A couple weeks ago, a BryonySeries fan suggested I write a prequel to the Ed Calkins Steward of Tara, Irish vampire character.
I felt only Ed himself should write it and told her so. Then I suggested the idea to Ed, who said he'd "think about it."
A few says ago, while checking personal email during my walk home from work, I received this "telegram" from the Steward himself.
Dear Momi,
I've started something I could finish but I don't want to go any further if I'm on the wrong track. This is a rough draft. At this point I only what to know if this is the first chapter, would you read the second.
Attached was the first chapter, which I read.
Then I went onto the second telegram:
Another rough draft maybe chapter two.
My question here is; do you care about Trudy and would you read chapter three?
I read chapter two and then replied, "Definitely!"
Here's what makes this remarkable, even if you're a first-time reader of this blog and have no idea (or even care) who Ed Calkins is.
Ed's been writing stories for over five decades and making up stories about himself for probably just as long. He's dyslexic and scatterbrained (his own admission). His computers have crashed and taken his stories with him.
All of which I incorporated into my books, using Ed's own words.
All of which I incorporated into my books, using Ed's own words.
“Have you
stopped to consider what’s fair to me? Do you know what it’s like to have
stories bursting inside of you, only to hand-deliver, since I was a lad,
newspapers full of other people’s stories, and not be able to put the right
words down on paper? I’m so dyslexic and scatterbrained, even spell-check
doesn’t recognize my words.”
“I
don’t care,” John-Peter began, but Ed continued as if he hadn’t spoken.
“So, I wind up changing the word to get past spell
check, but when I keep writing that way, I kill the story. I keep trying,
because I can’t stop writing, yet, on the other hand, I can’t finish anything.
My life is full of half-begun novels. I couldn’t even finish one about
Hannibal, my hero, foe of Rome !
So, in high school, I switched to poetry, but it never sounded like any of the
poetry I ever read.”
When I fictionalized him for the BryonySeries, I gave Ed space on my blog, starting back in 2010 when I started the blog. He's written nonsensical Irish humor based on my books ever since.
This includes my "Irish genealogy."
BTW, I am not Irish.
Two years ago, I took that collection of genealogical blogs and published a book for a Calkins Day celebration (there's a whole back story to this, too much for this post) at the Book and Bean Cafe in Joliet.
I didn't tell Ed. He was extremely touched. I didn't know his lifelong dream was to see something he'd written published.
I ordered 40 books. We sold all about 11 at that event. I cut him a royalty check and sent him on his way with the rest of the books.
For Calkins Day 2019, we held a limerick slam at the cafe. The following day when I talked to the cafe's owner, she suggested partnering with me to host Calkins Day 2020.
And she had some very particular ideas about the event.
Ed's work-in-progress, which is very well-written for a first draft, will fit very nicely with her plans.
Which means he needs to get it written, so I can edit it, publish it, and order copies before the end of January.
It is no small thing to help make someone's dream come true. That's the point of this post.
I'm humbled to be part of it. I'm grateful to the BryonySeries fan for suggesting it.
Most people don't have other people investing in their dreams. Their dreams live and die with them.
But how wonderful if we could change that!
