The Alabaster Hedgehog

Paul Manchester discovered he loved reading in the first grade with Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak. It opened up a new world. Then in fourth grade, Paul discovered Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, then the Oz books in fifth grade (they'd been lurking on a high shelf at home), along with Edgar Rice Burroughs' adventure books (these often had half naked men on the covers... which were pretty intriguing to this ten year old), and an endless stream of favorite books after that. Paul also began writing and drawing around then. Paul studied art and theater at San Jose State University (in addition to bible and music theory during a year-long stint at bible college). He graduated with a BA in Theater Arts where he focused on scenic design. He spent a few years designing stage scenery, then moved to Southern California to work in the TV and film industry. His work slowly migrated from live action TV, to the world of animation, then back to live action with graphics for props. Lots of adventures over the years... Paul has met the rich, the poor, street people, celebrities, folks from all walks of life and points of view... it's been a fascinating journey. So many stories. Despite the externals, folks are much the same. And most are pretty decent. He even (many years back) had the opportunity to spend a marvelous couple of hours with Maurice Sendak (who was a quite likable curmudgeon) discussing Mozart (Paul was designing a production of Cosi Fan Tutte at the time). You just never know what might happen in life. He chooses to think of that as a good thing. Life is always filled with possibilities for the curious and persistent.