Author Christopher Conroy currently lives in Los
Angeles, California, but was
born in Ireland
and raised in Canada. He grew up in a large family consisting of
seven children, and a mother and father who by his own description were
“loving, moral, fun and pure magic.”
Conroy says he was heavily influenced by John Steinbeck growing up, and
also likes Jack London and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but that the “main influence
for ANZARD
came from that magical place in my mind where I write.”
For
More Information
About the Book:
Author Christopher Conroy has just
released a book for kids aged 8-12 called ANZARD. Teachers, parents, producers...take
note! This appealing and well-written
book would give Lewis Carroll (Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland) reason to worry.
As a matter of fact if you mixed
in one part Harry Potter, with one
part Pinocchio then added a generous
helping of Alice in Wonderland…you’d get Anzard!
ANZARD tells the story of how a
young boy named Justin Cavell learns to listen to that voice inside him and
trust his instincts. He also learns how
his dreams and wishes can come true:
Justin becomes more aware of himself and his potential to turn his
dreams and wishes into reality.
One dark and stormy night, as
Justin is anxiously awaiting the return of his parents and praying for their
safe return from a long overdue plane trip, he is visited by Poofy, a tiny, magical
pixie who comes from the faraway planet, Spiritainia. Justin is escorted to this wonderful world of
Spiritainia by the Anzard pixie, Poofy.
Aside from Poofy, Justin is joined by his own Tribe of Truth – that
include such memorable characters as Regal the Eagle, Turner the Turtle,
Chumpah the Chipmunk and Billy the Goat – define Justin’s inner voice and help
him in his quest of self-discovery.
Justin also learns to resolve
conflict, which arrives in the form of an evil witch named Nosefeen, and captures
Poofy as Poofy is guiding Justin to the Path of Possibilities. Through these
adventures, Justin grows stronger and develops self-esteem, enabling him to
return to Earth, find his parents, and guide them home safely.
ANZARD opens up a world of rewards
for kids who learn to develop and trust their inner voice. The book helps them
to become more aware and enlightened.
The ANZARD book cover is
beautifully illustrated by Peter Green Design of Glendale, California who also
designs for film companies, sporting teams and many other businesses including
DreamWorks, McDonald’s, The Walt Disney Company, LEGOLAND, The NBA, HBO, FOX
Kids Networks, and the “Game of Thrones” fantasy drama television series, to
name a few.
“A timeless, yet very modern story
of a young boy’s journey to a magical new world, filled with enchanting
characters and thrilling adventure. You
owe yourself a trip to Spiritania.”
- Victoria
Lucas, Producer
“My nephew loved ANZARD so much I
had to see what got him so excited.
After the first chapter I was hooked.
I normally don’t read this kind of fiction (fantasy) but the storyline
was compelling enough to make me locate the author’s website and post this
review.
Can’t wait to read Mr. Conroy’s
next novel!”
- D.
Butler, Amazon Post
Justin’s story can even appeal to
adults. Says Mr. Conroy, “I want my
readers to come away happier, more aware and enlightened…as a child I was aware
of many things but I constantly invalidated that awareness. I shouldn’t have. Those gifts are precious. Our inner awareness should be nurtured and
cultivated, especially by parents and the child who has those gifts. Maybe some part of Anzard will awaken those
powers.”
For More Information
- Anzard is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
CHILDREN’S FICTION
IS AN INTERESTING GENRE TO CHOOSE. WHY
DID YOU WRITE THIS BOOK?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wrote Anzard for
several reasons, besides the love of writing, but the main one was to try to
make ‘awareness’ of one’s own instincts more visible to everyone, especially
children.
Not only from my own
realizations, but as I went through my daily routines I oftentimes heard people
speak about regrets they had about things they already knew, but ignored.
I would hear them
say things like; “I knew I shouldn’t
have turned off on that street” or “I knew that was bad restaurant” or “I knew
that person was a creep”.
Well once while
walking in the mountains I told myself I’m going to give that term “I knew” a
name (ANZARD) and a character (POOFY) to make that awareness fun and
recognizable and maybe, just maybe, assist others in being more aware of their
own awareness.
DO YOU BASE YOUR CHARACTERS ON REAL PEOPLE OR ARE THEY TOTALLY FROM YOUR
IMAGINATION?
The answer to that
is both. The characters come from my
imagination but they oftentimes have ‘characteristics’ of people I’ve known in
my life.
ARE YOU CONSCIOUSLY AWARE OF YOUR PLOT OR DO YOU DISCOVER IT AS YOU
WRITE?
Again the answer is
both. Writing a sturdy story is like
building a house. It’s wise to work with
and architect (yourself when writing) to lie out a structure for the story so
there is a proper symmetry and it flows clearly.
But once I have that
structure I jump in and let the story come to me as if I’m surfing on a
wave. Once I’m in it, that story
surrounds me and I just perceive and write.
It’s a lot of fun.
HAVE YOU EVER SUFFERED FROM WRITERS BLOCK AND WHAT DO YOU DO TO GET BACK
ON TRACK
I have never
suffered from writer’s block ever. Writing
is like going on vacation for me … it’s a constant joy and delight. If I did have writer’s block I’m not sure
what I would do … probably kick that block out of my way … J
WHAT WOULD YOU DO
WITH AN EXTRA HOUR A DAY IF YOU COULD DO ANYTHING YOU WANTED?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My mind would
automatically either go to the plot of the existing book I was writing or my
mind would seek out a new creation to work on.
I just don’t have an ‘Off Switch’ when it come so writing. Even my own reading tends to be research.
WHAT DO LIKE MOST ABOUT BEING AN AUTHOR?
Someone once said
“Find out what you love to do in life and you’ll never have to work a day in
your life,”
What I like most is
I’m doing what I absolutely love.
WHAT IS THE MOST PIVOTAL POINT IN WRITER’S LIFE?
I once told a friend
that I really wasn’t thrilled about any vocation before me. Soon after that I helped another friend
finish a book. That time spent writing
was all I needed. I was hooked and that
was my pivotal moment. I was thrilled
about a vocation this time and it’s never left me.
WHAT KIND OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHER FICTION WRITERS?
That’s an easy
answer. Never, never, never quit or give
up for any reason. Like all successes in
life, the people involved learned to persist in spite of all odds. If writing is in your blood you will succeed. I wish
you the best.