Just for you

This blog is for those young people who may have found my previous blogs a bit dull, too adult and frankly not for them.  After all the Nick North series is for 10 – 13 year olds and so is this blog.

Who loves reading great children’s stories?

I love both reading and writing children’s literature. Always have. Always will. It’s my thing.

Do you have a book in you?

There’s a saying that goes ‘there’s a book in everyone,’ which means everyone has got a good story in them that they could write about. However bringing up four children and teaching did not give me much time to write anything. When I retired, apart from catching up on some sleep and travelling to South Africa, the first thing I wanted to do was write a children’s novel. Nick North: Blood Quest is the result.

It took a long time from my first not very good efforts to the version available in Kindle and soon coming out in paperback. Very exciting.  Writing, like everything else that is worth doing, takes a lot of time and effort and there is loads to learn. I am definitely still learning. 

Second Nick North coming soon

The second book in the Nick North series is now written and being edited and redrafted or in other words: improved.

The first Nick North book Blood Quest is about Nick and his family.  The second Nick North book (the title is a secret) is about Leone and her family though Nick is very much the star of the book.

Part of the book is set in the First World War which is very topical at the moment as it all happened 100 years ago.

I’ll tell you why I wrote about the First World War another time. 

My favourite books

When I was a child, I loved reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and all the other Narnia books. Much later, I discovered the John White Chronicles of Anthropos books.  Sadly they are hard to come by now but what great stories they are. All of them tell of ordinary children caught up in extraordinary events and being heroes, saving the day. They also all meet, amongst many others a special person. In Narnia it is the lion Aslan and in Anthropos it is Gaal. 

Aslan from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Gaal from The Archives of Anthropos series of books

These provided the inspiration for my Nick North books and his meeting with the Shepherd.

Have you a favourite book or character?

The inspiration of Christian children's literature

I have always wanted to write good quality children’s books that have a strong Christian undertone but which anyone can enjoy. The first books I read in this specialised genre are of course The Chronicles of Narnia written by C S Lewis.

The first edition cover of the Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe.

C S Lewis was the master of writing Christian truth in a readable form whether for adults or children. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first written in the series, is a classic for young and old alike and has been televised and filmed on many occasions. Though undoubtedly dated, it's story and the truth it portrays is still timeless and enjoyed today. Aslan the lion and Jesus figure is strong and powerful yet gentle and kind. He doesn’t fudge the issue of sin, weakness and even treachery but deals with it, often in private, just as Jesus does. Aslan is selfless to the point of death.

C S Lewis’ villains are truly evil without any kindness or compassion; in fact they are cruel and heartless whether it is the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Jadis from The Magician’s Nephew or the green serpent cum woman in the Silver Chair who kidnapped and enchanted Prince Rilian, King Caspian’s only son.

Mark Stibbe wrote  ‘I remember running into Queen Jadis in Narnia. I was young. I was impressionable. I was also utterly convinced that this character could have existed in this way in this world. And I was scared – scared in a way that drew me to the Lion’s arms, rather than to the witch’s sleigh.’

The original drawing of Queen Jadis from The Magician's Nephew

However Aslan always overcomes evil with good and the child heroes and heroines, though flawed and weak grow in faith and character. Edmund turns from traitor to loyal follower of Aslan and a king of Narnia and Eustace grows from obnoxious, legalistic brat to strong and brave overcomer of giants and serpents. 

All seven books reveal different aspects of Christian truth and reflect the Biblical narrative from the birth of Narnia in The Magician’s Nephew to the end of time and all the worlds in The Last Battle.

My other all time favourite books in the Christian children’s genre are The Archives of Anthropos by British born, Canadian based author John White who died in 2002. Like C S Lewis his first written book did not end up as the first book chronologically in his series.

These books tell the story of the country of Anthropos visited by three children from our world Wesley, Lisa and Karl and their uncle John who like the Professor in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe visited Anthropos (Narnia) as a child, creating the beginning of the series.

These wonderful stories centre not just on the three children ‘from world’s afar’ but also on Gaal (Hebrew for shepherd) who is the Christ like figure.  His love for the children in their weakness and sin is strong. Even when they fail, he brings victory again at great cost to himself. It is also clear that sometimes the consequences of our actions will hamper even his gracious work.

I remember reading The Tower of Geburah for the first time one Christmas and being blown away by the truths of the Christian faith and the subject of forgiveness wrapped up in a credible, enjoyable and totally fascinating children’s novel. The three children are sent to Anthropos to rescue King Kardia from the wicked clutches of the evil magician Shagar who has ensnared the kingdom. Though weak and flawed and causing themselves all sorts of needless difficulties, the children overcome and Gaal’s beneficent rule is restored in the land.

I still enjoy reading these books which grace my book shelf and which one day I hope my grandchildren will enjoy.

These books provided the inspiration for Nick North, the hero of my novels.  He is the regular lad caught up in events far beyond his normal life.  My books though are set in rural Aston Turnberry in UK not in an imaginary world like Narnia or Anthropos. I have to admit I would love to write a fantasy tale of that nature but that is a future project.

What I have tried to do is show God’s amazing love for us in our strengths and weaknesses and the power of forgiveness which breaks chains in our lives and in our family. In fact the matter of generational tendencies and problems is a major theme of both the first Nick North book and the second one which is still on the production line.

More on the generational theme in the next blog ….