I am officially jumping on the meme trending train. Just like millions of others I am grabbing photos and trying to be amusing. Here is my first attempt, inspired by my year long attachment to a certain birthday present of mine.
If you are reading this blog entry, there is a good chance you are visiting this website via an ipad, iphone, or some other gadget that doesn’t recognize FLASH animation. That means you missed out on my awesomely designed, super-cool-informative maze of flash-developed website stuff. But don’t worry — I’ve got you covered with my blog.
Here are the basics about me. I write plays and books for children. I also teach at Moorpark College. I have been happily married to my best friend Cheri for over sixteen years. We have two wonderful daughters, two annoying yet lovable dogs, two mischievous yet endearing pet rats, and a bunny… We’re still figuring out the bunny’s personality. Check out some of these links if you’d like to know more about me:
Basic Biography of Wade (Warning: Boring Life Ahead)
Visit his About.com Guidesite to Plays and Drama
Learn more about Wade’s Moorpark classes
Wade’s first picture book: Why Do I have to Make My Bed?
Free Educational Resources for “Why Do I have to Make My Bed?”
Wade’s plays @ Eldridge Publishing
Wade’s Plays @ Heuer Publishing
Order a print / ebook edition of Tomorrow’s Wish
Order a print / ebook edition of Curse of the Pharaoh’s Kiss
I have not been blogging very much… But I have been writing a great deal. 2012 is off to a strong beginning. I finished a nicely polished draft sci-fi fantasy epic magnum-opus: EverDym. It is now in the hands of my agent. Will Abigail like it? Keep your tentacles crossed.
In other news, my most ambitious and pretentious play is now in print. It’s called The Greatest Play Ever Written – see, I told you it was pretentious. It’s actually a combination of several one acts I have developed over the years, each one focused on a different element of storytelling: conflict, irony, symbolism, genre, and so forth. It’s all tied together by an arrogrant narrator and a theater critic that wants to make some serious changes. (Namely, she wants to eliminate the narrator.)
So far, lots of people have enjoyed the monologues from the show.. no word on which theater will be performing the world premiere.
And it all begins with a bowl of oatmeal…
I am three days away from finishing a full draft of my novel: EverDym.
I will keep you posted, dear readers.
Love this photograph from an August production of my Peter Pan parody: CSI: Neverland at the Matchbox Theater in Austin, Minnesota.
Last August, while attending the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Los Angeles conference, I spent part of the evening socializing with some incredible people:
Ellen Hopkins, an amazing mentor and the author of innovative verse novels such as CRANK and IDENTICAL.
Emma Dryden, Ellen’s editor and former editor-in-chief of McElderry Books. (She now runs her own book development company, Dryden Books.). Emma is near and dear to my heart because of a speech she gave at an SCBWI conference back in 2008. It was a speech that inspired me to attempt writing my first picture book: Uncle Ant.
Mina J: Not only is she a successful picture book author, but she works in the architect industry, two very competitive fields. I had admired her from afar as a Facebook friend, but hanging out with her at the hotel bar was great fun. She cracks me up.
But the coolest person I spent time with was Abigail Samoun, the only picture book editor (so far), who believed in my work enough to fight for it. She championed my first published book, “Why Do I Have to Make My Bed?” (And she found a wonderful illustrator to bring it to life.). During the conference, I told her how grateful I am, and will always be. This might sound cheesy, but I said:
“You changed my life.”. And it’s true. There are a couple thousand copies of my book sitting on the shelves of Barnes and Noble, not to mention all of those beautiful albeit rare independent Children’s book stores. That’s a dream come true, and it’s all thanks to Abi.
And now, I am further in her debt. Why? Well, to try to make a long story short, her publishing house, Tricycle Press, closed shop shortly after being bought by Random House, leaving the world’s coolest editor ( yes, I am biased), without a job.
So, Abigail (and her business partner) started her own agency: Red Fox Literary. Check out the cool logo…
Abigail specializes in picture book illustrators, but she also represents a few artistically-challenged writers like myself. Recently, I asked if Abi would be interested in representing me, and she said…
YES!
So, now there’s lots of hard (fun) work ahead. I am honored that Abi believes in me.
I’m picking out some Spy Music for my daughter’s birthday party.
This might be my favorite YouTube interpretation of Dante so far.
Wow. I am officially old. I have been on the planet Earth for 40 years.
So now what?
I guess it’s time to reflect a little.
I had an incredibly fun childhood (which still continues).
My parents loved me. My siblings didn’t torture me too much, and hopefully I wasn’t too annoying to them.
I worked at a movie theater, and fell in love with several managers. (You know who you are, ladies.) And fortunately, one of those managers — Ms. Siler — would turn out to be Mrs. Bradford.
I moved down to Calfornia. Worked at Disneyland for a couple of years. (I did not dress up as Goofy like my friend Joshua, but I did wear lederhosen.)
I wrote a bunch of screenplays that never went anywhere. I also directed some children’s plays that actually went somewhere. I focused on college (while selling rain sticks and learning to juggle at te Nature Company). Cheri supported us (because rainsticks don’t put food on the table) by working in the televison industry. (Yeah, X-Files!)
I married Cheri when I was 24 years old. Our first daughter was born (on friday the 13th!) when I was 27.
After earning my Masters in 2000, I began teaching at College of the Canyons. My second daughter was born in 2001 (on Halloween!).
Then, when Cheri retired from the Hollywood scene, I kicked into full gear as the stereotypically macho breadwinner and began teaching not just at COC, but at Moorpark, Pasadena, and sometimes Glendale.
Throughout the early 2000s, more of my plays sold. Then I got a huge ego boost when I was hired by About.com to be their Official Guide to Plays & Drama. Around the same time, i was connecting with lots of wonderful published authors at SCBWI conferences. That ultimately led me to Abigail Samoun at Tricycle Press which produced my first picture book:
(Have you put this book on your Christmas shopping list yet? You should!)
And then, the last awesome event that happened in recent months (about 18 months ago, actually): I was hired full-time at Moorpark College.
So, I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me. Nothing to rival my cinematic idol Steven Spielberg, or my favorite living literary legend, Stephen King. But, I’m still better off than my long-deceased arch rival River Phoenix, rest his soul.
Now, I need to decide what to do with the next forty years, assuming I make it that long. Speaking of Stephen King, one of his better books from the 1990s, “Bag of Bones.” King’s protagonist is a writer in his late thirties who find himself financially well off but very much alone. He asks himself, “What do you plan to do with the back 40?” Sort of like the back nine of a typical golf course. What go you plan to do with the last half of the game?
It’s a good question. I’ll get back to you on that.
Hey, check this out! Hot off the presses of Santa Clarita’s newspaper: The Signal:
“The Little Prince” is quite a departure from the force-fed entertainment generally surrounding children these days. The story is serene and dreamlike. In this it is even a bit of a departure from classic children’s literature, which pretty much tells tales in linear, clear-cut fashion. In “The Little Prince,” much is left to your imagination and interpretation.
The play begins with an Aviator who crash-lands in the Sahara Desert. There he meets a mysterious, yet charming character who looks like a young boy. This boy tells the Aviator about his adventures through the galaxy, and about his strained relationship with a very special flower on his own tiny planet. The Aviator comes to realize that this is not just a young boy at all. The Little Prince talks to those he meets and gains unique insights, which he shares with the Aviator: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.”
The Little Prince and Aviator gain understanding and grow through the experience, and all of this comes to you gently on stage and illustrated ingeniously via three screens that display actor silhouettes as well as scenes from nature. There is no singing or dancing, and no “action” per se, and the drama and humor are easygoing. The result is a sweet journey into the imagination, which will probably result in your children asking questions afterward. And this is a very good thing.
Director Wade Bradford said the story is enormously popular around the world and beloved in France. “I read it as a child and again in college and now, as a dad,” he said. “It’s really about connecting with children, and finding your inner child – the importance of having a child’s perspective.” He added that the show is definitely a family affair, as his children, Emily and Mackenzie, are in the ensemble, and his wife, Cheri, is the assistant director.
And, speaking of the ensemble, this team makes the play work. Whether carrying the Prince around as he “flies” or performing as silhouettes behind the screens or a hundred other tasks, they give everything the touch of magic.
Read the rest of the review…
