Although I have written many short stories and writing articles, The Rock of Realm was and is very dear to me. This will
be a series of books, continuing the adventurous saga of Alexandra Stone and her friends. In each book, new characters and
new quests will be introduced.
But to back track for a moment and reflect how the idea of the book came to me:
Being a mother of five children, I have read hundreds of books. Reflecting on all of these books, I found there were
elements missing. Although these children books were great to read, I wanted to have in my own book teaching elements without
preaching. Thus the four important elements came to life for me to start creating.
Discovery: Alexandra Stone discovers she is a Princess to this whole new world, something her mother tried desperately
to hide from her. In each new Rock of Realm book, a new lesson and part of this world will be discovered.
Discovery is a part of life and I found it important to implement this into the storyline.
Friendship: With the help and friendship of her friends, Alex will overcome obstacles along Dread's Forest and Rock Kingdom.
This element will show the true nature of what it means to confide and stand beside your friend.
Courage and Bravery: Both of these elements go hand in hand in The Rock of Realm. I've tried to show with the help of
friends and with that first step to face your fear, success in victory is only a step away.
But my biggest challenge was to use 'nothing is as it appears to be' throughout the book. It took me two years but finally,
I believe, I successfully demonstrated this point. Without giving away too much of the theme, I have shown a character who
is feared by all in Rock Kingdom. Chapter after chapter hints of this man's reputation is given, placing fear in Alex and
her companions. At some point down the line, Alex will have to face this man and her fear with a decision that only she will
be able to make. It is this last leg of the journey Alex will finally understand the meaning behind "nothing is as it appears
to be".
Another difficult route I had to decide on was whether or not to have my 'comical' characters as humans or as animals.
I went with animals because children and adults are better able to handle some of the smart remarks and antics from 'talking'
animals than by young teenagers. Their antics may have made their characters appear trivial so I chose the animals to display
jealousy and 'need for attention' emotions and comments.
Two years came and went and I am delighted to say that Book Two of The Rock of Realm is now being written.
Stay tuned for more adventure coming your way.
Lea
