’t rely on spellcheck when editing your book. Most self-publishers don’t edit your novel unless you pay per word. I missed so many errors in my first book I had them pull it to make the corrections before re-issuing it. This then falls back to the extra costs I talked about before. When you’re doing this on your own, you’re not going to catch every mistake, so make sure you have an extra set of eyes looking over your manuscript.

Third, pick a good publisher. There are many companies out there for self publishing, but the best ones are associated with big name publishers and offer a large variety of services, not just formatting your manuscript and slapping a cover on it. Do your research and you can find the publisher that fits you best.

Number four, patience is a must in self-publishing. I found myself checking numbers and sales each and every day. You can’t delude yourself into thinking that your book will be an overnight success, selling millions of copies in the first month. You’re one book in a world where thousands of books are published each and every year. You have to find your niche and hope they like it.

Last but not least, never give up on yourself or your book. Being a writer isn’t easy and, for those of us working hard at our craft, it takes a lot of dedication and practice, practice, practice. Keep writing and believe in yourself and your novel. As my wife always tells me, “Put your faith in God and the rest will fall into place.”

Faith and family, that’s what it’s all about.

Creating the world of Forever Avalon

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It’s easy to create something when you’ve got such a great subject to work with. I remember watching movies like “The Adventures of Robin Hood”, “Excalibur” and the first animated version of “The Hobbit” as a teenager. Right then and there, I was hooked on swords and sorcery, fantasy and adventure. I grew even more enamored when “Dragonslayer” came out in 1981. I saw that movie over and over again when it was first released. The special effects for the dragon were remarkable.

The world of Forever Avalon might have come from long, sleepless nights of Dungeons & Dragons, but it was built on something that already had a mythology. The story of King Arthur, Merlin, Morgana le Fay and the Knights of the Round Table was steeped in legend across time in many different cultures.

It was in those myths and legends that I came up with the concept behind the series … What happened next? They say there is always fact somewhere behind the myth, and that led me to one simple question: Why doesn’t magic exist in our world anymore?

Of course, the answer is because it now exists on Avalon. When King Arthur died, Merlin saw this as an end to the “Age of Magic” in our world, but magic was all he’d ever know. He had to take precautions to keep magic and those “touched” by magic (dragons, Elves, Dwarves, etc.) alive forever.

This is where my story begins, with Merlin using his powers to bring everything magical to the island of Avalon. Now I know that in most mythology, England is considered Avalon, or more specifically Wales. That may be, but my Avalon had to be somewhere separate from the real world. So I created Avalon as an island unto itself.

I have to admit that by doing this, I am cheating a little. Instead of creating an entirely new world like the Westeros in Game of Thrones or Middle Earth in The Hobbit, I’m using one that already existed. I think of this as more of a comfort for readers, making it easier for them to immerse themselves into the story without needing a lot of back story to fill in the gaps.

Plus, you add to it the many different cultures and interpretations of a single mythological creature and you come up with hundreds of varieties to choose from. Lord Bryan MoonDrake, the Gil-Gamesh, is a DragonMage and Lord of Dragons. In researching this part for my novels, I discovered thousands of varieties of dragons from every corner of the planet.

This is why I built my world of Forever Avalon and The Dark Tides around established mythologies. People from India, African, Scandinavia and anywhere else in Europe will find something they can relate to in my novels. To me, a world of magic, Avalon is a refuge for all types of magical birds, beasts and dark dwellers.

Take a step into the world of Forever Avalon and I know you will find something in there just for you!

The magic behind the “Forever Avalon” series

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“Imagination is the beginning of creation,” according to George Bernard Shaw. Where does the imagination begin and where will it take you next? For me, it started with a game.

I began playing Dungeons and Dragons in college in the early 1980s. I had always been interested in medieval fantasy, magic and the supernatural and this was an opportunity to escape the monotony of college and work by spending long weekends doing nothing but ordering pizza, drinking beer and playing D&D with my friends.

I took my books and dice with me when I joined the Navy in 1983. I found many Sailors who played and we formed a tight-knit group, playing on off-duty hours in whatever space we could find, from the mess decks to an aircraft elevator maintenance room.

This is where the Forever Avalon series began. It started as a recurring dream. I was a young Sailor, separated from his new wife and child by thousands of miles of ocean. When you combine that with 16 hour workdays and 3-4 hours of D&D, it can lead to troubled sleep.

I started having these dreams about falling overboard in a storm and finding myself on an island of medieval magic and fantasy and trying to survive in this new world. Eventually, my family came into in my dreams, as a way of bringing me closer to them during the long deployments at sea. It seemed like every time I went to sea, the dream was right there with me. Even after I stopped playing D&D, I still had the dream throughout my 23 year career in the Navy.

My last deployment was in 2001 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was then I decided to start writing it down. It was a long process, putting together the dream as one story.

I used my family as inspiration for the Drake family in Forever Avalon. Their unique personalities, quirks and mannerisms made it easy to create these characters. Lord Bryan MoonDrake, the Gil-Gamesh, was based on the last character I played in D&D. He was a Half-Elf Fighter/Thief/Magic User who wielded two swords, wore a cloak of invisibility with many pockets that acted like a “Bag of Holding” and a dragon as a familiar. This was the beginning of Forever Avalon.

I also wanted to fit my story into a mythology that was familiar to people. That’s when I decided to incorporate the Authurian legend of Avalon, Merlin, Percival and Excalibur, taking a “what happened next” approach in the mythos. This completed my book and, to tell you the truth, once I finish my first novel, the dreams went away and I never had it again.

After I published Forever Avalon in 2009, I immediately started writing my next book in the series. I originally wanted to do a prequel, to tell the story of Bryan MoonDrake’s life on Avalon before his family arrived, but my heart wasn’t into it. I wanted to continue the story where I left off. So I took the pages I already wrote for the prequel and used them as flashback sequences to help tell the story of The Dark Tides.

Like the title says, “Avalon is forever” and I want to continue telling the story of the MoonDrake family wherever it will take me.