Trae Stratton
Well, first and foremost, I wanted to write something dedicated to my daughter so it would be waiting on the shelf for when she was old enough to read it. As a father and a writer, THUNDER PEAK checked that very special box for me.
Number two, is that I definitely wanted the book to be a father-daughter story, but I didn't want the focus to be coping/dealing with a broken/strained relationship. There are plenty of books out there that go into that and they are written much better than I could ever write one. I wanted a fun, light YA book with a strong parent-child relationship that could be the cornerstone of how they problem solve and overcome obstacles together. With today's technology, I'm not sure anyone does this anymore, but- The kind of story that could inspire a dad and his little girl to go outside and play; to pretend they are the characters and make up their own stories: "C'mon dad! We've got to stop those creatures before they eat everyone's horses!"
Third, I wanted it to be an exciting action and adventure story- not just one that kids would want to read, but one that fathers will hopefully want to read with them. It is certainly a girl-meets-unicorn story, but it is not a sappy one. People always like movie terms- the one I use is The Outlaw Josey Wales and his daughter go to Narnia!
Last: As they so often do for many writers, the plot elements of THUNDER PEAK grew from a "What If?" idea. One of the countless Dungeons & Dragons type conversations that I've been in was about how and when unicorns get their horns. Despite being so long ago, there was a precise lightning bolt moment that stuck with me through the years and eventually became the heart of what would become Book I of the TAMM CHRONICLES: The notion that if unicorns required a unique, ceremonial process that enabled their horns to grow, then a juvenile unicorn would be in utter, desperate peril if participating in that process was endangered- especially if it meant they would lose their horn and all its magic forever.
There you go. One seed idea about how unicorns get their horns. From it grows a three book series.
"It's not a writer's job to come up with great ideas- It's to recognize them when they come along." Stephen King, On Writing (paraphrased).
Number two, is that I definitely wanted the book to be a father-daughter story, but I didn't want the focus to be coping/dealing with a broken/strained relationship. There are plenty of books out there that go into that and they are written much better than I could ever write one. I wanted a fun, light YA book with a strong parent-child relationship that could be the cornerstone of how they problem solve and overcome obstacles together. With today's technology, I'm not sure anyone does this anymore, but- The kind of story that could inspire a dad and his little girl to go outside and play; to pretend they are the characters and make up their own stories: "C'mon dad! We've got to stop those creatures before they eat everyone's horses!"
Third, I wanted it to be an exciting action and adventure story- not just one that kids would want to read, but one that fathers will hopefully want to read with them. It is certainly a girl-meets-unicorn story, but it is not a sappy one. People always like movie terms- the one I use is The Outlaw Josey Wales and his daughter go to Narnia!
Last: As they so often do for many writers, the plot elements of THUNDER PEAK grew from a "What If?" idea. One of the countless Dungeons & Dragons type conversations that I've been in was about how and when unicorns get their horns. Despite being so long ago, there was a precise lightning bolt moment that stuck with me through the years and eventually became the heart of what would become Book I of the TAMM CHRONICLES: The notion that if unicorns required a unique, ceremonial process that enabled their horns to grow, then a juvenile unicorn would be in utter, desperate peril if participating in that process was endangered- especially if it meant they would lose their horn and all its magic forever.
There you go. One seed idea about how unicorns get their horns. From it grows a three book series.
"It's not a writer's job to come up with great ideas- It's to recognize them when they come along." Stephen King, On Writing (paraphrased).
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