My creative mission began when I was in the first grade. Of course I wasn't proclaiming to the world at that time that I wanted to be a writer. I was forced to make a critical decision at that very young age. I was a kid that was terrified of numbers. When Mrs. Thompson tried forcing me to do math, was when the war began! Day after day, I turned in a blank piece of paper. Then one day I remember walking into the office, and there was my mother with Mrs. Thompson. My mother said, "Glenn, you have to do your math, you're going to need it throughout your entire life." So the next day, Mrs. Thompson was wrong when she thought that I was going to cooperate. I really thought she was going to hit me when I refused again. I screamed at her, "I'm not doing it, I hate it!!!" Afterwards, I sat there feeling guilty that I had won. I thought about what my mother had said, and I made the decision that whatever I did in my life I was going to do it with letters, and not numbers. That was my final decision on that matter!

Here's the very stubborn first grader that refused to do math! I was perfectly happy with letters!

Here I am in July of 1968, I couldn't believe that I had to sit through another year with Mrs. Boring Johnson.

Something cool is coming up. My guidance counselor was a man by the name of Mr. Day. He was super cool! And he still is super cool! He just seemed like a man with a magic trick up his sleeve. I was a big kid at the time; I was bigger than he was, so there was nothing that anybody could do to me if I said it. Then finally he said it after lunch, "Well Glenn, I've got to put you in English class." Then without hesitation I said, "Well, I really like art!" He gave me a strange look then he said, "I can't put you in that class, because there's too many kids in there already." Then I looked at him as if to say, "If you don't put me in that class, I'm gonna tackle you right here!" I was angry! I had just been plucked off the football field after practicing for six weeks and never getting to play in my first game. Then he said, "Okay, I'll put you in that class." As I walked into that class I knew that something was up, because Mr. Day had already admitted it. He sat me down way over to the right in one of those desk/chair combinations that was way too small for me. I remember as Mr. Day walked out Mrs. Gregory gestured to him as if to say, "What are you doing? I have too many kids already!" He just waved her off as if to say, "I'll explain later." For the rest of that period I remember sitting there nervously and looking straight ahead. My thinking was that English was my best subject, and Mr. Day knew that because he had my previous grades, and I knew that I could probably slide by in that class if something cool came up.

Totally mesmerized! As that year progressed, I remember myself slowly and steadily falling into a deep trance while watching him draw. It was like the Disney animated hand drawing a character in minutes. Day after day, it became so automatic, a superhero striking a pose with a wicked cool background, that it started to seem like animation to me. I couldn't blink my eyes, because I didn't want to miss a thing. I was at a real cartoon show, and it was truly awesome! A prophecy picture? I mentioned before that Kevin gave me several of his drawings. He might have even given me that drawing of the Leprechaun, but for the life of me, I cannot remember. If you would like to see the one drawing that I do have from 1975, click here. It's not a prophecy picture quite like the Leprechaun, but it is a prophecy picture, and it's worth a mint! For some strange reason, I ended up with the wrong prophecy picture.

In this picture I was about ten-years old. I didn't know what a comb was, and I had no idea what to do with my hair.

Very serious denial! In just a few short years I went from the best time of my life to the absolute worst. My beautiful girlfriend, Ginny, was going out with a senior, and things weren't good. I told myself, "There's no reason for me to stay at this school. I hate it here!" Like I said before I was a big kid for my age, and several upper classmen wanted to fight me just because I was there. I became rebellious against everything and everyone, especially my parents for bringing me to that school. I went into very serious denial, because I knew that I was going to miss out on something gigantic. Then one day I went home and my father said to me, "What have you been drinking, your eyes are all red!" Then somehow we got into a knock-down-drag-out-fist-fight. I was kicked out of the house, and when I went home to get my belongings, everything was out on the front lawn. It's sad to say that all of my treasured drawings that Kevin had given to me were gone with the wind. We had our troubles like everyone else, but we've long since gotten over them.

I was about twelve-years old in this picture. I was right at that age where I would have loved to have seen "Lucky Jonah Jynx" on the big screen. But, I wasn't ready, and neither was computer animation. But, we're ready now!!!

I started to remember. So every Saturday morning, like a kid again, I could be found watching Ninja Turtle cartoons on television. Then one day it hit me like a locomotive, and I said to myself, "I can write those stories. That's what I was all about when I was a kid." That was when those long lost memories from the fourth grade started to come back to me. It took about a year for me to remember everything from grade school through junior high. It was way back in my memory and it took a lot of deep thought to bring it all back to this. Then I started making characters. It was June of 1992 when I got serious about plotting stories. So I grabbed a pencil and paper, and the old dictionary. Before long I had an idea for (what I thought was) a great villain. Then I found myself framing out a story where my villain takes on the Ninja Turtles. I worked on that story all summer long. Then my father pointed out to me that Kevin was going to be in Portsmouth at a birthday party for "The Turtles". It was unbelievable, I was able to give that story to Kevin in person. At the time I thought it was a great story, but (I now know that) it wasn't going to take off. Nothing ever became of it, and I've long since abandoned that idea. It was all good practice for creating my own stories, with my own characters.

Licensing '97. In June of 1997, I went down to New York City to attend one of the biggest cartoon character licensing shows in the world. I felt like a dwarf in the land of the giants, and a lot of people were happy to make me feel that way. Most of them gave me a look as if to say, "How dare you self-publish your own book, you're supposed to surrender your work." I dream about finding a big publisher who can take my book all the way. But, I will not sit around and wait for anybody to decide the fate of my creativity! Anyway, when I got to the show I got a brochure that told me which companies were there. I quickly realized that Kevin was there, so I found his booth and we reminisced about the old times. I did apologize to him about heckling him up in Portsmouth. I showed him my book and thumbed through it telling him the story with the pictures. Then he said, "It looks like it could become a classic." That was very encouraging, but when he said "could" that pretty much told me that he wasn't going to help me. One of these years I will rent a booth at that show, and I'll show them the mighty dwarf with gigantic licensing potential!

Here's one of my graduation pictures. I was so happy to be free, but I didn't know what I wanted to be, and I'm still searching for my destiny. Aren't we all?

The heart of my story. This part of my autobiography was very powerful inspiration for my book. In the beginning of Lucky Jonah Jynx there is a very strange curse that could be called "the hook". I would have never gotten the idea if it wasn't for the person that I'm about to write about. If you like archaeology and you've always dreamed about digging up an ancient arrowhead, then you might like this part of my story. Throughout the early nineties, I became friends with a man who I feel has all the wisdom of the ages. He never ceased to amaze me, because he's like a walking encyclopedia that's full of ancient information. His name is Glen Downs, he's in his sixties now, and he lives way up in Cutler, Maine. He grew up in Scarborough, Maine, on Blue Point. There is a great deal of history on Blue Point. As far back as five-thousand years ago, the Abnaki Indians once thrived. Glenn grew up right on top of all that history when the land was unspoiled. In the fifties and sixties, they still lived off the land and digging clams was a good living. Back then Glen used to dig up more than just clams. He'd dig up arrowheads with the rotten shaft still attached. The shaft had stayed preserved in the mud for many centuries. Then, in the mid-sixties, a friend of Glen's was building a house right down on the point. As Glen walked behind the bulldozer it destroyed that archaeological site, and there they fell at his feet, four or five perfect arrowheads and spearpoints. Glen concluded that it must have been their workshop area. It turns out that those arrowheads were not perfect to the Indian who made them. They all had tiny flaws, which is why he or she threw them into a reject pile, and that's why they were found. Glen always kept that perfect arrowhead up on his fireplace, and whenever I stopped over to see him I'd stare at it like it was an absolute treasure. Anyhow, when Glen's walking trail was turned into a housing development, he and his wife Betty decided to move to greener pastures. But, very sadly, Betty passed away, and it was heartbreaking to see him leave all by himself. Before he left I stopped over to say good-bye, and I especially wanted to tell him that I was going to be a writer. I told him a little bit about the eighth grade and "the Leprechaun". Then he said to me, "Well, I guess it's time." Then he handed down to me that perfect ancient arrowhead. There really aren't enough words to thank you Glen, but here are just a few. Also, Lucky Jonah Jynx is the only person with the power to break that very strange curse.

My creative philosophy. An old friend of mine (who I was very upset with at the time) said to me one day, "So, you created one book, but I don't think you could create another one." I told him, "Well, I wouldn't bet on that!" It's not about how many books a writer can write. I would much rather create one really great book, than ten good books. I have got thousands of dollars into this dream, and I will never abandon it! I need to get this book off the ground and flying on its own before I can commit to anything new. Lucky Jonah Jynx is my best creation and it was very, very difficult to create. I would much rather have a one-hit-wonder, than nothing to ever wonder about.

My last message to Kevin. When you left Bonny Eagle, I left you with a great wish, and that great wish came true!!! If our situations were reversed, and you had called me, the minute I had heard your name I would have ordered the limousine to pick you up. It could be bad luck to leave behind somebody that leaves you with a great wish that came true. In this particular order, it was words and pictures that made "the Leprechaun."

Just one last thing. Because I've classified my book as a storybook, I hope that people won't think that it's whimpy. It really is the toughest one out there! The story is adventurous and gutsy, humorous and serious, and it's got a real storybook ending with a she-saves-him twist. The theme is all about creating your own luck.

Best of luck to you and yours. The end. © 2000

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