One of the joys that came from writing The Magician’s Workshop was getting to create an entirely different world, where magic is different than how we think of it in our world. The magicians in our book are not like sleight-of-hand magicians, illusionists such as David Copperfield, or the wizards and witches in Harry Potter. Instead, these magical powers enable people to create. Whatever a person can imagine can come into existence.
I (Chris) have the great honor of being the father of three kids. One of the things we enjoy doing is reading books and watching movies together. We have been transported into many fantastic worlds where there are some people who have been fortunate to be born a witch or a wizard, have the force, or have some super power. These stories draw out of my kids a longing to be special. Wouldn’t it be so cool to fly or have some supernatural power? Jon and I feel it too.
Yet, neither one of us can fly. We’re pretty common. So, instead of creating a world where only a small portion of the population is special, we decided to create a planet where everyone alive possesses the ability to use magic.
People here are born with the innate capability to “project” immaterial objects. It could be a flower or a monster, a melody, or a smell. They can project flavors onto their food, and project clothing onto their bodies. One person may work to create a projected pet, another a dolphin swimming in the ocean. But none of their projections are solid. While they look real, they are in many ways similar to what we would call augmented reality, and people can just make them the way we can just open our mouth and sing a song or take our finger and draw something in the sand.
To us on Earth the ability to create a projection would look like pure fantastical magic. We would call every one of them a magician. But this isn’t true in their world. There, only a few people are given the title of magician. This is because, as everyone is born with the same ability, they don’t view it as anything special. To them, what they are born with is just a base skill, one that they need to practice and perfect.
The people known as magicians are the ones who have gained the most skill and mastery over these magical abilities. Our story is about a collection of kids who aspire to become magicians. It follows their journey to perfect their skills and become the best. Some will succeed while others will fail. In this the characters are confronted with the question of what their magic really is, where it comes from, and what it was given to them for.
About the Books:
The Magician’s Workshop, Volume One
Authors: Christopher Hansen, J.R. Fehr
Published by: Wondertale, California
Publication Date: November 8, 2016
ISBN: 1-945353-11-2
ASIN: B01MQGHGBH
Genre: Coming of Age, Fantasy, Magic
Ages: 12 and up.
Length: 85,000 words / 290 pages
Book Links:
Everyone in the islands of O’Ceea has a magical ability: whatever they imagine can be brought into existence. Whoever becomes a master over these powers is granted the title of magician and is given fame, power, riches, and glory. This volume of books follows the journey of a group of kids as they strive to rise to the top and become members of the Magician’s Workshop.
Layauna desperately wants to create beautiful things with her magical powers, but all she can seem to do is make horrible, savage monsters. For years she has tried to hide her creations, but when her power is at last discovered by a great magician, she realizes that what she’s tried to hide might actually be of tremendous value.
Kai just wants to use his powers to have fun and play with his friends. Unfortunately, nearly everyone on his island sees him as a bad influence, so he’s forced to meet them in secret. When one of the creatures they create gets out of control and starts flinging fireballs at their town, Kai is tempted to believe that he is as nefarious as people say. However, his prospects change when two mysterious visitors arrive, praising his ability and making extraordinary promises about his future.
Follow the adventures of Kai, Layauna, and a boatload of other characters as they struggle to grow up well in this fantastical world.
The Magician’s Workshop, Volume Two
Authors: Christopher Hansen, J.R. Fehr
Print Length: 273 pages
Publisher: Wondertale
Publication Date: November 22, 2016
ASIN: B01N988TW7
Genre: Coming of Age, Fantasy, Magic
Ages: 12 and up.
Book Links:
Return to the world of The Magician’s Workshop: Where Dreams Become Reality.
In Volume Two, the Festival of Stars has finally arrived, and the Color Ceremony is about to commence. As children from all over the islands gather to stand before a puller, one question remains: who will have a Color, and who will be found void?
Rejoin your favorite characters as they step forward and receive a label that will have the power to dramatically alter the course of their lives forever.
About the Authors:
Christopher Hansen
The first glimmering Chris Hansen had that there was far more to reality than he had ever imagined occurred six days after his ninth birthday. “Christopher!” cried a wise, old sage. “Life is full of deep magic. Miraculous things happen all the time and all around us, if you know where to look for them.” Full of expectation and childlike optimism, Chris began searching for this magic, prepared to be surprised and amazed by it. And he was: he found Wonder! Now he’s chosen to write stories about it.
Contact the Authors:
Hi Susan and welcome to my blog. I read These Foolish Things and the sequel a few weeks ago and I have a few questions.
