Creating a book is somewhat like growing a human. Conception is generally fun and full of hope for the future. Gestation is mostly fun, though there can be rough patches – still the anticipation of what the story might become drives the process to successful production of a first draft. Congratulations! You have given birth to a helpless immature piece of writing that will need a huge amount of time and attention (and editing) to grow into a fully realized book.

And after all that work? After the hours of fretting and correcting and encouraging? Just like with a child on the edge of adulthood, the author must let go, send their baby out into the world, and hope the universe treats it kindly.

The book you now hold in your hands is no longer my baby. It is a tale that wishes to make its way in the world, a story that wants to have adventures, a narrative that hopes to confide in you, the reader. I hope I have done a good job raising it, and that it will behave well in company, know when to relax and let its hair down, and understand when to put on Sunday clothes and best manners.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and the same is true for books. Part of that village is you – the reader, and I am truly grateful to each and every one of you for buying my book and giving it a home.

There is a ton more fun coming in the Sage and Savant universe before the story is done. You can follow our exploits via our website and the monthly podcast episodes. Look for Book Two at Christmas time this year!

I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Thereby, I declare:

1. Where hatred and xenophobia build a wall, I will come to tear it down, brick by brick. #StopHate #LoveDestroysWalls #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
2. Where Racism and White Supremacy work to divide us, I will repudiate any who claim superiority and cross the divide to stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters of different cultural heritages. #BlackLivesMatter #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
3. Where women are denied the sovereignty of their own bodies I will demand equal rights and consideration under the law. I will educate my sons. I will march; I will chain this body, for which there is little regard, to the carriage wheels of injustice so that I can no longer be ignored. #ERANow #StopUnauthorizedPussyGrabbing #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
4. Where greed and colonialism have stained the soul of this nation, I will apologize and work to make it right. I will work to stop current abuses. I will work to heal the wounds of the past. Even a child knows that when you break something you must at the very least clean up and if it is possible you must make reparations. #RevolutionaryUnity #NoDAPL #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
5. Where Muslim neighbors are threatened with registration I will oppose the registry by enlisting all of my white friends and neighbors to also register rendering the exercise unusable. #IAmSpartacus #HumanIsTheOnlyRace #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
6. For LGBTQ friends and neighbors, I will defend your marriages, your right to pee, your right to live full lives of your own choosing free from legal harassment. I will take your hand and invite you into the bathroom. I will witness your wedding. I will support your desire to be a parent. #LoveWins #LGBTQ #WeJustNeedToPee #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
7. For disabled Americans, I will work to eliminate bullying and harassment whilst also working to improve access and public support. #TheBarriersWeFace #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
8. For the Earth, I will acknowledge my part in Climate Change and do whatever it takes to save our habitat. #QuitOil #ColdTurkey #ForTheEarth #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
9. For the children and the teens, I will stop waiting for the old to die to make the change that must come. I will listen to your wisdom. I will learn once again to be truthful in my discourse and to demand truth from those I elect to represent me. I will do everything in my power to leave you a world worth inhabiting. #TheTimeIsNow #ForTheChildren #AllPeopleCreatedEqual
10. For any who are targeted by hate – if the sights of evil swivel onto you, I will attempt to remove the weapons used against you. If I am not successful in that, I will put myself in the crosshairs. #NeverAgain #AllPeopleCreatedEqual