Andy stuffed the money back into his pocket and grinned. He had just enough to buy the gemstone. It was rough, dull grey and oblong in shape. And it fit perfectly into his closed fist.
So begins the tale of Andy’s magical adventures in Dreamland, written by local author Loda Louden, 51.
“It is one of those things I have always wanted to do,” Louden said of publishing her first book.
“My wish is that I now become a better writer, because I really enjoyed it and I want to do more and more.”
Louden was inspired to write The Last Thunderegg after reading about a literary contest in a local newspaper in 2006. The idea took bloom and resulted in a first draft six months later.
What followed was more than three years of editing to get to the final version of her story, which is published as an eBook online at Smashwords.com, and will be out in print in about a month.
Louden enjoyed the process of writing and is thrilled she followed the project through to completion.
“I think everyone should go through it,” said Louden, who is a flight attendant for WestJet.
“It just uses a part of your brain and imagination that you don’t normally use.”
The novel is geared towards readers ages nine to 12, and is filled with magic, mystery and adventure.
Louden said the book would appeal to anyone who likes reading about magic and fantasy.
Her inspiration came from a variety of sources, such as reminiscing about the entertaining things her kids, now grown, did during childhood.
Louden, who says she never considered herself a writer, conducted research on how to write a book before beginning.
Before long, however, she couldn’t type fast enough to keep up with her ideas.
“I had no idea where to start,” said Louden, with a chuckle.
“As I was writing it out, it sort of took on a life of its own, which is really kind of fun, because all of a sudden an idea pops into your head and you wonder, ‘where did this come from?’”
So far, feedback for the book has been positive, said Louden.
She is currently working on a sequel, which will feature a number of the same characters.
“I am really proud that I actually finished it and am publishing it,” said Louden.
“The hardest thing for me was to actually get it out there and tell people that I had done it.”
For more information on The Last Thunderegg and Louden’s upcoming sequel, visit www.ljlouden.com
