Painting Leaves and Other Pastimes

Autumn is right at a month away…September 22nd, according to Google, so I’m getting a jump on things. Right?

I know. Not really. I’ve been quiet lately, as I work on things. Both Ravaged Earth and Karthador made their premiere at Gen Con for Savage Worlds, letting the world know we still have love for that most excellent system. I gotta tell you, working on that while also playing catch up on the tremulus line has been exhausting (to say the least). Plus there is the whole real private life of yours truly which has been expanding beyond just the keyboard.  So, quite honestly, summer’s end comes a bit early.

Autumn is a time for change, a time for reflection, a time for harvesting all the work that’s been put into the past year. We have to pause and look back at all the good stuff we’ve done, all the friends we’ve made, all the sacrifices we’ve made, to build some diversions, to add to our catalog of good works. We’ll harvest what we can and not let the fields grow fallow. There’s more work to be done, my friends. There is always more work to be done. However, there also comes a time to recognize the necessity for a bit of balance. That all work and no play makes Sean dull or, even worse, seriously unwell, and I, for one, don’t want to walk that path again, so I’ve been making some fundamental lifestyle changes as I try to take the middle path, a path where good work is done, and time with friends, family, and loved ones is treasured and cherished.  A close friend recently told me that “Life’s too short.” and I’ve been too caught up in the writing to stop and smell the roses. I think it’s okay to do so. It’s healthy. It’s natural. What’s more, it’s needed, and it won’t compromise the work that’s done. And the work yet to do, I am, as ever, diligently burning daylight crafting the remaining supplemental bits of tremulus. (And, yes, tremulus shall be broadly available in some form or fashion quite soon, I assure you.)

For example, I went walking/hiking with a friend of mine out in Collierville over the weekend and you can be certain some of the cypress swamps I saw shall certainly inform my future works. I can summon up that image with my mind’s eye and craft it into something quite suitable for a chilling evening of dark diversions.

Without light, there is no shadow. Without pain, no pleasure. Well, I’m certain you can see where I’m coming from.

I have long been drawing upon my life experiences to inform my works to good effect. Now, as I further refine my craft, I shall fill those other hours with pastimes and diversions once more, building more memories from which to draw upon, whether I’m engaged in a game of billiards, listening to a live band, or, perhaps, painting leaves, I’m excited once more to see what the future holds.

Until next time, I bid you, dear reader, adieu!