Most of you probably know Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation or maybe even as Gordie in Stand By Me. The one-time child actor has grown up, and despite running into stormy seas and unfriendly ports as an actor in the last few years, he has managed to plot out a different course for himself and set out for new adventures on the high seas of the World Wide Web. I will paraphrase the origins of Uncle Willie’s conquest of the digital realm as follows.

                In the beginning WIL was dissed by a Hooters Waitress. Later that day while laying waste to hordes of his enemies in the realm of battle.net, WIL had an epiphany. He would make himself know to the users of the Internet. In his infinite wisdom, WIL sought to complete this task alone. So, WIL went to Yahoo! Geocites and began to work. The website was without form and void of content, and darkness was upon the screen of the monitor; and the fingers of WIL were moving over the face of the keyboard. And WIL said, "Let there be lame"; and there was WIL’s first website. And WIL saw that the lame was good; and WIL linked to his creation from a fansite. WIL called the lame site, “Where’s My Burrito?” after his favorite episode of The Simpsons. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

                A few months later he would open www.wilwheaton.net (WWDN) where thousands of fans have come to read his blog entries, getting to know the real Wil, not just TV’s Wil Wheaton, whom a lot of people seem to have a problem with. I confess, that I was never one of them. To read the rest of the story of how WWDN came to be, and find out about other things Wil has been up to, including his work with The Acme Comedy Theater, go to http://www.wilwheaton.net/warning.php and/or http://www.wilwheaton.net/about.php.

                Two and half years later, Wil has newfound success as an author. He has published his first book, Dancing Barefoot, after starting his own publishing company, Monolith Press. Dancing Barefoot is a prelude of sorts. It is a collection of “five short but true stories” taken from a larger forthcoming autobiography called Just a Geek, due out later this year. The stories are about Wil and various aspects of his life: Being a husband and father, teenage infatuation, the passing of loved ones, and of course growing up on Star Trek: The Next Generation and learning how to embrace it and the fans after all the pain they have caused him. The latter subject is addressed in the WWDN reader favorite, The Saga of SpongeBob VegasPants.

                Dancing Barefoot is a fantastic showcase of Wil’s burgeoning talents as a writer, honed over the last few years at his website. He has a simple but elegant style that allows for delicate nuance and great variation as he effortlessly moves from a moment of heartbreak to one of levity. The most important thing to know is how intimate and honest Wil’s writing is. With his words he successfully strips away all the masks of celebrity and fan misconceptions of the last 17 years. Underneath it all lay a keenly intelligent man, willing to share parts of his recent journey of self-discovery that began with the creation of WWDN and is culminating with the publication of Dancing Barefoot, which continues to get fantastic reviews and is selling beyond all expectations.

                I highly recommend you jump on board for that journey now, because it’s only going to get better from here. Wil has his sights set for the stars, and this time no bastard Hollywood producer is going to stand in his way of getting there. His course… is his to dictate. The adventure… is his to take… and yours, if you care to join him. Come on board. 

Order Dancing Barefoot online at http://www.monolithpress.com/ 

Get your WheatON at www.wilwheaton.net