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)

My very short FAQ list

Now that I am getting a little buzz (a little is a lot better than none) about my books I am finding that many people are asking me the same questions. I really appreciate the comments and questions so please keep them coming. But to help people that may have questions about my books I decided to write a quick FAQ blog.
#1) What is the intended audience for the Gruff series?
While I wrote the Gruff series without any graphic nudity and vulgar language, there are still some subject matters and words that young kids will not understand and there are some subjects that kids will not experience until much older. A ten-year old picking up Gruff will not have to have his eyes washed out with soap. That's not at all what I'm saying. The Gruff series is about a man's quest to acheive what he was called to do. This quest involves war, love, hate, and evil enemies. I tried very hard to be as descriptive as possible when writing the scenes and circumstances in this series. Kids can read it but I don't want the parents of these kids to be caught off guard by some things in these books. Gruff is not the story of a cute and cuddly Elf living in a tree and making cookies. Gruff is a 6'2" warrior with a lot of foolish enemies seeking to test him and his skills. Life lessons are taught through this series but they are not always depicted with smiley faces and sing-a-longs. For these reasons I suggest the Gruff series for teens to adults. You can read the synopsis for every book in the Gruff series on my website http://www.alexteralbury.com/.

#2) What is Recipe of a Man about?
Recipe of a Man is a short collection of poetry, short stories, and vignettes. They are samples of my work that range from high school to the present. I thought about altering some of my adolescent work but I decided against it. I was young, naive, and immature about a lot of things I wrote in high school but that was the person I was at that time (15 years ago...Ouch!). I have grown and matured since my teen years but my younger days need to speak as I once was. Recipe of a Man is my progression as a person and as a writer. Read it as it is, just remember that each poem and story was written at certain times of my life and at different ages. The stages of my life are randomly scattered in Recipe of a Man. I'll let you decipher the current me for yourself. By the way, I give this the teen to adult rating too. This ain't Dr. Suess!

#3) Where can I buy your books?
My books are only available online at the moment. You can purchase them through my site, my publishers sites, and most major book suppliers.

#4) What else do you write?
Everyone knows that I love sci-fi, anime, and comics so naturally I tend to write a lot of stories like these. But I also write poetry, screenplays, and fiction. Not everything that I write will involve super powers, aliens or enchanted creatures. There are many sides to my persona. I try to take care of all of them. I hope that last statement doesn't make me sound like I have multiple personalities because we don't. I am working on a book of my art that will be sort of a coffee table book. Look for that one near Christmas. (Hint Hint)

I'm sure that I missed a couple of questions. Feel free to ask me anything about me or my work in person or through email. I love you guys and thanks for the support!    

Buy the book

I'm happy to let everyone know that Gruff: Rising Sons is now ready for order through my publisher Lulu. It is also available as a digital download from Lulu and Amazon. It will take about 6-8 weeks for it to be available through the other online book retail stores. I am very excited! It's great to see the finished product. All of the months of hard work paid off. I would also like to thank everyone for their support and comments. Many of you have been asking me for months if my book was finished. Now you can stop asking. It's ready for you to enjoy and I hope you do just that. This will be the last in the Gruff series for a while. I have other projects that I need to complete. But my mind is already creating another story for the series. That will be a few years from now though. I'm very busy these days on various projects. As they are finished I will let everyone know about them. Until then...enjoy the blog and the book.

STEP OUT OF THE BOAT

Some of my greatest breakthroughs and moments have come shortly after uncomfortable or challenging changes in my life. These times are uncertain and the paths they lead me to are often veiled by unknown circumstances and future possibilities. I am a creature of habit. I like things to be well-planned and organized. I don't like unexpected changes at all! Not being in control of my life or current situation really throws me off. I am in one of those life-changing spells. But ironically it is something that I prayed for. God has answered my prayers but it requires my obedience-real faith. I have learned from experience that it is crucial to listen when the Lord speaks. Disobedience doesn't always mean pain and suffering. Disobedience can simply be a missed blessing. I dislike missing blessings far more than I dislike change. So now I must be obedient to what God has spoken. It is an answered prayer that requires me to leave my comfort zone. To have what He has clearly promised I must step out on faith. My faith is not a safety net that I pull out to rescue me from a terrible fall. I don't intend on falling. I wont fall! My faith is a rock that can't be moved. It is a foundation that is grounded on God's word. Times may be changing but God will receive the glory when His work in me is done. I am encouraged by the scriptures during this time. In Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus' disciples witness him walking on water. Peter steps out of the boat to join his master only after first getting Jesus' word on the matter. Peter walks on the water just as Jesus told him he could. Peter only had trouble when he took his eyes off the Lord and began focusing on the crashing waves around him. But even after a brief lack of faith, Peter was rescued by the hand of Jesus. This scripture is my encouragement to see this miracle through. I have stepped out of the boat and I will not look at the rough seas around me. My focus is on God and the word that He gave me.

Has God given you a word? Has He given you an answer to your prayers? Remember that He is faithful and he has only good plans for you. If He has given you a word, be obedient and act on it. Step out of the boat!