Meet Tigger. This big guy is always ready to flash a big, toothy smile, especially at mealtime.

 

Look at that giant, toothy grin.  He’s sure happy to see you!  He’s looking for a treat or two (or ten), so that’s what this stinky bucket of slimy deliciousness is for.  Tigger has a huge appetite, and he’ll eat anything that fits in that giant mouth of his.  Even dinosaurs if one of them decides to go for a swim.  (you heard right, dinos can swim, we have tracks to prove it)

Now when I say dinosaurs, I don’t mean swimming critters like Tigger.  If you want the nitty gritty on what a dinosaur is or isn’t, you can quiz yourself on “Which One is the Dinosaur?”. 🙂  But even though Tigger wouldn’t mind a dino snack on occasion, it wasn’t usually on the menu, since he has plenty of turtles, squid, ammonites (think squid with a snail shell), fish, and marine reptiles to chomp on.

I say marine reptiles, because that’s what this big guy is.  Tigger isn’t a dinosaur at all, but a pliosaur.  In fact, his species, Pliosaurus, named his whole group!

The other marine reptiles swimming around here are ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs.  My little girl calls them “icky-saurs” and “pleasy-saurs”. 😛

 

 

 

Making progress…

 

I’m this close to finishing Dippy vs. Ball!

Everything is complete, and now I’m just handing it over to family members to help me do bug checks, inconsistency edits, etc.  It’s always helpful to have fresh eyes to make sure something glaringly obvious isn’t missed. 🙂

Once that is done, and I finish prepping a few things on the back end, then we’re all set to launch!  Oh my gosh, I don’t know if I’m super excited or scared stiff to actually be putting something out there.  A combo of both! 😛

Having a tiny 14 page ebook may not seem like much, especially to more experienced authors out there, but to me it’s a huge leap.  For me, it’ll be the first step in a long journey.

I know that telling stories and drawing pictures is no fast track to success, but I’m in this for the long haul.  I’m not looking to be an overnight sensation (or seemingly overnight), or even as successful as J. K. Rowling (though of course that would be amazing), but I can work to make this little business profitable while still having time to be fully present with my family.  Something that’ll help support my family, and give my dear Hubby the freedom to pursue the career he wants as well.

Of course, writing for me isn’t just about financial longevity either. (it’s just smart for a total noob like me to choose something popular and marketable, like dinosaurs)  But I’m also quite passionate about what I write about.

Like the fact that our place in this world has a purpose, and that this life and world we live in are beautiful beyond measure, and speak of something beyond what we see on the surface.  That we can see this not just in the present day, but also in the past.  Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals were just as beautiful, crazy, and wonderful as the animals we have today.  Their ecosystems just as complex…and it’s all a part of this amazing universe.

For me, seeing the wonder of our universe is greatly humbling, but even more important to me is the beauty of human nature.  It is the beautiful thing about storytelling (in pictures and in words) that I can explore the things that cut to the core of what it means to be human, and we can go through this journey together.

My readers will (hopefully) reach the end of our journey transformed in some way.  Maybe your day is just a little brighter, or perhaps something resonates deeper and you see the world differently…

But first thing’s first.  I have a grand legacy in mind, but it all begins with the first baby steps.

With this first 14 page ebook, and the first 99 cents.

Coming Next Week…

This swimmer likes a game of hide and seek, can you find her? 🙂

Share your guess in the comments! She’ll be one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂