In addition to my new silver and green T-shirts, I’m hoping to have the revised version of Silver Shoes available for this year’s OZtoberFest in September! Here is a sneak peek at the brand new cover—an enhanced, more sinister, more magical take on the original design. The book itself has gone through some editing. Nothing major, and the story remains the same! I just tightened up the prose a bit and embellished a few sections in my never-ending attempt to make it even better. Hope you enjoy, and see you in September!
Monthly Archives: August 2015
Oz Fashionista
Just a quick note to let you know I’ll be heading back to Wamego, Kansas, at the end of September for this year’s OZtoberFest, and I will have T-shirts for sale as well as books. You too can be Ozzified in your very own Silver Shoes shirt! The back of the tee has the book’s keynote (promotional) slogan on it: “For years, people have thought The Wizard of Oz was a fairy tale. But Donald Gardner is about to learn the story is true.” My wardrobe is now complete.
But what if they were real?
I”m always fascinated whenever I see a pair of silver shoes like these from the eighteenth century. Genuine silver, too. They evoke a sense of realness with their expert craftsmanship and artistry, their detailed carvings, and the unusual, exotic shape. I love the buckles—almost a nod to the bows on Judy Garland’s ruby slippers. Beautiful design.
I thought I would share them, because I find inspiration everywhere in reality. Glimpses into an alternate universe where fairy-tale sensibilities reign supreme.
It was intentional that I didn’t include a depiction of the Shoes on my book cover, because I wanted readers to imagine them. Several characters in the story become obsessed with the shoes. They can’t shake the images out of their minds. I first describe them from Donald Gardner’s perspective as a cross between a Dutch wooden clog and something out of The Arabian Nights. I go into further detail about the strange carvings on their surface, which turn out to be more significant than mere artistic embellishments. Still, I wanted you, dear reader, to complete the circle by deciding for yourself what they look like.
Are these the way you picture them?
I can tell you they made me grin and nod when I saw the photo … so I had to share.
Hope you enjoy.