Fixed Points in Time (an Oz perspective)
If the TARDIS had landed, instead of Dorothy’s house, would that have been worthy of writing? Would it have become a fixed point in time? (Image courtesy Rampaged Reality, via google image search)
I had a facebook conversation with a friend of mine the other day. He is also an Oz author. We were talking about the Great Book of Records and the role that it plays in our individual stories. Here is what I shared: (more…)
The Perils of a Dangerbread House
On a path lined with cookies, beware of what lies at the end of that magical journey. – Illustration by Tarl Telford
A Dangerbread House is a strange thing of wild magic. You’ve seen it before – a house in the woods made of gingerbread, sweets, and candies. It is usually inhabited by a witch, who uses it to lure unsuspecting children into her clutches. This house is different though. In the new illustrated chapter book, Tabby Abacus and the Dangerbread House (more…)
Teaser: Crown of the Dreamer back cover
The Hidden History of Oz, Book Two: Crown of the Dreamer is complete. It will very shortly be available for sale on Amazon. In the meantime, here is a brief teaser to get your appetite whetted for the continuing adventures of Glinda, Oscar, and the whole Hidden History of Oz cast. (more…)
Teaser: Crown of the Dreamer
The Hidden History of Oz, Book Two: Crown of the Dreamer is nearing completion. It is in the proofreading phase right now. I am very excited to share it with you. Every day brings the manuscript closer and closer to your hands. The story is just about ready to take off and make some magic.
Here is a teaser for the cover in-progress:
I anticipate that it will be available for purchase in September on Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle versions. Other digital formats will soon follow. In the meantime, if you haven’t picked up a copy of The Hidden History of Oz, Book One: The Witch Queens, now would be a great time to dive into the mysterious history of Glinda and Oscar Diggs. You can find the book on both Amazon, and Smashwords.
New Category: The Man Behind the Curtain
Do you like behind the scenes commentary, concept art, and witty anecdotes from your favorite stories? I do. My shelves are lined with concept art books from movies – from Star Wars, to Pixar’s The Incredibles, to The Dark Crystal. My favorite part of the movies and the stories is all of the imagination that goes in to making it. When the sketches are rough, the final product can be anything – at that moment, the rough sketch is completely powered by imagination.
It is for this purpose that I am introducing a new category to this blog: The Man Behind the Curtain. Of course you understand the reference. The Wizard was controlling the various disguises from behind the curtain. He was revealed as a humbug in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel.
Humbug is not my aspiration, rather, I want you to see what I see. Ideas come, sketches are scribbled, and drafts are written. Only at the end does it look inevitable. Of course it was meant to be that way.
So when you see the category: The Man Behind the Curtain, just know that it is a behind the scenes glimpse of my creative process.
What are some of your favorite movies or books to glimpse behind the curtain?
Munchkin Civil War
The Lollipop Guild, from the 1939 movie
Munchkins, you know, the short people in the Wizard of Oz movie. Why are they so short? Why do they like blue?
L. Frank Baum wrote four races into The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Munchkin, Winkie, Quadling, and Gillikin. Then there were the folks in the Emerald Lands – the accepted term is Ozian, which Baum used himself in three of his books.
As I was working on Hidden History of Oz, Book 2, I noticed something peculiar. Munchkins and Gillikins have the same suffix – kin. Could they be related? I believe so. Walk with me a while and I’ll tell you.
Hidden History of Oz – 2012 recap
The wizard, by W.W. Denslow, original illustrator for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Free promo time on Amazon is over, and I want to say THANK YOU to all of the hundreds of readers who downloaded The Hidden History of Oz, Book One: The Witch Queens. If a link in the book brought you here, welcome. If you are looking for information about L. Frank Baum‘s Oz, you’ll find some useful pieces of canonical knowledge, as it relates to the Hidden History of Oz.
But first, a welcome and introduction- (more…)
The Science of Oz (sort of), Part 1
.jpg "Lion and Tortoise by Eugene Delacroix, 1835")
Lion and Tortoise, by Eugene Delacroix, 1835. Public Domain image courtesy wikipaintings
Science enriches our lives, broadens our understanding, and encourages us to explore the world we live in. Science can also be a big downer when it comes to magic and myth. Sometimes knowing the science of stories makes them less … well, magical. That is the risk we take in this post. (more…)
Annotating Oz
The Hidden History of Oz came to life over several years. It didn’t spring fully-formed from my forehead. The concept began when I discovered clues cleverly dropped by L. Frank Baum that told the story of Oz before the Wizard came …
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take this one step at a time.
Why annotate Oz?
The Hidden History of Oz 