This isn’t all about me. It’s more about all of us. It’s about being positive and creative. It’s about being accepting and encouraging. It’s about the power of imagination.

I have a little sign in my studio that reads, “If you can’t learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly.” I embrace this idea. I was an art teacher for 35 years. My goal was never to turn out crowds of artistic giants, although I did have many wonderfully talented children in my classes. I wanted my students to enjoy the act of creating. Paper, pens, brushes, clay… what we made wasn’t as important as how much we enjoyed making it. Sure, we learned skills and techniques, and we learned about famous artists of the past. Hopefully, my students also learned to use their imaginations and enjoy the thrills and rewards of creating.

Andrew, the first Wizardling, has been living in my imagination for a long time! To be honest, it has been an embarrassingly long time. And after many years, Jack entered the story. Telling the story of AfterLater through the character of Jack was a challenge that I hope I have met successfully.

So now, the story has been published. What’s next? Of course, there are more stories to tell. (See the Stories section) Jack will have more adventures. We might even hear about some of Andrew’s adventures, too. And maybe, just maybe, you have spent some time in AfterLater yourself. If you have, please tell me all about it.