My Important Thoughts About The Book:
The
first volume in The Hannah and Brandon Stories was written as five
interconnected short stories. The first story introduced Hannah and Brandon and their
situation, and the next four were all about their dealings with Bucky. My editor and I
agreed that the final four stories were too long for younger readers, so we divided each
of them into two chapters.
And that is how the format for The Hannah and Brandon Stories
came about. Three Robbers, however, was
written in that format instead of having the format imposed upon it after it was done.
Okay, that sounds subtle, but it makes a difference. Trust me.
The last two chapters in Three Robbers
are a quest story. I became interested in quest stories when my younger son was in seventh
grade and had to write one in his English class. This was a very elaborate project
involving creating a main character who had to bring with him on his quest three items
that would help him overcome three obstacles. The main character also had to do three
favors for three other characters for which he would receive three gifts that he could
then…I couldn't follow the instructions after that.
But I did get the part about giving main characters three items to help them
overcome three obstacles. Therefore, Hannah and Brandon take a jump rope, a flashlight,
and some old chocolate coins with them on their quest.
