My (second!) interview for Good Morning Delmarva is now viewable on their website, for the benefit of those who may have missed it when it aired. Check it out at http://www.wmdt.com/story/22296769/may-21-polly

Gary Knox, owner of Forney's Too on Loockerman Street in downtown Dover, loves his copy of Polly so much that he wants to share it with all of his friends!

I'll be talking about Polly to Jenn on WMDT's Good Morning Delmarva show tomorrow morning sometime after 6:15am. Set those alarm clocks or DVRs to catch it!

(And wish me luck - I have to head out around 4am to get to the studio in time for the interview. This will require mass quantities of coffee!)

This is happening today! If you're in the area, you should stop by - it's a lot of fun!

Here is the official press release for Polly. Feel free to distribute it as much as you like!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"Polly", a children's story about a curious horseshoe crab, released by Delaware author and artist W.J. Walton

Delaware area writer, artist, musician, and performer W.J. Walton has announced the release of his first children's book, "Polly," about a curious horseshoe crab on a journey of discovery.

“Polly is a story about self-discovery, the love of learning and exploration, and the quest for knowledge and wisdom,” Walton said. "My goal was to create a story that encourages readers to embrace learning, discovery, and the pursuit of knowledge."

Walton said that the subject of his book was a major inspiration to the story. "Horseshoe crabs are a very common sight to most of us who live on the Eastern shore," he said, "but they are still widely misunderstood by most people. My idea was to reverse these roles, and portray a curious horseshoe crab who hears terrible things about humans, and tries to learn as much as she can about them, rather than relying on the misconceptions of others." Walton wrote and illustrated the book, which was funded as a Kickstarter project in the summer of 2012.

Mr. Walton is very active in the artistic community of central Delaware, where he has designed and painted sets for five different theatre groups, performed music for theatre productions, special events, and with Milford's Downtown Dixieland Band, performed as a storyteller for Downtown Milford's annual Halloween Spooktacular, and acted in several productions with Second Street Players in Milford, including a dozen children's theatre shows.

"Polly" is available online and in several Delaware-area locations. For more information about "Polly," visit Walton's website at www.awkwardlabs.com/polly  

Mr. Walton can be reached via email at drawkward@awkwardlabs.com or by phone at 302-430-6077

Polly is live on barnesandnoble.com today!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115249931?ean=9780615798080

I wasn't expecting it to be ready for a couple of weeks, but it looks like Polly is live on Amazon! You can order your copy through the link below. Please spread the word!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/061579808X/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_awd_5T8Hrb140X7SB

I'm just going to leave this here.

A couple of months ago, I had the idea to do a timelapse video of the process behind one of the illustrations for Polly. I recorded myself scribbling madly for over three hours, compressed the video down to about five minutes, and posted it as a special treat for my Kickstarter backers. Now I'd like to share it with everyone!

I'm wrapping up the last few illustrations for the book over the next couple weeks, then I'll be finalizing the layout and going to the printer after that. I'm hoping to see the final book ready in late March or early April. Keep watching the blog for more updates!

It has been far too long since the last Polly update, mostly due to life issues, but also because I have been so busy plugging away at the book.

Since my last update, I have completed the storyboard, finished a few drafts of the story, sent the story off to my editor, and begun polishing it up. After a few more passes between the editor and I, it should officially be a story!

After that point, it will be a matter of finishing the remaining illustrations, and then consulting with the printer to get the first proof made.

I really appreciate the patience and understanding that everyone has given me. I had hoped to have this book finished and available by now, but life truly had other plans. I have needed to take the extra time to make sure this book will be as good as it possibly can be, without letting anything compromise that. I truly believe that everyone will be very happy with the outcome.

Thanks, and happy new year to all!

- Bill

So the world ends tomorrow, and stuff. You know, like it does all the time.

Those of you who know me well know that I get a kick out of prophecies and people who make all sorts of crazy supernatural claims. Back when Harold Camping's little clan were prepping for their version of the end of the world, and everyone else was scoffing and laughing (including people who had their own end of the world in mind), I was busy fretting over how easy it is for some people to miss out on all of the incredible things that life has to offer.

I proposed a little event - Do Something Beautiful Day - to counter the idea that we should work so hard to try to figure out when the world's end credits are going to roll. And I'm proposing it again.

Do something beautiful tomorrow. Sing. Paint. Dance. Play. Laugh. Perform. Do each of these as if no one is looking. Share. Read. Talk. Listen. Teach. Debate. Eat. Drink. Be merry. Write that letter you've been meaning to write. (Hell, just write a letter! No one does that anymore.) Make that overdue phone call. Talk to that person that you've been too shy to until today. Hug. Kiss. Shake hands. High five. Make new friends and keep the old. Plan. Reason. Stop to think. Daydream. Prank. Tell stories. Listen to stories. Smell the roses. Cultivate smiles. Take a different route. Wander. Adventure. Explore. Discover. Forget. Remember. Make something up.

Reboot all of your senses. Listen with new ears, see with new eyes, touch with new hands. Appreciate every moment as it arrives, and anticipate the awesome potential of the next one. Enjoy every sandwich. Be happy that it happened.

Pursue happiness. Follow your bliss.

Live a life. But don't live it as if it will end tomorrow. Rather, live it as if you're just getting ready for the really good part.

As for those friends, family members, coworkers, and acquaintances who are caught up in the end of the world - don't point and laugh when it doesn't happen. Tell them you're glad that they're still here. And you're glad that you're still here, too.

Because the world really does end tomorrow. And in the morning after, the sun will rise on a whole new world, for all of us, like it does all the time. The real beauty is that we'll get to do all of that stuff all over again.

...and here is the first video - A Random Act of Music - Pure Imagination! Enjoy!

Here's a great teaser for the Spooktacular from milfordlive.com!

Spooktacular evening set for Oct. 27th

Don't miss the fun! My storytelling starts at around 4pm, but there are some other great activties starting at 1pm. It all happens at the Riverfront Theatre in Milford. See you there!

Here are my next two upcoming projects with Second Street Players in Milford, DE:

- I have been cast as King Monkey in the Second Street Players Children's Dessert Theatre production of Jungle Book. Come see me monkey around this October 12th, 13th, and 14th!

- I've also been asked to reprise my storytelling performance this October for the Downtown Milford Inc./Second Street Players Spooktacular! Mister Moribund will be there to tell some more slightly spooky stories for kids, and there will be other activities to participate in. Come join the fun at 3pm on October 27th!

For more information on both of these, visit www.secondstreetplayers.com

...and here's the Cape Gazette story on their website, which just went up the other day. Read it, share it, spread it around on all of your social networks and such!

Local author Bill Walton set to publish horseshoe crab story

Here's a clear scan of the Cape Gazette article, for those who would like to read it without getting a headache!

(Click to enlarge)

I had a very nice interview with Rachel Swick Mavity from the Cape Gazette last week, and the story hit the press on Friday! Here are a couple of quick pics I snapped of the paper. (It got a teaser on the bottom of the front page!)

If the story hits their website, I'll post a link here, and if not, I'll try to get a full scan of it and post it here for anyone who wants to read it.

WMDT's website has posted the clip of my interview from last week, which you can view here. It's a bit clearer in sound and picture than last week's "bootlegged" copy. (Though I do greatly appreciate my friend Steve's efforts, which gave lots of people who can't get WMDT a chance to see the clip!)

Enjoy!

The GMD interview went very well, and was a lot of fun. I'm hoping they will have a link to the video on their website eventually, but until then, here's an it'll-do-for-now video shot by my friend Steve:

I have been asked to appear on WMDT's Good Morning Delmarva show to talk a little bit about Polly! I'll be on this Friday's show (July 20th), at approximately 6:25am. If you happen to be up and about at such an early hour, be sure to tune in! If not, I'll see if I can post a link to the segment so that you can watch online.

Wish me luck!

I had a great interview with Gwen Guerke from the Milford Chronicle yesterday - we met at the Milford Public Library and talked (quietly!) about Polly for over half an hour. Gwen tells me the story will likely go live on July 25th, so keep an eye out - and I'll do my best to post a link here on the blog when it does.

Speaking of media coverage, and doing my best to post links, it looks like some life issues prevented me from mentioning the Milford LIVE! piece on Polly that was published a couple weeks ago - check it out right here!

Polly has just 12 days left before she is funded! If you still want to become a backer, your time is running out. Please keep spreading the word!

Today at around 11am EST, Polly's Kickstarter project reached its goal.  The book will become a reality. I really can't express how that makes me feel.   I am very grateful to everyone who has supported this project.

But it's not over yet! The Kickstarter still has 31 days on the meter - plenty of time for more people to join in! Pledging $16 or more gets an autographed copy in your hands before it's available anywhere else, and further pledges means more copies that I will able to print and donate to schools and libraries, and take to book signings. I'll also be able to do some special promotions for the book, above and beyond my original plans. So please keep spreading the word to anyone who would be interested in becoming a part of this project.

In addition, I will be planning some stretch goals in the very near future, so stay tuned!

Thanks again for all of the wonderful support!

Greetings, fellow two-feet! Welcome to the first Polly update, where I fill everyone in on the progress of the Polly Project.

- I had a great interview yesterday with Bryan Shupe of Milford Live. He had lots of questions for me about the book and my inspirations and motivations for doing what I'm doing. Bryan tells me that the piece will go live either next Tuesday (the 26th) or the following one (July 3rd), but you don't have to worry about missing it, because I'll be sure to have a very excited post about it right here!

- Funding for Polly has been rocketing to the goal - it is now at 96% - $3474, which is just $126 shy of the $3600 goal! I'm giving some thought to potential stretch goals, including an "I supported Polly" t-shirt, maybe.   Anything pledged beyond the goal will go very far to pushing the project - it will allow me to print and donate more books, and advertise and promote the book in more places than I originally planned. So please keep spreading the word!

- I haven't even had the opportunity to put up any of the "Have You Seen This Crab" flyers yet. I'll be doing that this weekend. If you have printed and posted any of them, please let me know about it!

Thanks to all for your pledges and support! I continue to be amazed at the reception my little story is getting, and I truly cannot wait until I get to share it with you.