Ankulen Tag!

What can I say? Y’all know my weakness for tags, so of course I had to do Kendra’s!

1. Did you have any imaginary friends as a child? If so, tell me about them! The one I remember most is Dorothy. And yes, she looked just like Judy Garland, blue gingham dress, ruby slippers and all. I first made her up after a camping trip with my grandparents when I was six or seven. The day after I got home, I suddenly had an imaginary “big sister,” and she was “in twelfth grade.” Funny thing is, she lived in a house across a field back of our house, or she was off to college, or something, most of the time. 

2. An Ankulen is a piece of jewelry that brings imagination to life. If they actually existed, what would yours look like?

Something like this:

This was my original “interchangeable stones” pendant idea (prior to “Wild Irish Rose”)…which I’d still like to make someday. It was born of trying to figure out a way to wear crystal points differently than your typical New Age hippie…with a dash of LOTR/Art Nouveau inspiration. The backstory I thought up for it is that my alter ego performs a service for the Elven-king, and in gratitude, he presents her with an enchanted pendant, the stone of which changes color to match whatever outfit she wears with it (now that “Keeper of the Enchanted Crystal Pendant” bit in my header makes more sense, aye?). Perhaps someday (Lord willing) it’ll be a reality….

3. Based on what you've heard about the Ankulen, what part of it are you most looking forward to? Jen’s Imagination! The concept of actually being able to visit one’s own imaginary world like one would visit Grandma’s house—it’s right up my alley.

4. What was your favorite book as a child? Oh my, that’s a hard one. I think our Tall Book of Fairy Tales and the beautifully illustrated Hansel and Gretel were near the top of the list.

 
5. How do you think this book will compare to my previous three books? Not having read any of Kendra’s other books (apart from an Amazon preview of the first few pages of Sew, it’s a Quest), I honestly can’t say. But from little hints she’s let drop on her blog, it sounds intriguing.

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~“Tom”~