A really fun part of writing the Tales of Larkin books is trying to figure out the different inventions that the Larkin people make. In the first book, Hawthorn’s Discovery, the Larkin and the Renegades are living in a Stone Age culture. You will discover when you read the second book, Larkin’s Journal, that they originally had more advanced technology but lost it over time. When the Makerians come into the story in book one, you realize very quickly that their culture is much more advanced, primarily because they have constantly sought God’s help for meeting their needs. Also, translating and reading Larkin’s three hundred-year-old journal didn’t hurt their scientific advancement. I really had a great time writing about the Makerian culture. As Rush said to Eldan, “You have the ... Read More about Where Did You come Up With Fun Inventions in the Larkin Stories?
Hawthorn Learns What it Means To Have A Lord
Here is an excerpt of my book The Tales of Larkin: Hawthorn’s Discovery. In it Hawthorn and we learn a very important spiritual lesson. The meeting with the elders and nobles had been over almost two hours when Tobin came in to report the elders’ decision. “Do they support us?” Charlock wanted to know. “Well, they aren’t willing to send a Ranger troop with us, but they have prayed for our success. We have permission to take all the supplies and equipment we think we might need, and word is being sent to all the Rangers and guards in the Refuge to see if any might want to volunteer to go with us.” “That’s wonderful!” Charlock had a surprised tone in his voice. “That’s a great deal more than I expected.” “Do you think we’ll get some volunteers?” Hawthorn wanted to ... Read More about Hawthorn Learns What it Means To Have A Lord
The History of Tobin the Flyer
When I first thought of the character Tobin the Flyer in my book, Hawthorn’s Discovery, his name came to me without knowing what “the Flyer” part meant. I just thought it sounded interesting. It was obvious that he had to do something involving flying for the name to fit. I considered that he may have invented a leaf glider and used that to travel, but the more I thought about it, the only fitting conclusion I could come to was that he had somehow trained a bird to allow him to fly on it. I knew a lot of clients from my veterinary practice who had a special gift for relating to all types of animals. I’m sure you know people like that as well. Animals just seem to love and trust them. I decided that Tobin was going to be that type of person. In my story you discover that Tobin ... Read More about The History of Tobin the Flyer
My Favorite Character in Larkin’s Journal
Many of you who have read the second in the Tales of Larkin series, Larkin’s Journal, have mentioned that one of your favorite characters in the book is Fernie. I know some of you are wondering where I came up with Fernie and why I waited till the last one-third of the book to put him in the story. I might as well admit it; Fernie was an after-thought. In my original story idea, I did not have a character like Fernie. He actually came from a suggestion that my daughter Natalie made to me after one of our family “Larkin Nights.” I had just finished reading some new chapters to the family, and we were a little over half-way through the book. Natalie came up to me and said something like, “Dad, I love the story, but it’s been pretty intense for several chapters. I think you need a funny ... Read More about My Favorite Character in Larkin’s Journal
Questions About The Tales of Larkin Ending That Never Happened
I received an encouraging e-mail the other day from one of my young fans named Lucy. Along with some very sweet comments, Lucy had some questions for me: “…when I read your post, "The Tales of Larkin Ending That Didn't Happen," I was wondering: . What was your original ending? . Who were you going to make die? . Who did you add in instead? Was it Turk?” I see by Lucy’s questions that I failed to include enough detail to satisfy some of you hard-core Larkin fans. So for all of you inquiring minds who want to know, I shall enlighten you. When I originally thought out the story line for my first book, Tales of Larkin: Hawthorn’s Discovery, I had planned that, after the rescue of Hawthorn’s friends from the Renegade slave mine, they ... Read More about Questions About The Tales of Larkin Ending That Never Happened
The Tales of Larkin Ending That Didn’t Happen
I really can’t speak for how other people write or even how it’s supposed to be done; I can only speak for what works for me. I try to spend some time thinking about the story line before I write so that I don’t hit dead ends. I don’t want to just make things up as I go along and find my characters in an unwanted situation that I can’t get them out of. When I wrote my first book, Tales of Larkin: Hawthorn’s Discovery, I had spent time thinking about the high points of the story all the way to the end. That gave me good mental guidelines as I wrote each chapter. Generally speaking, I always knew where I needed to get my characters by the end of the chapters. That worked great for the first half of the book, but then unforeseen things began to happen. One of the characters, who I had ... Read More about The Tales of Larkin Ending That Didn’t Happen