A Skiff of Snow just in time for:

Eternal Winter!!!!

Hi all!

Kris and I hope you are happy and healthy out there.

Our last week has been a rollercoaster of emotions as we rushed to get the Texts From Bunsen offer ready for everyone. We knew that many people would want it as a gift for Christmas and we launched it with just enough time to ship it to North American customers in the first bit of December.

I’d like to take time in this newsletter to just put to text some things about Texts From Bunsen (though we did talk about this in the live show yesterday).

Next week the newsletter will return to its normal form. This is just an exciting and heartfelt edition.

First off we are now 44% sold out of the first run, and the second run probably won’t happen until summer (if it happens at all).

You can get your copy here: OUR WEBSITE

If you want to donate a copy to someone who can’t afford one at this time you can click here: DONATE HERE.

Finally, if you’d love TEXTS FROM BUNSEN VOLUME 2 but you can’t afford it at this time, click here to be paired with a donated copy: FILL OUT THIS FORM

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Ok. The story of Texts From Bunsen:

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At some point around five years ago I was laying on the couch and dropped my phone. It landed on Bunsen’s paws and I had this creative jolt - what would Bunsen say to us if he could text?

What would he say to me?

What about his beloved Mommyfav?

How about Adam?

OMG WHAT ABOUT THE SNAKE? (as Adam had a ball python at this time that Bunsen hated).

It started slowly, and I didn’t know how best to put the jokes out. I found a website that allowed me to make fake text messages and within a month I was pretty fast at typing them up.

This started the weekly TEXTS FROM BUNSEN.

I would wake up early on Friday, 5 or 5:30 AM and built the jokes in the morning. They usually would take 30-45 minutes to write. The night before Kris and I would spend around 10 minutes brainstorming the jokes. I’m a morning person, and after I had my breakfast smoothie I LOVED writing the jokes while enjoying my morning coffee.

I couldn’t have predicted how people responded to TFB. It started small, with only a handful of followers liking them. (Honestly the joke writing in the start wasn’t great), but over time they become the best thing we did usually all week.

If I forgot or was slow (or the post failed), boy did we hear about it from everyone! Fridays were for TEXTS FROM BUNSEN!

Wild storylines from TFB became things in the REAL WORLD. When Beaker joined us I had a throw away joke about her being the lead singer of a band called Vultures of Parliament (I used a random grunge band name generator). That was a hit and not three months later we had MERCH and REAL MUSIC on iTunes by this fake band.

(you can listen here)

It’s hard to believe but I wrote the lyrics to these songs. Me. A chemistry guy without a musical bone in my body, all because of the inspiration from Texts From Bunsen and our fans.

So many of our catch phrases that bring everyone joy started in TFB. Bunsen’s LA LA LA UNDETERRED, Beaker’s I AM HERE ALSO, Adam’s LET’S WATCH - even our nicknames - Dadguy and Mommyfav - it all came from TFB.

I LOVE reading the comments to TFB. I read each and every one of them. It fills up my heart each week.

Every single comment makes my day.

I read all the quote tweets. It just makes me so happy that something silly and creative is such a hit with people on Twitter.

THEN one of our Paw Pack members suggested we put the best of the best into a book.

Yeah right. A book? Who would buy that? Actually, how do you even make a book?

I approached publishers and got NOTHING BACK. Crickets or I was told my idea “wasn’t what they were looking for”.

You may not know this about me, but I’m stubborn. I don’t give up easily.

So we ran the numbers and figured out how to self-publish the book.

I’m not going to lie, it was super stressful, but Kris and I worked as team to take the first 140 best TFB and use photoshop to make an ebook which then became an audio book AND THEN a print book.

The print book sold out!

As time marched on, sadly Adam’s snake died.

We got Ginger though, and she became a regular in the jokes. Then there was the balloon saga and a storyline developed where Bunsen and Beaker were attempting to use mad science to bring about ETERNAL WINTER - Bunsen’s favourite season.

Well, that was a year ago.

This summer Kris and I spent a whole month building the second book, with even more jokes, with much better writing and a clearer look. We also knew what we were doing so we got the ebook, audiobook, and print book all ready at the same time. The audio book was a whole family effort and blast to record.

So today, as of right now, we have our new book out.

Texts From Bunsen, each and every week on social media, is a love letter to dogs.

It’s jokes written by taking the love we have for these creatures and the wacky situations we find ourselves in.

I can’t believe I have answered the question: “What would a Bernese Mountain Dog Text if he could Text?”

But the answer is easy because I know what he would say:

He would want everyone to know that he loves us.

He would want everyone to know that winter is his favourite.

He would want a second breakfast and a nap by the fire.

He would want everyone to know that, despite our shortcoming as people, he will always be there to protect our family.

In a way the jokes aren’t jokes at all. They are the conversation I have with Bunsen - a way to thank him for the joy he brings our family.

At the very least I can entertain the notion of Eternal Winter.

Thank you for support!