Life's Like a Talent Show...the SEQUEL!

Life's Like a Talent Show

THE SEQUEL

  Riley swayed nervously in line as the 5th graders anxiously awaited the 2nd graders to exit the stage. The little boys and girls giggled and cheered while they passed by. Riley could feel her heart pounding so hard within her small frame that she feared  all her classmates would know just how frightened she was.

  "This is silly", Riley thought to herself. "I have done this before. Why am I so nervous?"

  The 5th graders swiftly entered the stage. Riley felt a hand pushing her forward. Her best friend, Alexia, was extremely eager to be out there. Riley's feet felt like they weighed 1000 lbs. 

  "Move!", Alexia commanded. Her eyes were wide and her smile cartoonish.

  "Don't push!", Riley replied.

  Riley forced herself out onto the stage. As she did every year, Riley found herself up front. That's what happens when you are one of the smallest in your class. They put you up front so everyone can still see you. Riley had thought about asking to be placed in the back row, but her teacher had told her no every other year.

  She took a deep breath. Her hands were sweaty, mouth dry, and worst of all, mind blank.  She suddenly couldn't remember the words to any of the Christmas songs they had practiced for the past three weeks.

  The principal's muffled voice announced to the crowd that the 5th graders were ready to perform, but Riley was not!  The large red curtain split and the crowd of parents clapped!  It was time to perform.

  The music began. Alexia belted out the first line beside Riley who opened her mouth, but nothing came out!

  This week, my youngest daughter performed with her elementary school choir for their annual holiday show. My wife and I proudly watched our once shy and terrified little girl sing and perform all the choreographed moves with zeal.  She didn't partake in any of the "special assignments" that other kids did at the front of the stage, but that was just fine. She, as always, was in the front row, because she is one of the smallest in her class. It was nearly the exact same spot she stood at her first choir performance, this one didn't turn out so well. 

  Kyra showed no signs of fear as a child, and she has the scar under her chin to prove it. When we arrived at her first school choir performance, everything seemed to be going well. Kyra was excited even...if I recall it correctly. My wife and I dropped her off backstage with her classmates and headed to the theatre to secure our seats.

  The curtain opened up and the crowd oooo'd and ahhhh'd. That was when we saw our precious little girl trying to hide in her clothes. She had her arms against her body so tightly and her head pulled down like a turtle attempting to enter its shelf for protection.  The music started and the class began to sing...except Kyra, who managed to do little more than cry...well it may have even be a sobbing to describe it more correctly.

  As a parent it was awful to watch our little girl so terrified. Then the murmuring began in the crowd around us. Parents in the crowd began to notice Kyra and just how terrified she was.

  Life's like a talent show, or so I've realized watching my children. I've been here before. (Life's Like a Talent Show Original Blog) 

  I've learned through my children that we must get up, do it again, and push through the fears in our life.

  

  For Kyra, I am proud to say, she has continued to push through her fear of public performances. Every year she performs in a dance recital, and has had a number of other school performances.

  Last week, my wife and I watched our little girl stand up for her final elementary school holiday choir performance. It is almost astonishing to see how much she has grown, both physically and emotionally in the last few years. It got me thinking about the subject of my original blog, and I decided to write the sequel.

  Life is like a talent show!  No matter how old you are you must find the courage to stand up and perform, even when the first performance doesn't go so well. Just stand up! Shake it off and get up there again! It is most certainly what I have learned from my daughter.

Christopher M. Purrett

Enjoy the Journey!

Purrett Kids featuring No, El!

PURRETT KIDS YOUTUBE CHANNEL

  Ella is a precocious young girl, anxious for the holiday season. She is just 3 years old and can barely remember last Christmas, yet she knows in her heart something special is happening.  Her mind begins to swirl with excitement from all the holiday decorations, flashing lights, cookies baking in the kitchen and a magical snow globe.  SHE CAN'T HELP HERSELF!!! SHE HAS TO TOUCH EVERYTHING!!!!

 Join Ella and her mother as they navigate an afternoon in the life of an anxious child awaiting Christmas. Will she learn to keep her hands to herself? Or will Santa think she has been a "Naughty" girl this year?

DIRECTORS NOTE:  Happy Holidays everyone!
  This cartoon has some special meaning for me. It is the first from Gossamer Studios to feature all four members of my family. My wife, two daughters and I all have vocal parts in this very short cartoon:) My oldest and I are members of the "Comedy Choir", while my wife and youngest daughter voice our charcters, Mom and Ella.
  "No, El!" also allowed for the beginning of our Purrett Kids Channel, featuring age appropriate videos for kids! This channel currently consists of "No, El" and "Eric the Viking", but before Christmas we will be adding two additional cartoons that are in the works currently. ("Eleroo" & "What if...Animal was Santa")

 As always we hope you enjoy the journey our cartoons take you on and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for updates on new cartoons!

Thanks,
Christopher M. Purrett
www.purrett.com

Eddy & Cric - The Cosplay

EDDY & CRIC KIT - THE COSPLAY (episode 6)

 Eddy & Cric attend the SUPER MEGA COMIC CON so Eddy can enter into the cosplay contest.  WATCH CARTOON

 This cartoon has been a little while in the making. It serves two purposes for the character Eddy Kit. First, it gives us a look at his sidekick in future episodes, Abby Horance.
 Abby was actually supposed to be his nemesis

Wash Your Hands!

in the original comic strip version (seen at left), but much has changed since that incarnation of Eddy earlier in 2015. Obviously, Eddy now has a wife and the Abby character became more comical during writing...therefore he was relegated to a sidekick in the cartoons. Abby actually made one other appearance; He is visible through the den window walking past the Kit's home in episode 2 - The Costume

   Secondly, it reveals Eddy's true nemesis. Why not villain? Well, I find it hard to call a man dressed in a wiener costume a villain. Frank Meyer is his name, however, we still do not have a name for his costumed character. That is where I am hoping for some help! I am looking for the viewers to name this guy. Check out our facebook and twitter pages to join in on the fun over the next few weeks.

Eddy Kit & Frank Meyer

  An interesting side note about Frank is that the idea for this character came from a comic con that my daughter and I attended a few months back. As we walked through the event we came upon a man dressed like a wiener...no joke! The best part was that he was at the concession stand and WAS PURCHASING A HOT DOG!!! Can you believe that?

 The next few episodes from Eddy & Cric are going to focus on Eddy and his new nemesis.  Abby and Cric will be there too!

Don't Forget to Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications on new episodes.

Past Episodes from Eddy & Cric
The Boot
The Costume 
The Beast (Halloween Special) 
The Workshop
The Spider 

Happy Gossamer Pen Day!!!!

HAPPY GOSSAMER PEN DAY!!!

  It is hard to believe that it has been one year since the novel, Gossamer Pen was released (November 24, 2014). I feel very fortunate to have been able to write one novel, let alone four; however, this one was interesting for a few reasons.

  I had just completed work on the Mistasia Anthology, and hammered out a blog called Leaving Mistasia. So what was next? I had a few things that I wanted to started working on, but none of them seemed to be going anywhere. A writing block had planted in the middle of my brain like a mad elephant waiting for peanuts.

  Meanwhile, my youngest daughter had been scribbling away in her tiny notebook...and by tiny I mean so small that I feel like the giant from Jack & The Bean Stalk when I grasp it between my finger and thumb to keep from dropping it. When I opened it, the notebook exploded with vivid and colorful drawings of people and creatures. It was like a treasure trove, and I had just stumbled into a gold mine of ideas all inside my daugther's mind.

  Over the next few weeks, I fed that angry starving elephant in my mind with those tremendous ideas like the peanuts he craved until he was so large he fell over and slid out onto the paper at my desk in the form of Gossamer Pen.

GOSSAMER PEN FULL COVER ART

  I have always found it hilarious that the ideas for my books have come from some of the most innocent of places. It isn't as though I don't have a computer full of novel ideas, yet I find myself struggling over the details almost fighting with myself when writing. However, Gossamer Pen was one of the quickest novels I have ever written. The story played out like a movie in my mind, and I just struggled to keep pace with the childlike imagination that my youngest daughter had planted with the seeds of her artwork.

 I look back on the novel today (one year later), and I am truly proud of the story, characters, and artwork associated with it. Even more so, I find myself gushing about my daughter's influence when I tell people about the origin of Gossamer Pen.

 I hope you get a chance to read this story and enjoy the journey!

WWW.PURRETT.COM