Sugarplump, December 25th, 2007

I wanted to show you that I support your skill in writing your book(s). I wanted to offer some advice and inspiration. I have noticed lots of our favorite writers all found inspiration in their own lives with things they just could not change, or may have felt powerless over.

C.S. Lewis took the reality of Jesus and the World Wars and combined them in his own fantasy. (Narnia)

J.R. Tolkien took the fears and events of the wars and made a happy ending in his. (Guess what book?)

Tell me, if these realites in this book were in your own head...

-What would you change?
-How would you fight back?
-If our world and personal lives were in your head, what would it look like, what would you change, who would you help, who would help you, who would be considered strong?

I'm certainly not suggesting that you escape life to fantasy.

But couldn't you tell lots of reality WITH fantasy?

I KNOW you could.

You have a great gift and skill that some people would kill for. Use it to your fullest, and always remember Jesus first.

From your first real fan,

Snookms

P.S. I love you.



I found this in my stocking for Christmas last year, rolled up like a wizard's spell casting scroll, scribbled on a very jaggedly cut piece of Christmas wrapping paper, taped to a copy of the book "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Out of all the gifts I received from Snookms throughout our 12+years of relationship, this has been the one that speaks to me the loudest. I keep it rolled up in it's original scroll form on a book/dvd shelf in my room, right next to our bed, and I'll be damned if it doesn't work like a real magickal spell, casting demons out in it's name, scaring away the doubts and fears that linger within my own sometimes tortured soul.

Maybe Snookms didn't graduate. Hell, he barely made it through the 10th grade, he had so much tragedy lined up against him in his life, having to battle the trauma of undiagnosed OCD all throughout his childhood well into his teens, as well as living life with an alchoholic father who could barely even be there for his own god-damned self much less anyone else. Having to live day in a day out with all the other personal struggles he and his family had to work out for themselves, dreams such as graduating with his high school class had to be abandoned in the name of other priorities that took more precedence over his life than what one would would dare to call "aspirations".

But this guy, the one who was struggling to stay awake in 2nd period algebra, the one who seemed like Satan himself wouldn't have a thing to do with, was the one who penned this mighty piece of inspiration. He didn't need a college degree, or some high school diploma to accomplish all the awesome things he's done throughout his life. Just a willingness to love, and open his heart up for that love to be returned. More again, pointed in the way of "God's not looking for ability. He's looking for availability."

And yes, he still calls me "Sugarplump".