I was recently asked indirectly, through a wonderful book review at www.simplydarlene.com, how I came up with my idea for the “Turtle,” the paddle-wheel barge the Makerians used in the book Hawthorn’s Discovery. My new young Larkin fan also asked me how I came up with the fishing contraption on top of the Makerian stronghold at Stillwaters. Questions like that always encourage me, because that means that someone else is as interested in the story as I am. “So here she goes,” as Rush would say. Let me start at the beginning. I came up with the idea for Stillwaters because in the woods where we were living when I began thinking of the story, there was a pond. About ten feet away from the north shore was a small, stunted tree growing on its own little island, which was no bigger than ... Read More about Fun Questions from a Young Fan
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
I was blessed with a very active imagination. The first twenty or so years of my life, I thought my imagination was a curse. I seemed to be always using it instead of concentrating on what I was supposed to be doing. (Does any of that sound familiar to some of you parents?) My job as a veterinarian requires that I focus my attention on science, medicine, physiology . . . all that unexciting stuff (in some people’s opinion), for hours at a time, day after day. After a while my suppressed imagination can’t take it anymore, and it has to do something. I may take a walk in the woods, go to the River Walk in Columbia, SC, or just squat down next to an interesting root or plant or patch of moss and watch the insects moving around. If the weather is not accommodating or if I don’t have time ... Read More about Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
“Why Don’t You Ever Talk About What The Larkin Do In The Winter?”
I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but I have seldom written about how the Larkin live in the winter. I did talk about Larkin and his father Ramus spending the winter with their giant friends in the second book, Larkin’s Journal. But they spent the whole winter living in the giants’ house. I think the main reason I’ve been reluctant to talk about the Larkin in the winter is because I’m not sure how they would handle the snow. Water wouldn’t be a problem, because they could melt the snow. They wouldn’t be able to travel very well in the snow, so they would have to lay up their food for the winter like the forest creatures. If they did need to travel through the snow, tunneling would only work for short distances, because it would be so much work. I think that they would have to ... Read More about “Why Don’t You Ever Talk About What The Larkin Do In The Winter?”
A Special Post from Guest Blogger Valerie Harris, My Wonderful Wife.
I just e-mailed my husband, whose e-mail name is “larkinwriter.” I type in “lark,” and his name automatically pops up. It struck me as I typed “l-a-r-k” that, when I married Alan W. Harris thirty-seven plus years ago, I had no clue what a “lark” our marriage would be. I certainly had no clue than that he would be a writer. In fact, after typing some of his college papers, I was pretty certain that “writer” would never be on his resume! But I am so thankful that artistic side of his character has blossomed. We’ve homeschooled for the past twenty-three years, and we have done many things to instill in our children the values that we believe it is essential that they carry throughout this life in order to make it into the next one. We have taught our children in many ... Read More about A Special Post from Guest Blogger Valerie Harris, My Wonderful Wife.
Lessons From God in My Stories
I don’t mean to offend any of you faithful fans of the Tales of Larkin stories, but while I am delighted that you enjoy my stories, I actually write them for my own children. This is a way to use my creativity to connect with my own kids and to not only give them something that they will enjoy but also to use the tales to influence their lives in godly ways. One of the lessons that I wanted to teach my children was how a true follower of Jesus faces the end of their life. I used the character Turk in the first book, Hawthorn’s Discovery, to show that someone who has the mind of Christ would be willing to give up his life for those in need. You probably also remember that, as Turk was dying, his great concern was not for himself but for his friend Hawthorn, because Hawthorn was not a ... Read More about Lessons From God in My Stories
How Do You Deal With Writer’s Block?
Because I have a full time job as a veterinarian, business owner, husband, and a homeschooling father, I determined years ago that if I was going to write, I was going to try to not let it interfere with my time with my family or my veterinary business. That means that my writing time is either late in the evenings or on a day off, and is inconsistent. So when I do find the time to sit down to write, it’s occasionally difficult to turn on the creative juices. If I’m at a place in writing the story where I really don’t know what to write next, I will do one of several things. Since I want my writing to honor and glorify God I pray about what I’m going to write. If I’m dealing with writer’s block one of the first things I will do is ask the Lord to give me direction. I have found ... Read More about How Do You Deal With Writer’s Block?