Expanding Horizons

 Hi all. It's been a while since I've had a post, but things have been quite busy. The artwork for the new book is almost complete, and I've been laying out the interior, fiddling with formatting. Things are also quite busy wat work. In the last couple of months, I've launched four new training courses to the curriculum I'm developing. This has increased my training sessions exponentially. 

I must say it's all been rather fun, but the most exciting thing I did was to visit my daughter Abby in England. She recently completed a semester studying at Oxford University and she invited me to go over. She knew it was a lifelong dream of mine to visit England. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity.

I spent several days touring around Oxford and London and the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio, London tour. Abby was a great tour guide, and I marveled that she had been able to master traveling around on the Tube. So, here are some pictures from my journey for you to enjoy. I promise to update you on the progress of As the Owl Flies as soon as Emily Hurst Pritchett has completed the artwork.

Peace

Inklings: Setting, Where Everything Happens

I think I may have jumped the gun a little last week when I discussed the first of the three parts of the story, the beginning. Before doing that, I had meant to talk about the setting, which is where your story takes place. The fun thing about writing fiction is that you can write about anything, anyone or any place.

Your story can take place anywhere. The only limit is your imagination. Setting encompasses a few things:

• Place--Where does your story take place? It could be in your school or your neighborhood or your state. You may want to have it take place in another country. In the case of my Deliverers series, they start out in our world, but wind up taking place on other worlds that I pull from my imagination.

• Time--Your story does not have to happen in the here and now. You can write about another time. Historical fiction novels like My Brother Sam Is Dead do this. Their authors do a magical job of bringing us to another time like the Civil War or Ancient Greece. 

• Society--The types of societies you write about also make up part of the setting. In the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling uses modern day English society as the initial setting, then thrusts Harry into a secret society of witches and wizards unlike anything he--or we--have known before. This society has distinctly different customs from our society. That's one of the things that makes the series so much fun.

So now you have all the basics, an idea, characters, setting and an outline. You've made a beginning. You're off an writing! Next week, I'll talk about the meat of your story, the middle. See you then!

My Favorite Books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

This installment of My Favorite Books is all about the first book in a series that I resisted reading for a long time. I'm not sure why I did not pick up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  by J.K. Rowling until 2000 or so. I suppose it was because the series was so wildly popular. I'm naturally suspicious of overly popular things, preferring to find hidden treasures on my own. Harry Potter was too accessible, too easy. Perhaps there was a little bit of jealousy there, too. After all, here was someone that had achieved my dream--to be a middle grade fantasy author, and a wildly successful one at that.

Old Cover

Finally, I broke down and read the first book. I was transfixed. After racing through it, I kicked myself for waiting so long to read it. It has everything I love--a boy who does not realize how special he is until a magical (literally) world is revealed to him, magic, friendship, fantasy, and all those owls at the beginning! Rowling did a truly masterful job of reinventing well worn elements of myth and legend, fantasy and magic, creating something brand-spanking new. I could only tip my hat to her.

I love the fact that Harry is a down and out kid, unloved, unwanted and unnoticed, who finds friends in the most strange and wonderful circumstances. I also love that he then has to prove himself and overcome challenges that help him grow. Simply brilliant stuff.

I loved all the books, some more so than others, but each one was a revelation. This series more than any other brought me back to reading middle grade/YA fantasy again.

New Cover

More importantly, it was one of the factors that got me thinking about actually sitting down and writing a middle grade novel. I had never really believed that I could write a full length book, having only written short stories and poetry until that point.  But Harry Potter had stirred my imagination, and I started tossing around ideas in my head.

Being a slow starter, it took a year or so until I actually hit upon something I liked. When my son Christian was born early in 2002, I decided that the time had come, and began writing what would become The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel. At the beginning, I had some vague idea of a series, but I just wanted to see if I could write an entire novel. I did, and now I'm working on book 3!

These books are proof that children still love to read, even in this age of smart phones, video games and the internet. Of course, I daresay that any teacher could have to me that, but I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to J.K. Rowling for reminding the general public that books are still the best way to get our kids' imagination soaring.

What's Christian Reading? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Well, he did it. Last week Christian finished the Harry Potter series. He enjoyed it immensely, but will never admit that his dear old dad was right. I badgered him to read the books, but he took his sweet time about getting around to doing it. Christian really enjoyed the last book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.

The last books of series are always happy/sad events. Happy because  finally discover how everything turns out. Sad because that's it, there isn't any more. For me the final Harry Potter installment was sad because it's pretty evident that there won't be a follow up to the series any time soon, if ever.

Anyhow, here's what Christian had to say about the book.

Here's what Christian says the book is about.

"In this book, Harry Potter has to track down Valdemort's Horcruxes so that he can destroy them. Ron and Hermoine go with him. They go to the Ministry to retrieve the first one, a locket. The Ministry has been overthrown by Deatheaters. They manage to get the locket, but then Ron gets jealous and leaves.

"Harry and Hermoine search for the rest. Their search takes them to Godric's Hollow, the town where Harry's parents were killed. Harry finds their graves and his old burned down house. This lady they assume to be Bathilda Bagshott is watching them. She takes them to her house. When she and Harry are alone, she talks. When Hermoine comes in Voldemort's pet snake erupts from Bathilda's neck. Harry and Hermoine escape through a broken window. When they look back they see Voldemort and the snake looking through the same window.

"Back in the forest, Harry sees a silver doe that he assumes to be a petronis. He follows it to a lake and at the bottom of it, he sees a silver glint. It's the sword of Godrick Griffindor. Ron returns and they use the sword to destroy the locket. Then they go off in search of the other Horcruxes.

"That's all I'm going to say. The rest of the book gets really exciting."

What did Christian like most about the book?

"My favorite part was the way the book ended."

Was there anything he didn't like?

"No, I loved everything about it!"

So, how does Christian rate Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling?

Christian gives it five out of five flaming monkey heads.

What's Christian Reading? Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Christian is still deep into Harry Potter. Right now, he's reading the final book. This week, he's decided to tell us a little bit about one of his favorite books in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling.

Here's what Christian says the book is about.

"Harry Potter is at his aunt and uncle's house for the summer. He's attacked by Dementors and defends himmself using a Patronus Charm. Because of this, he's expelled from Hogwarts. He is taken by his godfather, Sirius Black, sends some wizards from the Order of the Phoenix to take him to his house.

"Dumbledore defends Harry at a hearing, and gets him back in to Hogwarts.

"When Harry gets to Hogwarts, he learns that the Ministry of Magic is denying that Valdemort is back, because they're afraid. Harry has a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher named Dolores Umbridge, who refuses to let them use spells in class and makes them read old, outdated textbooks. She also punishes Harry when he tries to point out that they should be learning to defend themselves against the Dark Arts.

"Harry also starts having dreams about a door at the end of a hallway. He sees things happening to his friends and doesn't know if it's actually happening or not.

"Harry starts Dumbledore's Army to learn to defend themselves against the Dark Arts. They find a room called the Room of Requirement that has everything they need to train themselves. It's a secret room, which is good, because there are all these new rules that Professor Umbridge, who is from the Ministry of Magic, has set up. Their training sessions are breaking just about all of them.

"I won't tell you what happens next, because I don't want to spoil the ending."

What did Christian like best about the book?

"I liked the part where he formed Dumbledore's Army, because I think it took a lot of wits to be able to do it right under Dolores Umbridge's nose."

Was there anything Christian didn't like about the book?

"I didn't like Professor Umbridge. She pretended to want to protect the students, but she was really putting them into even more danger by not teaching them the spells they needed to defennd themselves."

So, how did Christian rate Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling?

Christian gives it five out of five flaming monkey heads.

What's Christian Reading? Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban

Well, he's finally done it. I've been after Christian for ages to check out Harry Potter, but he kept saying no. I swear, that boy just will not do something if I suggest it. But, I was persistent--and crafty. The boy is just like me. You see, I waited a long time before I caved in and started reading the series. I think the fourth book had just come out when I read book number one.

Anyway, like I said, Christian absolutely refused to read them. Then, I had a brainstorm. On the evening of the fourth of July I suggested to Christian that we have a father & son movie night. I listed some videos that I knew he wouldn't want to watch. Then I said I'd surprise him, and put Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in. To my surprise, he didn't say anything, he just started watching. The next day, the kids went to the library, and Christian came back with three of the books.

Since then, he's been reading. He even squeezed a different book in between books 1 & 2. He's just finished book 3. He wanted to read book 5 after book 2. I stressed to him the importance of reading this series in order. Again, to my surprise he listened. He must really like these books! So, here's Christian's take on book 3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K.Rowling.

Here's what Christian says the book is about.

"It is about a boy named Harry Potter who is going to school at Hogworts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.Sirius Black, a convict from the magical prison of Azkaban has escaped. He is believed to have killed 13 people with a single curse.

"Dementors, the really scary guards of Azkaban are guarding Hogworts because it is thought that Black might be heading to the school to kill Harry.Harry has many encounters with the Dementors, and develops a fear of them. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, teaches a Harry a spell to repel the Dementors.

"Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermoine, are wrapped up in another mystery that includes a hippogriff, a madman, and a race through time. I won't tell you what happens, but it's very exciting."

What did Christian like best about the book?

"I really like how they went back in time. That was a cool idea, and the author did a great job! I also liked how J.K. Rowling came up with innterestinng names for the wizard exams (O.W.L'.s and N.E.W.T.'s)."

Was there anything that Christian didn't like?

"I liked all of this book."

So, how did Christian rate Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling?

Christian gives it five out of five flaming monkey heads.

My How Time Flies!

Tomorrow is a special day. On that day ten years ago, a cold, rainy February Sunday, my son Christian was born. It really doesn't seem possible. Back then, he was cute and cuddly and I could hold him in the crook of my arm (now, he's almost as tall as his mother).

See, that's him when he was only a few hours old. He's still a little pink and scrunched here, and he had a strange, Harry Potter-like jagged dark patch on his forehead. He had a strong grip, though. Here's another one:

He's so cute. Anyhow, tomorrow is a big day not just for Christian, but for his mother and me. It was the day we became parents--the day Stephanie became a mother, and I became a father. I know that back then we didn't fully realize what we were getting into--not by a long shot.

It's amazing how life has changed, and how long ago that day was. It's also gone by far too quickly. Thank God the bumps along the way have been mostly minor. Now, I can hardly remember a time when our lives didn't revolve around the two balls of energy that are our children.

So there's always some friction along the way. Christian is too much like I am at times. When I see him acting like I did when I was his age, it sometimes drives me nuts. But he also gets me. We often laugh at stuff we think is hilarious while the two girls in the family look at us like we're crazy (we aren't, really. No, honestly!).

I'm proud of him. He does well in school (despite all his complaints about it) and is getting to be quite a bowler. He says the darndest things, and loves to see his parents get embarrassed. My coworkers think he's hilarious, and say they're going to publish a book of Christianisms. Oh yes, and, how many other nine (soon to be ten) year olds have their own blog column?

Anyway, happy birthday, Christian. I don't think you'll ever understand how you've changed the lives of your mother and me. We love you!

An Interview With Stig

The voting is complete, and the readers have spoken. You’ve selected Stig as the character you most wanted interviewed. Eventually, we’ll interview all the main characters from the book, but right now, here’s everyone’s favorite owl, Stigidae Ghostwing--uh, Stig for short.

Editor:  Welcome to the Deliverers Publishing Headquarters, Stig. Thanks for taking the time to, um, perch with us.

Stig:  It’s my pleasure entirely, I assure you. I say, your headquarters is really quite impressive.

Ed.:  Oh, how so?

Stig:  Well, the sheer size of the place for one thing, and the fine art and furnishings, to say nothing of all the awards and autographed political and celebrity photographs. I mean, who knew this was such an accomplished organization!

Ed.:  Stop, I’m blushing. But this isn’t about us. We want to hear about you. What was your childhood like?  Were you an only owl?

Stig:  I was an only child. It was rather difficult. You see, my childhood lasted for about 150 years. Most of that time was spent in school. Owls are nothing if not educated. When I wasn’t in school I was with my parents hunting for mice, moles, and the occasional rabbit.

Mother was kindly and very understanding of my youthful foibles. My father was a most respectable business owl, and did not go in for any “carrying on” whatsoever. This led to some friction between us when I entered my adolescent years. I must confide that, just between you and I, I was quite the hellion back in those days. Eventually, I settled down and became somewhat respectable myself, but the entire process was rather painful.

Ed.:  What is your world like?

Stig:  Oh, much like any other, I suppose. Owls are the predominant species. We’ve developed a very learned society, known for its universities. A nice place altogether, but not really my cup of tea. I don’t spend much time there these days, what with my Assignments and all.

Ed.:  How did you first get sent on an Assignment?