Kendra Kandlestar is going to Korea

I've had some great news this week! As part of my role with CWC (the Creative Writing for Children Society of Vancouver), I'm off to Seoul, South Korea, this summer to teach a writing camp. This is very cool, as I never travelled so far just to spread my love of writing and storytelling. So the summer will be very busy for me, as I teach both a Canadian and Korean summer camp. It's too bad my next Kendra Kandlestar book won't be ready, but I'll be taking over a sneak peak to show the kids. Many of these students I'll have met in the past, when they lived in Vancouver, and I know they'll be salivating over the next edition of Kendra's adventures.

Now, of course, if my old nemesis Malicio has his way, I'll never make it so far as Korea. There have been more and more sightings of him in my neighbourhood. Now, some people--strangely, these seem to be mostly students of mine--have dared to question the existence of Malicio Ricketts.

Oh, how I wish he wasn't real.

Oh how I wish I could have concocted such a vile character.

I tell you, I would rather face an entire show of sock puppets than have to deal with the diabolical devil known as Malicio Ricketts.

Still, I realize that some people are obsessed with what is "real" and that's why I made the brave journey into my attic recently to battle spider webs, rat nests, famished mice, and crates of Anne of Green Gables books to dig through my shoeboxes of old photos to see if I could discover a picture of that scoundrel, Malicio Ricketts.

And I did find one.

Here it is:

This was taken several years ago when I was travelling through Egypt. One night I was returning from the Cairo museum, after viewing the royal artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Well, needless to say, I was already a little jittery, after seeing so many mummies in one place. Then I turned a corner on one of those gritty Cairo streets and what should I see but the crooked figure of Malicio Ricketts staring right back at me. I was so shocked I just froze like the Sphinx itself. Luckily, my companion had his camera and he quickly took this photo of old Malicio. As you can tell, it seems that the vile villain was as surprised by the encounter as we were! (You can also tell that he does NOT like his picture being taken). Well, I'm sure if I had been alone that Malicio would have pounced on me, sunk his crooked teeth into my shoulder, and dragged me off through the streets of Cairo like some wild beast. As far as I know, Malicio has secret lairs all over the world and it's from these horrid chambers that he plots to destroy me.

Sigh. . .

Well, I suppose, I better get back to my work on Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger. If only there was a door through which to pitch that heinous villain, Malicio . . .

Malicio Ricketts has returned

Have I ever told you about Malicio Ricketts? No, well you may be wondering why you would even know about a person with such a strange moniker. Well, let me tell you, he's part of the reason I've been so lazy at posting blogs.

You see, Malicio Ricketts has resurfaced into my life, to inflict harm and catastrophe and to do whatever he can to stop me from teaching and inspiring children to write their own stories. And, most of all, Malicio would take delicious delight in stopping me from completing my next book, Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger.

Malicio Ricketts is like my nemesis.

Sigh... Wait a minute. Someone just tapped me on the shoulder and told me that some young people may not understand what a nemesis is.

Okay, okay. Well, let me explain. You see, a nemesis is like someone who is against you, someone who is out to get you, but only you. For example, in The Series of Unfortuante Events, Count Olaf is the nemesis of orphans (but not all children, just orphans). In my book, Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers, you might say that Kendra's nemesis is Burdock Brown. And, in Anne of Green Gables, you could say that Anne's nemesis is any gable that is brown instead of green.

Get it?

Well, my nemesis is Malicio Ricketts. As I mentioned above, he's out to stop me from teaching and inspiring kids how to write their stories (okay, I can hear many of my students RIGHT NOW cheering for the success of Malicio Ricketts; Stop it!). Trust me, if Malicio Ricketts succeeds in his mission, there will be no "Mr. Wiz" to torture—I mean, er—inspire my students! Nor will I be able to finish up The Door to Unger.

I wish I could tell you more about the progress of my book here, but for now it will have to wait; when you are the author and illustrator named Lee Edward Fodi, it's never safe to sit in one place for too long….

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The Door to Unger

The Edits are Done!

I have to laugh when my students complain about me forcing them to rework their stories over and over and over. As far as they are concerned, I am a heinous villain who strikes my  orange pen across their work just as a matter of torture. (Geesh, if I really wanted to torture them, I'd just make them read "Anne of Green Gables").

In any case, my own book went through WEEKS of rework after being sent to the publisher, but I'm happy to report that just this morning I finally received word from my good editors that the manuscript for "The Door to Unger" has been blessed. Of course, I'm sure there will be a few more changes (what author can resist fiddling with his or her words up to the last moment?)...but I'm sure any last changes will be minor.

SO, the editing process is complete. Now time to keep illustrating...

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Knocking on the Door to Unger

I've been so busy illustrating and working on the final edit of "The Door to Unger" that I didn't announce this earlier. BUt now, here it is!

Just One More Book, the outstanding podcast that reviews children's books and interviews children's authors, is hosting an exclusive series of interviews with me to chronicle my journey as I finish up the book.

You can check it out by clicking here.

So far, Mark Blevis of Just One More Book and I have completed two knocks! I highly recommend subscribing to the podcast, not only to hear future knocks on the Door to Unger, but to discover some of the other wonderful interviews that are featured every week.

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The New Character

Well, I'm still up to my elbows editing "The Door to Unger." It's my least favourite part of the writing process. I'm sure any writer would agree. If I had my way, I'd go on making changes to the story forever. But then, I suppose, you would NEVER get to read it.

Despite the editing work, I've been continuing my work on the illustrations for the book and I want to introduce the newest character to the series: Effryn Haggle Horn. Below is the concept sketch for the character and a final illustration.



As you can see, Effryn is a Faun. He is a funny fellow, a purveyor of "magical marvels", a seller of charms, and...er, well—in short, a huckster. In particular, he has one enchanted item, whispering inside his silver bottle (shown in the picture), that is of particular interest to young Kendra. Will he be of a help to Kendra, or a hinderance? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out...

One final note: astute readers of "Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers" may have noticed a connection between the Een people and Fauns, for their main town is called Faun's End.

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Oki says, "EEK!" The manuscript has been submitted...

This week, I submitted my final version of "Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger."

Why the EEK? Well, anyone who has ever been published probably knows what it's like to submit a "final" manuscript to a publisher. For me, at least, I agonize over the final draft for weeks then finally ship it off to my publisher, harbouring a naive belief that the manuscript is perfect. Then my publisher puts their editor to work and...well, just put it this way: my various students, past and present, have had their sweet vindication, for the manuscript is soon hacked into tiny pieces.

Well, it's all just part of the process and I'm not one of those authors who believes I don't need an editor. I think the editing process helps make for a better book, ultimately. It's just a little disheartening to see all the markups back from the editor! When the manuscript comes back to me, I'll have another week or two of work, just to go through and evaluate her comments, then decide which ones I want to keep and which ones I don't want to accept (which often means fighting with the editor). Did I say fight? Perhaps that's too strong of a word. I meant discuss!

Out there, somewhere, my students past and present will chuckle at all of this. How many papers have I scribbled all over with red ink in my day? Well, as I've always told them, I know exactly what it feels like!

Well, as I await the manuscript, it's back to working on the illustrations. When I next blog, I hope to reveal here a brand new character who plays a major role in the book.

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Gallivanting across the Gulf Islands

I'm just back from a mini-school tour on Vancouver Island, Denman Island, and Hornby Island. This was a wonderful experience because I was able to speak to some really small groups and even conduct some writing workshops. I'm continually overwhelmed by the response to "Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers."

I was given a real treat on Denman Island; one class had worked together to produce a giant mural depicting the land of Een, a map if you will, which plotted Kendra's journey as she searched for the Box of Whispers. I only wish the photo below did more justice to what this fabulous mural looked like in reality.



Well, the islands also afforded me the opportunity to sit in my cozy cabin on Hornby Island, gaze at the ocean, and draw my little heart out for "Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger." Even better, I was able to catch up with two of my instructors from my college days, who now live on Vancouver Island. They were fabulous hosts!

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Working away to open that door...

Well, I've been busy at work crafting the final touches to the manuscript for Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger. This is always the hard part of any book, that final trek through the forest before you reach the wide open plains of release! Of course, once my work is done on the words, I'll be cranking up the work on the illustrations. I've done a few of them so far. Only a hundred or so to go! Well, here's one of the recent ones I completed:

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The Door to Unger will be opened this November!

Great news! I just confirmed with my publisher on Friday that Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger will be released this November. I'm not sure of the exact date...but rest assured, it's coming! The book is 95% written and now it's time for me to polish it up and finish off the illustrations.

The beautiful thing about Friday was that immediately after speaking to my publisher, I went and visited a local school where I was greeted by a classroom full of Kendra Kandlestar fans. They created drawings and poems for each of the characters and there were even Kendra Kandlestar cupcakes! When I announced my news about the forthcoming sequel, I was happily interrogated about the plot points!

Well, just stay tuned! I'll continue to post more details about the book on this blog.

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The New Cover

Well, after a couple of weeks of some mad painting and re-design, I finally produced a new version of the cover for "Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger." I have to thank my creative writing students for their feedback and helping to give my old coconut a good jiggling. Sometimes, that's just what's needed!

Well, here's the new cover, and the draft of the back cover text.



Dare to enter the Door to Unger...
Everyone knows that the creatures of the outside world are forbidden by magic to enter the land of Een. That's why young Kendra Kandlestar is so surprised when a giant Unger arrives in the middle of the night to deliver a cryptic message: If she can find the fabled Door to Unger, she will be able to unlock the truth about her long-lost family. Soon, Kendra finds herself on an epic adventure in which she must tangle with dwarves, monsters, and one strange, magic-peddling faun. Can Kendra trust this peculiar cast of characters? Will she be able to discover the secret of her family? There's only one way to find out: Open the Door to Unger and enter a world of magic, monsters, and mystery...

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