A  friend asked me a throwaway question last year. It was never meant to be thought of deeply.

“Did you ever wonder what happened to Jackie Paper after Puff left him?” he asked. “I replied with a laugh. “Jackie Paper?  No.” “Well, I have,” he said.

I looked at him to see if he was playing with me, but I could see that he wasn’t. He really had thought a lot about this, and it got me thinking.

That one question may have changed my life forever.

I listened to the song again. Then, a few more times. A story started to form in my head, and before long, I had answered his question with a song called “Puff Comes Back Again.” 

By now, Jackie was a frail old man, and, in the song, Puff returns one last time to “set his old friend free.” 

I wasn’t sure of what that line in the song meant, but it just felt right, and after laying down vocals in my studio, I found myself singing with tears in my eyes. I played it back through my studio headphones and wept. 

I played it for a few select friends to see if it “connected,” and they wept too. That was when I knew that this story needed to be told.

I began storyboarding an animated music video for the song and thereafter a simple music video. Before long, the idea grew into a ten-minute “lost movie” concept with a distinctly ’70s animation feel, then a 30-minute mini-movie.

It then hit me. There was so much more to tell than a 3 ½ minute song could ever hold. That was July 3rd, and now, everything has changed for me.

For more than two months, I have sat at this computer, or another one in a hotel room after a show and written an entire novel. Every. Single. Day. 

Jackie Paper is now quietly celebrating his eightieth birthday and remembering the magic in the world that he had forgotten.

Honestly, I didn’t know if I had it in me. 75,000 words later I know I did, and I want you to experience this incredible story yourself. 

Let me take you on the most magical journey you’ll ever experience:  www.TheLastMarbleBook.com