Grandchildren Are Cool

Grandchildren allow the elderly to appreciate that the family line continues. They are a legacy.

When I was casting around in my head for children’s characters when writing The Wise Ass, I figured why not incorporate the grandkids. That way, if it just ended up just collecting dust in a drawer, at least they would find it and hopefully understand that “The Dude” (my grandfatherly moniker, I refuse to answer to any name with “Grand” in it), was thinking about them and included them in a strange story he once wrote.

Now working from the top photo you have my grandson, Lucian, and then left to right, granddaughters Stella (with the halo), Scarlett and Savanna. They were all just the right age when I was writing TWA for me to poach their looks and personalities and incorporate them into the storylines.

Now, at the time I wrote TWA, Stella was not yet around. In fact, she was still in utero (and identified as such in the AAA acknowledgement) when I wrote An Alien Appeal.

And since I had given major roles to the rest of the grandkids – even more so in Where The Ley Lines Meet – I knew I had to go big or go home when it came to incorporating Stella into the mix. MINOR SPOILER ALERT – So Stella became the first Centauri hybrid child raised on earth along with her hybrid half-brother, Apollo. Now I just need to get my kids to have another baby and name it Apollo (c’mon guys, even a middle name will do). Apollonia will work in a pinch. Should that fail to happen, then I named Apollo after my DWC senior year in high school homeroom and English teacher, Apollo Dorian, who was a eccentric character who wore a salt-and-pepper bowl haircut and a David Niven moustache and who had this wonderful trick of lifting his leg like a dog to pee on your desk if you did something to displease him. So, children, get to work.

Now Scarlett and Savanna had been major catalysts from the outset with the introduction of of the young foal Claire into the story, they taught her a most charming skill, and Lucian had been a major catalyst in the introduction of the now adult Claire and Jimmy. Stella had to be another bridge in the storyline – so she becomes a major one in Kissing My Ass Goodbye. She bridges two worlds and two races. She makes Wonder Woman look like a carnival act.

Anyway, by the time Where The Ley Lines Meet arrives, MINOR SPOILER ALERT, all those kids are adults, with their own special abilities and characteristics, and all play a major role in the story line, and bridge the ending of one series with the possible beginning of a whole new series (assuming Hollywood hears about The Claire Saga and pays me enough money to allow me to just write for a living).

So, for the same reason I included my friends and family members into this epic story, that hopefully will still be floating around when we have left the dust behind for a whole new energy form, I included my grandchildren in the storylines to help carry it forward. That’s what family generations do.

And maybe when readers of the future are enjoying the intergalactic and interdimensional interactions with action, adventure, myth and magic interwoven throughout, some fine literary scholar will have dug up these blogs and written about how all the characters throughout the distance in time and storylines, are all based on real people that are part of a six degrees of separation matrix with the author.

At least I hope that my family line, starting with my grandchildren’s generation, and those lateral relations that will claim through the family lines of my four siblings, and our lesbian Clan matriarch(s), Veronica (and b), who directly influenced their grandnieces and grandnephews since birth, will enjoy mentioning it at future family Christmas parties and weddings.

Anything beyond that is gravy.

If you haven’t quite figured it out yet, I am thrilled with my family and adore my grandchildren.

I also love all of my friends.

And, when it is all said and done, that is all that matters. That’s why we are here. To love and leave a little bit of us behind to be fondly remembered by the future generations.

The Claire Saga is now a bit of a reference book.

Well, the dawn approaches, so it’s time to get moving.

You fine, five readers get out there and let Thursday help wrap up your work week a little early. Hanukkah is winding down and Christmas is rapidly approaching.

The focus should be on family and merriment, not careers.

So have that second cuppa and get out there.

I’m going to go cuddle some kitties and make my rounds.

And let us all remember to make today a great one.