How it all began

At the beginning of fourth grade, Hudson came home from school and said that he didn’t really like writing. As someone who has written dozens of first chapters, opening scenes, and poem drafts over the years, I set out to show him just how amazing writing could be.

I pitched him an idea: What if there was a main character just like him (quirks and all) who loves Greek Mythology and finds himself recruited into a magical Conservatory where he has to save mythological creatures from going extinct? He loved the idea and quickly named the character (Jack) and his brother (Dash). I set out to write a chapter or two with him, but he begged me to keep writing. For the first time, I decided to see where the story took me (instead of plotting it all out from the beginning, which was a common way for me to get stuck on a project) and the ideas poured out of me.

Hudson contributed plot twists, character points, and creatures throughout the writing process so this would be a book that would appeal to someone like him. He also sketched a number of drawings of the creatures Jack encountered and the places he visited, just as the character, Jack, was sketching in his magic notebook. This story would not exist without the amazing imagination of Hudson as my partner.