I hope this doesn’t sound weird or macabre, because it started my Saturday morning with warmth and inspiration.
For those of you who might not remember, Erick Wujcik and I were best friends. Erick passed away in 2008 from cancer. It was a shock and it devastated me and many of his other friends.
One of the most special things about my relationship with Erick was that our brains were always in synch with each other. We could talk about everything under the sun with an excited exchange of ideas at lightning speed. That meant Erick and I would bounce ideas off each other like crazy, offering our thoughts, extrapolations and building on the initial concept all the time. Erick (and Alex, Kathy and Wayne, but especially Erick, and especially on creative ideas) was my ultimate sounding board. I cherished and valued his input, and he and I were always quick to see the potential in ideas for new product, writing, game design and marketing.
I miss Erick all the time for many things, but I think what I miss most is that rapid-fire exchange of deep ideas we’d share. And the energy . . . it was wild. To call it electric is like saying the sun is a child’s sparkler. It was awesome. Mark Dudley has filled the void a bit, because he’s sharp and has Erick’s enthusiasm, Matthew Clements and Chuck Walton are quick thinkers when it comes to concepts and their development, but none of them combined are Erick Wujcik. God, I miss that guy.
This morning’s visit from Erick
I woke up 6:30 AM with a bit of a start.
I had been dreaming. In my dream I was talking to a cheerful Erick Wujcik clad in a black T-shirt under a blue and white flannel shirt, and his leather jacket. Perched on top of his thick bush of curly black hair was has his black leather cap. Erick was all smiles as I told him about my plans for our upcoming books, marketing and the Palladium I.P. based comic books. Erick was loving all of it.
Then someone – I don’t know who it was – knocked at the front door and joined us. I was expecting this person and was glad to see him, but I cannot remember his face – he was always off camera, so to speak. I was telling the faceless visitor the short version of what Erick and I had been talking about in-depth, to bring him up to speed. Erick was at the small desk that visiting freelancers use, with his back to us as he read the comic book pages for the Rifts®: The Adventures of Erin Tarn as a Girl comic book. I was telling the faceless visitor about the comic book and its writer, artist and inker, and how Palladium had a long list of phenomenal talent and a million ideas for products. I rattled off a list of names and the projects they were associated with.
Then, referencing my team of amazing talent, I said, “Oh and of course this guy,” and slapped Erick’s shoulder with the back of my hand. Erick spun around in his chair beaming his trademark, big, toothy smile of approval, nodded and gave a forceful ‘thumbs up’ sign to the visitor.
In the dream, Erick was happy and approving. I was excited and confident in our plans and Palladium’s future. The faceless visitor was also impressed and approving. Though I don’t know who he was, I had the ‘feeling’ he was somebody important.
When Erick spun around flashing his grin and giving the thumb’s up gesture, in my dream state, my first reaction was, “YES! We are on the winning track.” Followed by the sudden thought, “Wait a minute. Erick, you can’t be part of this, you’re dead.” And with that I woke up.
I know it’s silly, but I have felt positive and energized all day. I feel more confident than ever that we are on the right track with our current plans for new game releases and the comic books, as well as doing online videos and a few other plans I can’t share yet. (But all things I talked with Erick about in my dream.) It feels good to have gotten Erick’s input and know that he thinks this is the right way to go, even if it was just a dream. And I wanted to share it with you even if you think it's crazy.
A little while later, Kathy checked the online orders and excitedly reported we had a big night of online sales. About half were Christmas Grab Bags (offer ends Sunday night), 25% regular book orders (new and back stock titles) and 25% Rifter® subscriptions. I just hope we see this level of sales all weekend!! That would be so awesome, and a much needed shot in the arm.
As you can see, I had a pretty exciting start to my day. I’ve been fired up ever since and writing up a storm, making notes on new projects, wrapping up my material for The Rifter®, writing this Murmur, and working on Rifts® Lemuria.
Reminder: This weekend is your LAST chance to get a 2011 Christmas Surprise Package – Offer ENDS midnight, Sunday, January 15, 2012. $80-$90 worth of product for $38 plus shipping and handling. That’s basically a 60% distributor’s discount, and if you request it, we’ll sign your books too. What the heck are you waiting for? Time is up, order this weekend or lose out.
http://palladium-store.com/1001/product ... ckage.html
The Rifter® Super Subscription started yesterday. It is also a deal and a great way to support Palladium Books and be rewarded with new source material and gaming ideas every issue. If you’ve never gotten a Rifter® subscription, I have to highly recommend it. And if you subscribe now, you get each issue at below cover price, shipped right to your door (FREE to residents of the United States), and you get your choice of a FREE gift worth $12.95 to $16.95 (there is a small cost for shipping and handling).
https://palladium-store.com/1001/produc ... ption.html
You can get the details on all of the above and more in the current January 13, 2012 Weekly Update on the Palladium website.
Keep those imaginations burning bright. Mine’s on fire.
Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Game Designer and Optimist
© Copyright January 14, 2012 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.
Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars® and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Heroes Unlimited™, Beyond the Supernatural, Dead Reign, Warpath, Shemarrian Nation, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.
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