Laura Thomas Author: Blog "...IT'S A BOY!"

The Candle Maker, my latest book-baby has been birthed and it’s a boy! Seriously, these books are like babies for us authors and therefore after a lengthy period of gestation, the publishing release is somewhat euphoric. And this one’s extra special (I know, I say that about each and every one) because it’s my first completely un-girly book. Yes, this one has a male protagonist and can be comfortably read by boys. Not a hint of pink or frilly on the cover. A quick shout-out to all the guys who actually read my other less-than-manly stuff— you are the best!

So what’s this book about, you may ask? It’s a middle grade novel for boys AND GIRLS ages 8-11ish, set in Victorian England at Christmastime. My wonderful publisher is Dancing With Bear Publishing, who started me off in this authoring journey.Here’s the back page blurb to give you a little taster:

“Every village has a mysterious character— someone to tell tales about, someone to fear. Meet The Candle Maker. One Christmas Eve in Victorian England, ten-year-old Benjamin Walker is forced to face the fabled old candle maker and see for himself if the ghastly rumors are true. Challenged by neighborhood bullies, lessons and lies, and an English bulldog along the way, Benjamin confronts his fears on a quest to discover the truth. But will this ragamuffin lad find the courage he needs in time to save a life?”

Dun-dun-dun-duuuun. You’ll have to read it to find out…

Obviously, I had a little inspiration for the canine character from our very own English bulldog, Lily. She’s a star and she doesn’t even know it. Hope she can handle the fame:

And here’s my Pinterest board with some pics that inspired me along the way. Pinterest is such a great way to visualize your characters and settings. It’s not JUST for fabulous fashion and ravishing recipes…

I dedicated The Candle Maker to my two bright and brilliant sons, Jameson and Jacob… they are my yin and yang, chalk and cheese, black and white, opera and rock. Never a dull moment. This story begins with the interaction of two brothers, and it warms my mommy-heart to bits. They will be so thrilled I finally have a dude story published… they’ve been encouraged/ forced/ guilted into reading my previous titles: Tears to Dancing, Tears of a Princess, Pearls for the Bride, and Fairy Wings. Bless their hearts. Admittedly, this is a little young for guys in their upper teens, but I originally wrote it as a short story in 2008… you simply can’t rush these things! But thanks, boys, for your patience with your mommy.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the first copy of The Candle Maker! *Squeal* If you or someone you know might like to check it out, here are the links: Amazon.com, Amazon.UK, Amazon.ca, and Dancing With Bear Publishing (via Createspace) I’ll put other Amazon links on my website as soon as they’re available, too.

This has been a fantastic week for me— I’ve been presenting each day at the BC Youth Writers Camp in Penticton College, and it’s been a poignant reminder of why I write for children and how important it is to encourage them in their writing as well as reading. What a privilege to share my writing journey… kids inspire us, don’t they? It’s the perfect week for me to have a children’s book published!

I appreciate you allowing me to share the joy. I hope this will prove to be a source of encouragement for you writers and bloggers and starting-out-authors out there— if you have a message burning a hole in your heart, share it. Sometimes God steps in and takes it to a whole other level, and sometimes it takes a jolly long time. Nothing is wasted. This book began as a short story from a writing exercise in a course I took years ago. Who knew? Okay actually I know who knew, but He took a while to get the ball rolling on this one! It’s like He knows my patience needs working on or something…

Thanks for allowing me to bubble my excitement your way.

Feeling very blessed 🙂