My Love of Rodents

Mice, rats, squirrels, jerboas: these are just a few of the many rodents that I love. It is safe to say that most of what I have written (not published) have been about them. For the past two years, I have been working on a novel series which I call Tooth and Tail in which all the characters are rodents. It is quite possibly the most fun I have ever had writing, and I am unsure if I will ever find a true end to it.

Throughout my entire life, I have been drawn to the cute little creatures in film. One of the most inspirational, animated movies I have ever seen is one called "A Mouse and his Child." It is about two toy mice that go on this amazing quest to become self-winding. I suppose this is a clever way of saying alive if you are a toy. The movie was adapted from a book, and I really like them both equally. That story also did some amazing things concerning rats as characters.

I am sure that most everyone remembers "The Secret of NIMH." Don Bluth's adaptation of the original book, in my opinion, outdid the original story by far. I liked the book, but the movie was just better. There was a magical element added to the film that just gave power to the whole presentation. Elizabeth
 Hartman's portrayal of Mrs. Brisby was inspired. She really gave the mouse the particular timidity that she had in the book.

My favorite comic book is called "Mouse Guard," which is about a guild of mice who travel about their territory doing good deeds for the citizens. This is actually the story that inspired me to write "Tooth and Tail." I hope to have that published someday.

There are many other films and stories out there that star mice, and I read and watch them when I can. They are very inspiring to me. I guess it had to do with having something so small be so important. If you think about it, this is not always done with mice. In "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins is a very small and mousy individual, but even he does amazing things by the story's end. And just to be clear, I am very fond of that tale as well. There is something very endearing about that set-up.

Stay tuned to later blogs. I'm sure the subject of rodents will come up again once in a while. Be sure to comment here on the blog if yo so desire, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Thanks for reading! :)

"Blacky the Hero" published on Smashwords!

Well, I have just published my new children's book, "Adventures in Cottontail Pines - Blacky The Hero." You can find it on Smashwords right here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328275

In this story, Blacky the skunk saves his friend, Walnut the squirrel, from a scary wolf. Although, it was not his intention, the entire town hails the normally grumpy skunk as a hero! Unfortunately, it looks like all the fame goes straight to his head. Hehe.

If you have any questions or comments, you can leave them on this blog or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Have a great day! :D

Different Genres

As I have said before, I enjoy exploring different genres in my writing. I like to find at least one thing that I enjoy about every kind of story, and when I write it, I try my best to capitalize on that point. Here are some of the genres that I have written for in the past and what I found in it that I enjoyed:

Comedy or Madcap: These are really two different types, but I have often combined the two before. Comedy allows me to take my own sense of humor and wit and give it to the reader for their enjoyment. There is no need to always be serious, and the drama can, at times, be light. Madcap stories really do not need to ever be serious though, and are entirely intended to allow the reader to relax and not take it seriously.

Comedy is really something that works well into serious drama for moments of levity. If you go too crazy with a dark story line and never allow the reader to relax, it can really drag that person down. Adding some comedy to an otherwise dramatic tale can solve this, and it can also make the characters feel more real. I like this.

Drama: This is probably my favorite and something I, to some degree, have implemented into all my stories. I love close interactions between my characters and showing that there is a real event happening in which they have to live through. Preferably, if I am going to write a drama, it will be a serious one.

Western: Recently, I published a western called "The Untold Legend of Pecos Bill."

This was a tall tale, and I really found myself relaxed when I wrote it. For one thing, I did not have to make sure that everything I had in it was perfectly accurate. With tall tales, the storyteller is supposed to toss his own ideas into the mix and not worry too much if he goes overboard with it all. I also enjoyed the talking animals. It was really conducive to my own creativity.

Horror: Not my favorite, but because I am so big on drama, there is plenty for me to do. There are some types of horror that really drive me forward. Cthulhu Mythos is very cool with its lurking terror aspect, and I am a big fan of the way Twin Peaks did it. So, I can still do the genre justice.

Childrens: This is my chance to put in all my cute talking animals. I am just about always inspired for this. But I would like to point out that I do write it so that adults can enjoy it too. Besides, I am unsure if children really can appreciate what I write to a proper extent.

These are all I will leave you with for now. Thanks for reading my blog! If you have any comments or questions, you can post here or to my email at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Also, be sure to check out my author's page at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TKWade

About T.K. Wade (Me!)

Hi! I am T.K. Wade. I am writer living in Coastal North Carolina. Although, I suppose I started writing back in 2000, I really kicked it into high gear only about five years ago. You can find many of my published works (most of them free of charge) on Smashwords at the following address: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TKWade

You may notice that I have written stories in a wide range of genres. I really try not to limit myself in writing, and I always try to find something I like in every type of story (even ones I am not fond of.) For example, I have written a number of horror stories--a genre that I do not like very much.

The types of stories I like the most are cute stories staring animal characters. "Adventures in Cottontail Pines" is a great example of this. As you can see from the cover (featured below), it is quite adorable.

In general, I am very obsessive over cute things, especially of the rodent variety. I love mice, and I will probably be talking about them in this blog from time to time. Rodents give me a lot of inspiration, and I will almost always buy a movie, book, game, or comic if it features them. In the story that I mentioned above, there is a mouse character named Gumdrop, who I love. You can see her sitting on top of the bunny's head.

Anyways, expect more from me concerning my stories, personal interests, and other things on this blog. I will do my best to keep 'em coming regularly. If you have any comments or questions, send them my way. I can also be reached at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com.