May 22, 2025
As I look back at the Trevolution and the Demo Tapes short pieces in particular, all I can think is, “Yeah, Trevor played hookie. Again and again and again. It was part of his charm.”
I will never create a character like Trevor Wolff again. I just won’t. I’m too old now, too jaded, too… I don’t know what. Different.
Grab your own copy of The Complete Demo Tapes and compare it to the Tales from the Sheep Farm series and see what I mean.
I finished off what I was working on in the morning, and right after I asked the kid if playing hookie and going on a pre-moving adventure was about to happen, I opened my new edit from an established client. Big mistake.
I was immediately sucked in.
And it felt SO GOOD.
Which is weird, because it’s not like I’ve been without editing work. Maybe it was the confluence of a familiar author’s voice and the job required of me… I don’t know. All I know is that pigs in mud, tigers in pools, and bison in dirt wallows had NOTHING on me right then.
And then I walked away from my desk and took my kid to buy plates, which yes, qualifies as playing hookie for a number of reasons. And let me tell you, the colors that kid chose are gorgeous. Where I’m a hot mess and one of absolutely everything, the kid was artistic and thoughtful.
I got my words in, but it felt more like I was trying to figure out what I was trying to say, which isn’t like me, but is very much the way this project has been–and I started working on it a year ago, if not more! It’s been THAT hard.
But I have a plan for tonight, so that’s good.
A Free Man of Color, by Barbara Hambly
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I’m at my desk today, unless the kid wants another pre-move adventure. (I kinda hope stuff will start to be sorted, but it’s on the kid and I know from experience to let it go and trust my kid’s process because it’ll all get done.)
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If you too are playing hookie, I want to hear about your adventures!
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