March 22, 2016 (Phase Two of Jr. Ranger
Series Planning)
Things were looking a little better, and
the story was beginning to take shape. I was going to have this book
follow the first book I finished earlier. The Tiny Life of Lucas Fern
"Born Tiny, Born Blue, Big Ears, and Big Feet too!!
Then everything changed. I realized
that nobody knew who Lucas and Lucy Fern were. I had extended family read
the book and friends, but they returned telling me that the story was
interesting and great, but it may be hard to market.
That is where this idea of including them
in this Jr. Ranger Series became more important than ever.
BUT!!! Still boring unless we bring a
little BANG!! to the story.
I sat my four children down to ask their
opinions. They love the stories of Lucas and Lucy Fern, because they all
have been told these adventures ever since our first son was born in 1999.
(Side note: I came up with the names back
when I was in High School and I was living with my third or fourth family, feeling
like I was the 'Kid with Cooties' nobody could stand. I thought of myself
as the Little Lucifer. I even met a very well dressed guy, with long red
hair, and a long red beard, dressed in a pin striped suit who looked like
Lucifer may if he were real. He thought I was a cool kid as I packed his
groceries at Mrs. Gooches Health Foods. That night I had a dream that his
name was Lucas Fern (as in Lucifer) the nice guy before turning bad. All
these years later, Lucas Fern is a twin of Lucy Fern and neither of them are
evil, and I never plan on making them such.)
Anyways. I sat my four children down
March 22 to figure out how to come up with a little spice for the National Park
Series.
We looked everywhere on Amazon, Barnes and
Noble, and maybe thirty other book sites, and could not find any fiction that
would help generate any excitement in kids about our National Parks.
I told my kids of a story, when I would
camp as a kid in Yosemite and I would be afraid of the shadows of the super
tall trees. I always thought that it was a Giant from Jack in the Beanstalk
or something, out to get me.
That is when I remembered imagining a time
that I was floating in the river, and I was about thirteen. I was a huge fan of
Disney's John Henry, Paul Bunyan, Casey Jones, and Johnny Appleseed cartoon,
and the music. I remember thinking up a crazy idea that all of these guys
could have found a perfect hiding place deep in the woods of Yosemite.
I started thinking of a new title, and a
new direction for the Jr Ranger book...
Copyright © 2016 Derek Ryan Jensen. All rights reserved.
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