This week I had the pleasure of finding out some of the things I longed to know about RK Mortenson and his delightful tale, Landon Snow and the Auctor’s Riddle. I will posting about him over the next few days. Here, I give you, RK Mortenson.

First a bit of a bio:

RK Mortenson is a Navy chaplain who has served in the Persian Gulf, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Hawaii, Brunei, Indonesia (Surabaya and Bali), Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. In capacity as chaplain he has been responsible for leading more than a dozen projects at schools, orphanages, a home for the handicapped, and a hospital in these countries.

In February 2004 the Mortenson family (mom, dad, and baby Kira Lee) moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Randy currently serves as a Protestant staff chaplain at Naval Station Mayport. He serves the sailors assigned to the base, as well as the civilian employees, and their families, and he also ministers to the congregation at the Chapel by the Sea.

Landon Snow and the Auctor’s Riddle is Randy’s first book.

And now on to the interview:

Sally: Landon Snow is one of my new favorites as far as children’s books go so I’d like to see a whole lot more from you. What made you decide to write for children and do you expect to stay down here in the kid’s section for a while?

Randy: I could say that I love children and I love children’s books, and those are both true statements. When I started writing Landon Snow, however, I was simply writing a story that happened to involve an 11-year-old boy on a fantastical adventure. I’m a big kid at heart and I like to wonder about things and delve into my imagination—as a child might—and see what I can come up with.

As far as “staying down here in the kids’ section” well, it’s definitely a fun place to be and I’d like to stay and play a while longer yet. Perhaps until I’m kicked out or something.

Sally: Why the name Landon Snow? He’s from Minnesota and I guess a good part of the year, if you jump off the porch you will land on snow, but how did you come up with this name?

Randy: At first he only had a first name, Landon, and that name seemed to come with the character. He was never called anything else, and I don’t know where the name came from (I’m not personally acquainted with any real-life Landon that he’s based on or anything).

When I rewrote the story and expanded it, giving Landon a family and such, I had to come up with a last name. I liked Snow because it’s short and simple and of course it carries that Minnesota wintertime imagery. I do know a wonderful Snow family in real life, although the book’s characters are not based on them.

Sally: Are kids connecting with Landon? Can you share a favorite fan letter or comment?

Randy: I think kids are connecting with Landon and with the story.

I haven’t received any fan letters yet, but a young girl at a book signing gave me a picture she had drawn that was inspired by the book. On it she had written “Landon Snow rocks!” So that was pretty cool.

I heard about a 10-year-old boy who had read the book twice already and simply “can’t wait for the next one!” in the series.

Sally: I thought the story really took off at a gallop once Landon hooked up with Melech. The two of them had a great rapport even while they dinged each other a bit. Will Melech be involved in future books?

Randy: “Gallop”—nice. Yes, Melech is involved in books 2 and 3. I’ve received comments from a number of readers who like Melech. He’s a good horse.

Sally: What about Landon’s adorable, smart and/or sleepy sisters? I would love to see more of them in future books. Are they being developed for bigger roles?

Randy: Holly plays a key role in the second book, and in book 3 both she and Bridget have more substantial roles (than in book 1).

Sally: Who are the “Odds” and what do they represent?

Randy: The Odds are elfish creatures who live among the trees of Wonderwood. Each morning and evening they gather around a clearing called the Echoing Green to watch a giant gold coin get flipped into the sky. The Odds believe it is the tossing of the coin that determines whether it is sunup or sundown. They represent what all creatures would be had they simply “happened” by chance. We would all be merely “odds” then, wouldn’t we?

That’s all for today, tune in tomorrow for more.

If you really can’t wait, go to the blog tour to see what others are saying about Landon Snow.

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