Princesses, Hobyahs, Lord Leamoldae—Oh My!

Peters resident and author Alison Kartevold dedicates her book, "KenKarta: Battle of the Onoxmon," to her "angel babies with eyes of blue"—her daughters, Veronica and Sophia, who were instrumental in creating the world where the book takes place. 

It all started five years ago, with no intention of publication. One night Kartevold’s eldest daughter had a bad dream and asked her to tell her a story. It was 2 a.m. and Kartevold was half asleep, she said. She began to improvise.

She had incorporated activities they did during a family trip to Idaho from which they’d just returned. A story of riding horses turned into fairies and purple dragons—the book’s evolution and inscription had begun.

The story of "KenKarta" evolved through dinner-table chats and school art projects. Kartevold often found herself saying, "That is so going in the book."

As it grew, she was asked to be the mystery reader for Sophia’s then-second-grade class. She printed out a couple of chapters and toted them to . She couldn’t help but notice the children sitting up on their knees, so much so nobody budged when class was over.

The book has been added to some district classes’ curriculum and residents have marked their calendars for the at the library Friday, May 13.

The characters represent Kartevold’s family. The family dog, Scooby Doo, even has a spot as Scoobee Doo in the book—Scoobee for copyright reasons. Daughters Veronica and Sophia are gifted princesses who can talk to magical creatures. Their world is crushed when Lord Leamoldae seeks revenge. Sophia is kidnapped and must fend for herself while Veronica, a boy named Zane and other creatures embark on a quest to save her.

What are some of these mythical creatures, you ask? For one, a "kaboukaba" (created by Sophia) has ears, but a long neck and tail, according to Kartevold. He’s striped, too.

Kartevold could not be more proud and thrilled that her daughters assisted her book-writing process.

"They are not intimidated by this process," she said. "Instead of it being scary, they love it and they want to do it again. It will serve them well in their lives."

Kartevold said it took a long time, but it taught them "look what happens when you stick with something."

She aimed at creating a perilous adventure that broke from the Disney tradition—she chose for the parents to be removed at times, but refrained from writing the children as orphans.

"We have a very tight nuclear family and I wanted that feeling to be there," she said.

Join her and Peters residents for the May 13, as "KenKarta" makes its national debut.

Kartevold recently returned from Los Angeles where she was signing copies of "KenKarta" at the LA Times Festival of Books.

Visit her website to learn more about her extensive background as a journalist, the book, watch the book trailer (fabulously produced with Les Polinko's illustrations) and follow her virtual book tour. Be sure to stay up-to-date with her news on Facebook and Twitter, too.