It’s
not often that you meet a storyteller who can captivate you with words and
weave you into his tale, in the Storyteller fashion of the 1800s.
I
was fortunate enough to meet such a person. Welcome Ken Donaldson, author of The Mouse’s Diary, the first in a series of similar books to come.
Listen as Ken invites us to journey
with him into the world he has created.
KEN:
I
would like to share with you the
adventures of two loveable characters, a mouse and a raccoon.
Come with me now, back to a time where life is peaceful and the high tech games children played
were created from their inventive imagination. I am transporting you back to the early
1800’s, where you will embark upon a fantasy journey of adventure, filled with values and lessons for children so that they can learn about life
experiences from our kindly old mouse, sitting by the village campfire at day’s
end.
The Mouse's Diary
welcomes young readers to a magical world where magic and tales of adventure come to life right before their very
eyes. They will see for themselves the excitement and wonders of how their two
adventurers, a mouse and a raccoon, face danger and enjoy great rewards in a
different time where the world is filled with magic beyond dreaming.
The story opens with a kindly old mouse.
He sits down beside a campfire, puts on his glasses and opens up a well-worn
leather covered diary. The children gather round to listen to the mouse’s
adventures saved from days when he was young just like them. He shares the
story of a mouse and a raccoon who are held captive by a very mean King. One
day, Robin the Red Sparrow comes into their life and opens their minds to great
adventures.
AMM: Where did the idea for the series come from?
KEN: The idea came to me
during a conversation one night with a friend in Canada. My friend likes to
write but is afraid of the publishing aspect of writing. Plus, she had standard
writer's block. I was bouncing ideas at her and happened to mention the mouse
and the raccoon. She did not like any of my ideas but the next morning, 19th
September 2012, I woke up with the entire story of the first volume inside my
head. I wrote a draft on the computer and shared it via email with my friend
that same night. She loved it and asked when the next one was going to be
written.
AMM: I love when inspiration hits us 'over the head'. Here’s a tongue in
cheek question. Why a raccoon? And why a mouse?
KEN: As I mentioned, the idea came to me one day.
The raccoon and the mouse seemed like two excellent creatures, and given the
difference between them they show more acceptance of each other no matter which
culture you come from.
AMM: So given all that, do you find yourself looking at raccoons and
mice differently now?
KEN: No. I had not considered looking into
cultural differences outside considering the likeness of these two critters in
appearance
AMM: How many books do you
envision writing in this series?
KEN: in the primary series, I envision 11 books in
total. Maybe there will be others later, but for now 11 is the magic number.
AMM: 11 is indeed a magical number. I'll keep an eye out for the sequels. Do you prefer to write in a quiet place, or
in a café surrounded by music and the talking and laughter of people
KEN: I like to write first
thing in the morning before doing any emails or other net activities. after I
have showered had breakfast and cleaned up the general mess of the house.
AMM: Finally, Ken, what are some fun
facts about you?
KEN: I guess you could say I enjoy writing. I
enjoy family-sharing events. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy a lovely garden. Music is
more easy listening and I love to watch movies, especially ones that make me
feel good and inspire my imagination. I like to be creative.
Donaldson started
writing poems in his early 20s. He entered a poetry contest once and his poem
“Today is just a day” became published. This inspired him with a newfound
passion in life and he discovered the pleasure of sharing his gift of writing
to all his readers. He believes that people should find the dream that makes
them happy and follow it with their whole heart. He is of simple and humble
beginnings as a child where everything in life was and still is the biggest adventure
he has to share with his readers.
You
can find out more about Ken on Facebook
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