When writing my current book, “The Curse of Mr. M’s Castle,” (available on Amazon and Kindle – shameless plug), I had a tough time choosing a hero. I knew it would be a team of protagonists, but I just wasn’t sure who the main hero would be. Long story short, I decided to go with what I know. So, what did I know?

Well, I knew who, or what, my antagonist would be. I also knew that I wanted to incorporate woodworking into the story. At the time, I was sponsoring my first Woodworking Club. Deciding that this was the best place to start, I observed my kids to see which teams worked the best together. This was regardless of talent. Some kids were quite skilled at woodworking due to their home lives. This made things easy for me, but it was not what inspired me. I soon found three kids who always cooperated well either with each other or with other teams. They liked to get the job done. Not being one who’s overly creative, I used their first names in the book. Of course, their last names are never mentioned to respect their privacy.

So now I had my team. Their personality dynamics made it easy for me to see how a story could be weaved in a realistic but fun way. But who would be the primary? Griffin was the most easy going of the three. He had the best attitude while working. He was the most flexible and solution oriented. These were rare traits to notice in a fourth grader. This open mindedness was the key. Perhaps a supernatural creature needed this as a connection. That made the whole story fall into place.

So the book was planned in the spring. I planned thirteen (my favorite number) chapters. In the summer break I was able to write the book. It’s hard to do with a four year old following you around every waking moment, but it can be done. So thanks to Griffin and his two classmates, I was able to complete the story.

I have also begun planning a second story with these three heroes. This second story promises to be more dangerous. While there are also the makings of a third tale, I will probably forego that for now. There are other writing projects in my head clamoring for my attention.

Meanwhile, I have to give thanks to these three great kids. Thanks for being good teammates, and thanks for being fantastic students.