From the Author
I had a lot of funwriting this book. I guess you could say that Disney's The Santa Clausewas a bit of a prompt and inspiration for the rough draft. Actually,this story started to take shape a year or so after that movie came into being.
I'd always played with the idea of Santa and his elves,but it wasn't until The Santa Clause came out that I really thoughtabout how I'd like my version of the North Pole to be. The story came as a sort of daydream while I was riding the bus to school. I think it was middle school/junior high. We had a long bus ride.
Anyway, I'dplay out the opening scene in my head, over and over again, imagininghow it would look, every detail as if it were a movie. And from there, I just kind of "viewed" the story in my mind, like a mini series. I hadto do it that way because the whole story couldn't fit in during thecommute to and from school.
Over time, the characters evolvedfrom their very rough state to become the "people" they are now. I evenused to pretend I was Marie and would sometimes act like her at school. I had this music teacher who was totally chill with me doing that and wehad a sort of code so he'd know when I was pulling Marie out of mypsyche. On those days, I'd wear magnetic earrings. I don't usually wearjewelry. But on those days, he knew I was taking on the personae of that character.
I even kept a journal as if I were Marie, doing anobservation stint with the middle/junior high schoolers. (Check out theappendix of my book for a definition of what observers do.) I think Istill have some of those journals somewhere in a box. And who knows?Maybe I'll use them in a sequel someday.
Over all, The UnknownElf was an exploration of the myth of Santa and his elves. I hope itpushes things further for all my readers, and makes those charactersmore real, more human, in a way. At least that's my goal. And I hopethat everyone who reads it gets a feel for the real spirit of Christmasand the real version of the North Pole for how it should be.
About the Author
Karlie Lucas is a preschool teacher by day and a writer/artist by night. A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association. Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling. When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family. Karlie currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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