Many years ago, I enrolled in a creative writing program and suddenly felt that I found a place I belonged, like arriving home after a long absence. As the years went by and time allowed, I wrote and published three contemporary novels; Adeline, A Friend Like Frank, and The Trouble With Tony.

They were so much fun to write; Adeline being a soulful journey to the end of an old woman’s life. The other two books are contemporary chaos at their best. Yet, as much as I loved them and the entire process, I came to realize I was writing in the wrong genre. I’d never imagined ending up in the odd writing world of middle-grade/young adults. At least that’s the way I saw it. I mean, who writes to that age group? Well, I do.

The Dreamscape Series began with a simple bedtime story about a boy who discovers a magic carpet under a bed in his grandparents’ beach-house. He and the carpet sneak out of the bedroom window at night and go on fabulous adventures exploring the world.

That bedtime story was the beginning of The Carnelian Game, a story that grew and grew and eventually became a novel. Jake, a little boy at the time, stayed with us frequently, and as I would tucked him in at night, I would tell him the story of the boy and his magic carpet. I would warn him, as I turned out the light, not to fly out the bedroom window and go on any crazy adventures while the rest of us were sleeping.  Every morning he wore a big grin and told me he did indeed sneak out with Mariah, our magic carpet, and go on a great adventure!

Jake grew up and the story was filed away in my mind until our first-born grandchild, Desmond, was old enough to love a good bedtime story. The magic carpet story came alive once again, now a little larger, bolder, daring story about danger and rescue and good versus evil. And I made Desmond the boy on the carpet, zipping through the universe in the dead of night. Des loved it and loved being the main character in the story.  So, the obvious next step was simply making the protagonist Desmond, and letting him star in his novel.

The Carnelian Game took nearly five years to write. The first few years were spent researching ancient Egypt and figuring out what a magic carpet community would look like; how humans interacted with them, were they subordinates or partners? Then there was the whole point of the games. I quickly decided they were not solely for competition. They needed learning experiences that would benefit themselves and others; whether it was people, the environment, or wildlife, the games were not just to be won. They were a means to accomplish something to be proud of, and to be better people for. I decided the teams would be faced with tough challenges and the rider/carpet teams would become partners and work together to solve the problems to win the games. And there were rules to the games, of course. They were to be honored by the carpets and their riders and monitored by spotters and Dalil, the master of the games. Finally, the entire magic carpet society came to life. It was complete.

Once The Carnelian Game was finished, I was well on my way into The Kanyini Game, written for our second grandchild, Chase. It is uniquely different from the first book, just as the boys are uniquely different from each other. Since the rules were in place and the magic carpet society was running smoothly, it was a much shorter project, completed in about two years. The Kanyini Game takes place in Australia, a country full of challenges and dangers. I loved the research and filling the book with all the wonders of the land “Down Under.”

The third in the series is yet unfinished and untitled. It is being written for Samara, our granddaughter and, I’ve been told, the last of our grandchildren. Sigh. I am very excited about this final book and have chosen Madagascar as the location for the game. What a wonder Madagascar is; the perfect location for the adventure of a lifetime for a girl like Samara, a wonder herself!