This time of year can get a little daunting; Trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for a child, hoping it will not be a duplicate or be the one that gets tossed aside and forgotten. I have been in that position before and it gets a bit discouraging when it happens often.

I have found “Adventures of The Bunny Baron:Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” to be a great gift idea. The Bunny Baron is a fun, short, insightful experience for kids and even adults. It is light-hearted story about kindness, helping others, turing bad dreams into good dreams, and following your own dreams. With all the bad things we hear in the news, a fun, uplifting story is a great way to put a smile on someone’s face. The Bunny Baron can easily be purchased at Amazon.com.  It is also available at createspace.com.

I have been working on the concept for the “bad guy” in the newest Bunny Baron story.  I decided on the final sketch and wanted to give a peek of the newest bad guy, Lumber Jack. You may notice he looks a lot like the mean old Captain Barnacle…Correct! My idea is that the “bad” character will be constant throughout the series, but will be outfitted to fit the story, and have a different name.

In this story, the bad guy, Lumber Jack is dressed in a red flannel shirt with black suspenders. His hat is a flannel and fur trapper hat to protect himself from the cold northern climate. To finish off his rugged look, Lumber Jack grew out his beard and is ready to chop down some trees.

In my next post, I  will add a short sneak peek of the story itself.  I am still in the editing phase of it, but It will all come together soon. Thanks for keeping up with the Bunny Baron!

Dream Big!

I’m so happy you get a chance to follow your dreams!

This is exciting news! The greatest thing since sliced bread! 😉 can’t wait!

I am so excited to see the next Bunny Barron story!!!

Today marks the day for which I am hoping to be a new direction. A new direction that will give me more time to focus on things I have been neglecting for way too long. For the past two years I have been very deeply engrossed in my day-to-day job. The stress that I put on myself to meet deadlines, get jobs done, and do all of my random work is very high. When I get home, my focus is on family and I don’t want to separate myself to work on other projects…until now.

I was given the opportunity to work a four-day work week. At first I was hesitant, wondering if I could do everything I need to do in four days. After thinking about it, it was clearly the right decision. Being given an extra “weekend” day opens up endless opportunities.  I am very excited. I am going to blog more. I am going to work on the long awaited sequal to the Bunny Barron series. I will work on videos from our last two vacations. I am most excited to work on the new Bunny Barron book. I have been asked by many people when the sequal will come out. My answer is always…I’m not sure.

This is my chance to do something, to focus on my dreams.

This is my chance to make it happen!

Dream Big!

Following every blog post, book signing, or any other thing to do with my writing, I end with two words that are very inspiring to me; “Dream Big.”  I have been thinking about these two words what they actually mean to me. Everyone has dreams, whether they are dreams for the distant future, or even dreams for the near future.  It is up to each of us to make our “dreams” come true.  It all depends on how much we want it and what we are willing to do to make it happen.

I have many dreams and aspirations.  My dreams are goals that I set for myself.  Some dreams are big; Some dreams are small.  Whatever they may be, I always try to do my best to accomplish them.  Many of my dreams have already become a reality, which feels like an amazing success.  At the opposite end of that spectrum, I have many dreams and goals I have yet to accomplish.  Knowing that I haven’t accomplished such goals sometimes makes me frustrated, but it just makes me work even harder.  I often times find myself making new dreams, or just adding more steps and benchmarks to current ones to make them bigger and better.

For many years, I have had my story  “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” written.  It took a long time for me to put my mind towards my final goal of getting it published.  I ran into many road blocks along the way which made me lose track.  After being off that track for a while, suddenly, something would spark inspiration inside of me and make me get back to it.  In 2013, I finally reached my goal.  I self-published “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.”  My dream was completed…or was it?  No, it was only the beginning of a much more complex, more ambitious dream which I had really only scratched the surface of.  My dream and goals for “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge,” is to now get it “out there.”  I want  people to know who the Bunny Baron is, I want the Bunny Baron to become a household name.  My small dream has now expanded into something huge!  It will take time, persistence, and ambition on my part to achieve this next milestone.

So, what does “Dream Big” mean?  Set short term goals. Set long term goals.  Even if you may not be able to attain these goals, have something to strive for and something to keep moving you forward.  If you do reach these goals, don’t stop there.  Make yourself more goals to hit.  It is always a great feeling when you accomplish a dream.  Never stop dreaming…Dream Big.

Thinking about my own dreams and goals, I created the following list:

My current dreams:

1). Get out of Wisconsin and move to a warmer climate where I can enjoy the outdoors all year-round.

2). Continue working on the “Bunny Baron” series and get more stories published.

3). Work on SEO for my website so I can have a larger audience and be successful selling my stories.

4). Have my books become a business to support my family.

5). Branch out of the “Bunny Baron” books and expand my portfolio with different types of stories.

6). Continue going on vacations with my wife and experiencing the world.

This is only a short list of many dreams I have for myself.  I feel it is a broad spectrum of short term dreams and long term dreams.  This list of goals is a great visual for myself to see what I want to do, and is a great way to keep on track.  I will continue trying my hardest to make each and every one of them come true.

Dream Big!

Following every blog post, book signing, or any other thing to do with my writing, I end with two words that are very inspiring to me; “Dream Big.”  I have been thinking about these two words what they actually mean to me. Everyone has dreams, whether they are dreams for the distant future, or even dreams for the near future.  It is up to each of us to make our “dreams” come true.  It all depends on how much we want it and what we are willing to do to make it happen.

I have many dreams and aspirations.  My dreams are goals that I set for myself.  Some dreams are big; Some dreams are small.  Whatever they may be, I always try to do my best to accomplish them.  Many of my dreams have already become a reality, which feels like an amazing success.  At the opposite end of that spectrum, I have many dreams and goals I have yet to accomplish.  Knowing that I haven’t accomplished such goals sometimes makes me frustrated, but it just makes me work even harder.  I often times find myself making new dreams, or just adding more steps and benchmarks to current ones to make them bigger and better.

For many years, I have had my story  “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” written.  It took a long time for me to put my mind towards my final goal of getting it published.  I ran into many road blocks along the way which made me lose track.  After being off that track for a while, suddenly, something would spark inspiration inside of me and make me get back to it.  In 2013, I finally reached my goal.  I self-published “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.”  My dream was completed…or was it?  No, it was only the beginning of a much more complex, more ambitious dream which I had really only scratched the surface of.  My dream and goals for “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge,” is to now get it “out there.”  I want  people to know who the Bunny Baron is, I want the Bunny Baron to become a household name.  My small dream has now expanded into something huge!  It will take time, persistence, and ambition on my part to achieve this next milestone.

So, what does “Dream Big” mean?  Set short term goals. Set long term goals.  Even if you may not be able to attain these goals, have something to strive for and something to keep moving you forward.  If you do reach these goals, don’t stop there.  Make yourself more goals to hit.  It is always a great feeling when you accomplish a dream.  Never stop dreaming…Dream Big.

Thinking about my own dreams and goals, I created the following list:

My current dreams:

1). Get out of Wisconsin and move to a warmer climate where I can enjoy the outdoors all year-round.

2). Continue working on the “Bunny Baron” series and get more stories published.

3). Work on SEO for my website so I can have a larger audience and be successful selling my stories.

4). Have my books become a business to support my family.

5). Branch out of the “Bunny Baron” books and expand my portfolio with different types of stories.

6). Continue going on vacations with my wife and experiencing the world.

This is only a short list of many dreams I have for myself.  I feel it is a broad spectrum of short term dreams and long term dreams.  This list of goals is a great visual for myself to see what I want to do, and is a great way to keep on track.  I will continue trying my hardest to make each and every one of them come true.

Dream Big!

This past week, I was very happy to hear a heartwarming story about my own story, “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.”  I wanted to share it because it is very cute and uplifting.

Cannon K.’s elementary school has “secret reader” readings throughout the year.  This is where someone surprises the class and reads a book to everyone.  Clues are given to the class every day leading up the the end of the week, trying to get the class to figure out who the secret reader will be.

The clues were all issued, and the class had it determined that it was Cannon’s Dad, however, he was supposed to be in Chicago for the day.  The time came, and it was Cannon’s dad!  He was so happy  and so surprised!  Mr K. brought in “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” and read it aloud to the class.  It is one of Cannon’s favorite books and he was so happy to be able to share it with his class, and even better have his dad read it to everyone!  Not only did he treat everyone with the story, but Mr. K also brought in a healthy snack in honor of the pirate Captain Barnacle called “Pirates Booty.”

It is always a great treat for me to hear how well received my stories are and how people like to share them with others.  They are obviously intended to be liked, but it is great to be able to see them “in action.”  Thank you Cannon and Mr. K for sharing your great story with me.

Dream Big!

This past week, I was very happy to hear a heartwarming story about my own story, “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.”  I wanted to share it because it is very cute and uplifting.

Cannon K.’s elementary school has “secret reader” readings throughout the year.  This is where someone surprises the class and reads a book to everyone.  Clues are given to the class every day leading up the the end of the week, trying to get the class to figure out who the secret reader will be.

The clues were all issued, and the class had it determined that it was Cannon’s Dad, however, he was supposed to be in Chicago for the day.  The time came, and it was Cannon’s dad!  He was so happy  and so surprised!  Mr K. brought in “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” and read it aloud to the class.  It is one of Cannon’s favorite books and he was so happy to be able to share it with his class, and even better have his dad read it to everyone!  Not only did he treat everyone with the story, but Mr. K also brought in a healthy snack in honor of the pirate Captain Barnacle called “Pirates Booty.”

It is always a great treat for me to hear how well received my stories are and how people like to share them with others.  They are obviously intended to be liked, but it is great to be able to see them “in action.”  Thank you Cannon and Mr. K for sharing your great story with me.

People have been asking, and I am pleased to announce that “Bunny Baron 2″ is on its way!  The story is already written; I may need to do some editing, but I think it will have a great positive message.  It is now time for me to do the illustrations.  This is something that took me quite a long time to do in the first book because I drew everything by hand, from the sketching to the coloring.  Coming into the second book, I wanted to make it bigger and better.  I also wanted to streamline the process so I can deliver a great quality story faster than I was able to before.

I decided that I am going to draw my illustrations for “Bunny Baron 2″ digitally.  I gathered up the tools I need with the guidance of a good friend.  I purchased a copy of Corel Painter X3 which will be my drawing platform.  Obviously, there will be a learning curve, but I know I can do it!  I also purchased a Wacom Intuos touch tablet. This will be my “pen and paper.”  I am ready for the new “digital age,” and I am prepared to begin putting these new tools to use and create the Bunny Baron and all of his friends in a new digital perspective. I am so excited to begin this new digital experience.  I will keep everyone posted on the progression of “Bunny Baron 2″ and hopefully in the not too distant future, it will be finished!

Dream Big!

People have been asking, and I am pleased to announce that “Bunny Baron 2″ is on its way!  The story is already written; I may need to do some editing, but I think it will have a great positive message.  It is now time for me to do the illustrations.  This is something that took me quite a long time to do in the first book because I drew everything by hand, from the sketching to the coloring.  Coming into the second book, I wanted to make it bigger and better.  I also wanted to streamline the process so I can deliver a great quality story faster than I was able to before.

I decided that I am going to draw my illustrations for “Bunny Baron 2″ digitally.  I gathered up the tools I need with the guidance of a good friend.  I purchased a copy of Corel Painter X3 which will be my drawing platform.  Obviously, there will be a learning curve, but I know I can do it!  I also purchased a Wacom Intuos touch tablet. This will be my “pen and paper.”  I am ready for the new “digital age,” and I am prepared to begin putting these new tools to use and create the Bunny Baron and all of his friends in a new digital perspective. I am so excited to begin this new digital experience.  I will keep everyone posted on the progression of “Bunny Baron 2″ and hopefully in the not too distant future, it will be finished!

Adventures of the Bunny Baron is now available on Apple’s iBooks Bookstore!  Experience the Bunny Baron and Captain Barnacle in digital form in an easy-to-read format on your iPad, iPod, or iPhone.  Vibrant colors and creative illustrations pop off the screen.  Enhanced with animated page-turns, Adventures of the Bunny Baron has never been more fun to read!

Dream Big!

Adventures of the Bunny Baron is now available on Apple’s iBooks Bookstore!  The official release date is not until February 22nd, but it is now available to pre-order.  Experience the Bunny Baron and Captain Barnacle in digital form in an easy-to-read format on your iPad, iPod, or iPhone.  Vibrant colors and creative illustrations pop off the screen.  Enhanced with animated page-turns, Adventures of the Bunny Baron has never been more fun to read!

Adventures of the Bunny Baron is now available on Apple’s iBooks Bookstore!  Experience the Bunny Baron and Captain Barnacle in digital form in an easy-to-read format on your iPad, iPod, or iPhone.  Vibrant colors and creative illustrations pop off the screen.  Enhanced with animated page-turns, Adventures of the Bunny Baron has never been more fun to read!

Along with his passion for writing, Kevin Willms also has a love for photography.  He likes to take pictures of beautiful sunsets, animals, stunning landscapes, and much more.  Kevin recently posted some of his favorite photos on Artist Rising.  Artist Rising is affiliated with art.com, allowing “rising artists” to showcase their paintings, photos, and other works of art.  Customers are able to purchase art and have it printed on photo paper or canvas, then have it mounted or framed.

Kevin is happy to be able to share his photos and art.  He hopes that whoever sees them gets immersed into the pictures and fall in love with them, just as he has.  To see all of Kevin’s Photos, visit his gallery at http://ar.art.com/shop/artist/70002/Kevin-Willms.htm     Or  click here

Dream Big!

Along with his passion for writing, Kevin Willms also has a love for photography.  He likes to take pictures of beautiful sunsets, animals, stunning landscapes, and much more.  Kevin recently posted some of his favorite photos on Artist Rising.  Artist Rising is affiliated with art.com, allowing “rising artists” to showcase their paintings, photos, and other works of art.  Customers are able to purchase art and have it printed on photo paper or canvas, then have it mounted or framed.

Kevin is happy to be able to share his photos and art.  He hopes that whoever sees them gets immersed into the pictures and fall in love with them, just as he has.  To see all of Kevin’s Photos, visit his gallery at http://ar.art.com/shop/artist/70002/Kevin-Willms.htm     Or  click here

Along with his passion for writing, Kevin Willms also has a love for photography.  He likes to take pictures of beautiful sunsets, animals, stunning landscapes, and much more.  Kevin recently posted some of his favorite photos on Artist Rising.  Artist Rising is affiliated with art.com, allowing “rising artists” to showcase their paintings, photos, and other works of art.  Customers are able to purchase art and have it printed on photo paper or canvas, then have it mounted or framed.

Kevin is happy to be able to share his photos and art.  He hopes that whoever sees them gets immersed into the pictures and fall in love with them, just as he has.  To see all of Kevin’s Photos, visit his gallery at http://ar.art.com/shop/artist/70002/Kevin-Willms.htm     Or  click here

Watching Disney movies growing up, I never knew the story of how “Disney” all began.  I never knew the hard times that Walt Disney overcame before he became a huge worldwide success.  At Walt Disney World in Florida, there is an attraction called “Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream.”  It is a walk-through attraction with over 400 artifacts featuring animation art, paintings, storyboards, photos, models, props, costumes and set pieces.  At the end of the tour, there is a 15 minute film hosted by Julie Andrews.  It was here, that I truly felt inspired to continue Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.  At one point, I felt too busy and didn’t have faith in myself to make it happen.  After watching this video, seeing the hard times and great times that Walt Disney himself went through and overcame, I knew I could do it.  It gave me new hope, and reassurance that no matter what happens, I wanted to finish my book, and I wanted the world to be able to read it!

I found a Biography on Walt Disney online and decided to add it to this post.  It follows Walt’s highs and lows early on in his career, including many things that I saw in the “One Man’s Dream” video.

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois.  He was one of five children, living in Marceline, Missouri.  His love for drawing started early, and as he got older, he began drawing, painting and selling pictures to neighbors and family friends.  In 1911, his family moved to Kansas City.

A few years later Walt Disney moved again and took drawing and photography classes at McKinley High School in Chicago.  There, he was a cartoonist for the school paper. At night, he also took courses at the Chicago Art Institute. When Disney was 16, he dropped out of school to join the army but was rejected for being underage.  Instead, he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France for a year.

Disney returned from France in 1919 and moved back to Kansas City to pursue a career as a newspaper artist.  His brother Roy got him a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio.  He met cartoonist Ubbe Iwerks.  From there, Disney worked at the Kansas City Film Ad Company, where he made commercials based on cutout animation.  Disney began experimenting with a camera, doing hand-drawn cell animation, and decided to open his own animation business.  His first employee was Fred Harmon from the ad company.

Walt and Harman made a deal with a local Kansas City theater to screen their cartoons, which they called Laugh-O-Grams. The cartoons were hugely popular, and Disney was able to acquire his own studio.  Laugh-O-Gram hired a number of employees, including Harman’s brother Hugh and Ubbe Iwerks. They did a series of seven-minute fairy tales that combined both live action and animation, which they called Alice in Cartoonland. By 1923, however, the studio had become burdened with debt, and Disney was forced to declare bankruptcy.

Disney and Roy pooled their money together and moved out to Hollywood.  Ubbe Iwerks also relocated to California.  The three of them began the Disney Brothers’ Studio.  Their first deal was with New York distributor Margaret Winkler, to distribute their Alice cartoons. They also invented a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and contracted the shorts at $1,500 each.  In 1925, Disney hired an ink-and-paint artist named Lillian Bound.  They married shortly after.

A few years later, Disney discovered that Winkler and her husband, Charles Mintz, had stolen the rights to Oswald, along with all of Disney’s animators, except for Ubbe Iwerks.  Angered and upset, they didn’t give up.  Right away the Disney brothers, their wives and Iwerks produced three cartoons featuring a new character Walt had been developing called Mickey Mouse. The first two animated shorts featuring Mickey Mouse were Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Gaucho.  Both were silent films for which they failed to find distribution.  When sound made its way into film, Disney created a third, sound-and-music-equipped short called Steamboat Willie.  Walt Disney voiced Mickey Mouse.  The cartoon was an instant sensation!

Dream Big!

“Walt Disney Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 05 Aug. 2013.

Watching Disney movies growing up, I never knew the story of how “Disney” all began.  I never knew the hard times that Walt Disney overcame before he became a huge worldwide success.  At Walt Disney World in Florida, there is an attraction called “Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream.”  It is a walk-through attraction with over 400 artifacts featuring animation art, paintings, storyboards, photos, models, props, costumes and set pieces.  At the end of the tour, there is a 15 minute film hosted by Julie Andrews.  It was here, that I truly felt inspired to continue Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.  At one point, I felt too busy and didn’t have faith in myself to make it happen.  After watching this video, seeing the hard times and great times that Walt Disney himself went through and overcame, I knew I could do it.  It gave me new hope, and reassurance that no matter what happens, I wanted to finish my book, and I wanted the world to be able to read it!

I found a Biography on Walt Disney online and decided to add it to this post.  It follows Walt’s highs and lows early on in his career, including many things that I saw in the “One Man’s Dream” video.

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois.  He was one of five children, living in Marceline, Missouri.  His love for drawing started early, and as he got older, he began drawing, painting and selling pictures to neighbors and family friends.  In 1911, his family moved to Kansas City.

A few years later Walt Disney moved again and took drawing and photography classes at McKinley High School in Chicago.  There, he was a cartoonist for the school paper. At night, he also took courses at the Chicago Art Institute. When Disney was 16, he dropped out of school to join the army but was rejected for being underage.  Instead, he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France for a year.

Disney returned from France in 1919 and moved back to Kansas City to pursue a career as a newspaper artist.  His brother Roy got him a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio.  He met cartoonist Ubbe Iwerks.  From there, Disney worked at the Kansas City Film Ad Company, where he made commercials based on cutout animation.  Disney began experimenting with a camera, doing hand-drawn cell animation, and decided to open his own animation business.  His first employee was Fred Harmon from the ad company.

Walt and Harman made a deal with a local Kansas City theater to screen their cartoons, which they called Laugh-O-Grams. The cartoons were hugely popular, and Disney was able to acquire his own studio.  Laugh-O-Gram hired a number of employees, including Harman’s brother Hugh and Ubbe Iwerks. They did a series of seven-minute fairy tales that combined both live action and animation, which they called Alice in Cartoonland. By 1923, however, the studio had become burdened with debt, and Disney was forced to declare bankruptcy.

Disney and Roy pooled their money together and moved out to Hollywood.  Ubbe Iwerks also relocated to California.  The three of them began the Disney Brothers’ Studio.  Their first deal was with New York distributor Margaret Winkler, to distribute their Alice cartoons. They also invented a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and contracted the shorts at $1,500 each.  In 1925, Disney hired an ink-and-paint artist named Lillian Bound.  They married shortly after.

A few years later, Disney discovered that Winkler and her husband, Charles Mintz, had stolen the rights to Oswald, along with all of Disney’s animators, except for Ubbe Iwerks.  Angered and upset, they didn’t give up.  Right away the Disney brothers, their wives and Iwerks produced three cartoons featuring a new character Walt had been developing called Mickey Mouse. The first two animated shorts featuring Mickey Mouse were Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Gaucho.  Both were silent films for which they failed to find distribution.  When sound made its way into film, Disney created a third, sound-and-music-equipped short called Steamboat Willie.  Walt Disney voiced Mickey Mouse.  The cartoon was an instant sensation!

“Walt Disney Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 05 Aug. 2013.

Watching Disney movies growing up, I never knew the story of how “Disney” all began.  I never knew the hard times that Walt Disney overcame before he became a huge worldwide success.  At Walt Disney World in Florida, there is an attraction called “Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream.”  It is a walk-through attraction with over 400 artifacts featuring animation art, paintings, storyboards, photos, models, props, costumes and set pieces.  At the end of the tour, there is a 15 minute film hosted by Julie Andrews.  It was here, that I truly felt inspired to continue Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.  At one point, I felt too busy and didn’t have faith in myself to make it happen.  After watching this video, seeing the hard times and great times that Walt Disney himself went through and overcame, I knew I could do it.  It gave me new hope, and reassurance that no matter what happens, I wanted to finish my book, and I wanted the world to be able to read it!

I found a Biography on Walt Disney online and decided to add it to this post.  It follows Walt’s highs and lows early on in his career, including many things that I saw in the “One Man’s Dream” video.

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois.  He was one of five children, living in Marceline, Missouri.  His love for drawing started early, and as he got older, he began drawing, painting and selling pictures to neighbors and family friends.  In 1911, his family moved to Kansas City.

A few years later Walt Disney moved again and took drawing and photography classes at McKinley High School in Chicago.  There, he was a cartoonist for the school paper. At night, he also took courses at the Chicago Art Institute. When Disney was 16, he dropped out of school to join the army but was rejected for being underage.  Instead, he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France for a year.

Disney returned from France in 1919 and moved back to Kansas City to pursue a career as a newspaper artist.  His brother Roy got him a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio.  He met cartoonist Ubbe Iwerks.  From there, Disney worked at the Kansas City Film Ad Company, where he made commercials based on cutout animation.  Disney began experimenting with a camera, doing hand-drawn cell animation, and decided to open his own animation business.  His first employee was Fred Harmon from the ad company.

Walt and Harman made a deal with a local Kansas City theater to screen their cartoons, which they called Laugh-O-Grams. The cartoons were hugely popular, and Disney was able to acquire his own studio.  Laugh-O-Gram hired a number of employees, including Harman’s brother Hugh and Ubbe Iwerks. They did a series of seven-minute fairy tales that combined both live action and animation, which they called Alice in Cartoonland. By 1923, however, the studio had become burdened with debt, and Disney was forced to declare bankruptcy.

Disney and Roy pooled their money together and moved out to Hollywood.  Ubbe Iwerks also relocated to California.  The three of them began the Disney Brothers’ Studio.  Their first deal was with New York distributor Margaret Winkler, to distribute their Alice cartoons. They also invented a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and contracted the shorts at $1,500 each.  In 1925, Disney hired an ink-and-paint artist named Lillian Bound.  They married shortly after.

A few years later, Disney discovered that Winkler and her husband, Charles Mintz, had stolen the rights to Oswald, along with all of Disney’s animators, except for Ubbe Iwerks.  Angered and upset, they didn’t give up.  Right away the Disney brothers, their wives and Iwerks produced three cartoons featuring a new character Walt had been developing called Mickey Mouse. The first two animated shorts featuring Mickey Mouse were Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Gaucho.  Both were silent films for which they failed to find distribution.  When sound made its way into film, Disney created a third, sound-and-music-equipped short called Steamboat Willie.  Walt Disney voiced Mickey Mouse.  The cartoon was an instant sensation!

“Walt Disney Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 05 Aug. 2013.

I am pleased to announce that my first children’s story, Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge, is now for sale!  It has been a long time, but I am very happy with how it turned out.  I hope for everyone who reads it or listens to someone read it to them gets great enjoyment out if it.

The Bunny Baron is meant to inspire people of all ages that no matter how young or old you are, you should always give everyone a fair chance.  In this story, the Bunny Baron has an opportunity to help Captain Barnacle even though he is a mean pirate.  It’s up to the captain to choose what kind of person he wants to be, and if he welcomes the Bunny Baron’s help.  I feel this teaches a great lesson for everyone young and old.  The Bunny Baron realizes that he is the master of his dreams.  With a little humor and imagination, a nightmare can become a funny dream which makes it a good book for bedtime.

I hope Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge will touch everyone’s heart and will make them want to read it over an over again.

Buy it on Apple’s iBooks Bookstore:

For iPad, iPod, or iPhone!

Buy in paperback:

Dream Big!

I am pleased to announce that my first children’s story, Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge, is now for sale!  It has been a long time, but I am very happy with how it turned out.  I hope for everyone who reads it or listens to someone read it to them gets great enjoyment out if it.

The Bunny Baron is meant to inspire people of all ages that no matter how young or old you are, you should always give everyone a fair chance.  In this story, the Bunny Baron has an opportunity to help Captain Barnacle even though he is a mean pirate.  It’s up to the captain to choose what kind of person he wants to be, and if he welcomes the Bunny Baron’s help.  I feel this teaches a great lesson for everyone.  The Bunny Baron is also a hero.  He realizes that he is the master of his dreams.  With a little humor and imagination, a nightmare can become a funny dream.

I hope Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge will touch everyone’s heart and will make them want to read it over an over again.  To purchase it, please click on the “buy it” link below.

I am pleased to announce that my first children’s story, Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge, is now for sale!  It has been a long time, but I am very happy with how it turned out.  I hope for everyone who reads it or listens to someone read it to them gets great enjoyment out if it.

The Bunny Baron is meant to inspire people of all ages that no matter how young or old you are, you should always give everyone a fair chance.  In this story, the Bunny Baron has an opportunity to help Captain Barnacle even though he is a mean pirate.  It’s up to the captain to choose what kind of person he wants to be, and if he welcomes the Bunny Baron’s help.  I feel this teaches a great lesson for everyone young and old.  The Bunny Baron realizes that he is the master of his dreams.  With a little humor and imagination, a nightmare can become a funny dream which makes it a good book for bedtime.

I hope Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge will touch everyone’s heart and will make them want to read it over an over again.

Buy it on Apple’s iBooks Bookstore:

For iPad, iPod, or iPhone!

Buy in paperback: