THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 5, 1995 TAG: 9509050034
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KITTY HAWK LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
In a literary sense, Mary Maden is enjoying a second childhood.
``When I was 8 or 9 years old, I was reading Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson,'' the 38-year-old Tennessee native said. ``I had to stay after school once because I wrote a short story called `The Kissing Killer.' Later, I wrote another one called `Crimson Is the Color of Blood.'
``I was really into the Gothic horror sort of books. A couple of years later, I was reading Freud and Jung. I kind of skipped the children's literature.''
Maden, who was a self-confessed ``big-time bookworm'' as a child, is doing some make-up work in kids' literature. In collaboration with Wanchese illustrator Sara Hodder Daniels, Maden recently published ``Flying High With the Wright Brothers,'' the first in her ``Outer Banks Animals Series'' of children's books.
Maden first got the idea for a children's book three years ago. She was waiting tables at a Corolla restaurant. The urge to write came in part from seeds planted in her childhood, in part from boredom.
``I just felt I had to do something creative,'' she said. ``My husband, Eric, had always encouraged me to write, but I had always been afraid. I think it was mostly the fear of rejection.''
But stories were in her blood. Growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Maden's family was well-versed in storytelling.
``My uncle was the family archivist,'' Maden said. ``He kept our history. And he collected antique guns, old Victrolas, things like that.''
Maden got a shot of inspiration from the successful Outer Banks children's author Suzanne Tate and illustrator James Melvin. Like Tate, Maden is a self-published author.
``Suzanne inspired me business-wise,'' Maden said. ``She's been extremely kind. She showed me there was a definite market for my book. I think we're different in our approach. I think she writes for a younger audience. And I'm a lot wordier. But I think there's room for one more author here.''
Maden took out a second mortgage on her home, and printed ``Flying High With the Wright Brothers,'' the story of Razz the Dog and Petey the wild Corolla pony. The dog shares with Petey his grandfather's story of the Wright Brothers' first flight.
The tale is told through the eyes of Grandpappy Razz, Mr. Mockingbird and Ozzie Osprey.
``I think it's important that this story remains true to history,'' Maden said. ``I think that children have such a tremendous capacity to learn, they know the difference between accuracy, and the fantasy involving the animals. One of the Wright Brothers, in his journal, wrote about a mockingbird that was always near where they lived, and a dog that was nearby.
``I don't claim to be an educator. I'm a writer. But the stories have to represent the facts. The stories can't be so fantastic that the children don't get anything out of them.''
As to the origins of Razz and Petey, the explanation is simple.
``I've always been fascinated by the wild ponies at Corolla,'' she said. ``My neighbor has a dog named Tazz that used to take my dog about 15 miles up the beach. I was sitting out on the dock one day, and got the idea.''
What began in Maden's mind made its way to paper thanks to Sara Daniels.
``I found Sara through a classified ad,'' Maden said. ``I'm not a visual person, but I could tell her what I wanted, and she put it on paper just as I had described it. We have a wonderful chemistry.''
The two have contracted for nine additional books. Already, ``Flying High With the Wright Brothers'' has sold 1,500 copies. A book on the flamboyant pirate Blackbeard is forthcoming. But commercial success, Maden said, is not the driving factor.
``I was taking some books over to Ocracoke,'' Maden said. ``There was a little boy from Ontario, Canada, on the ferry, and he kept looking over at the books. I gave him a copy, and he just got immersed in it. That's why I enjoy what we do.'' ILLUSTRATION: From bookworm to book writer
VICKI CRONIS
Staff
Mary Maden wrote ``Flying High With the Wright Brothers'' in her
Kitty Hawk home, barefoot, with her dog at her side. The
illustrations for her book, such as the one below, were done by Sara
Hodder Daniels of Wanchese.
by CNB