The Story Behind the Story with Author Mark E. Shupe of Halifax & Calgary, Canada.

 

Let’s welcome Mark to the Scribbler.

 

He is a newcomer to the blog, and mostwelcome. 

His book is garnishing many 5-star reviews and he has kindly agreed to share the SBTSwith us today.

Read on my friends.

 

Mark looks like an everyday bland Clark Kent. If Clark Kent had a moreboring profession like an accountant. But inside, Mark is a burgundy and blueclad Shuperhero, whose chin sometimes scrapes the sidewalk while he is flying.He dabbled in sports writing, but quit just before cable sports increased thenumber of sports journalists tenfold. Apparently, his watch runs three yearstoo late.(It does however play the bagpipes) He is also a whirl of creativityimagination, and angst. He dampens his natural energy by running marathons,walking all the streets in a city (i.e. Halifax, Calgary, Dieppe) or consuminglarge amounts of chocolate. He has three children who are all taller and complainthat he makes too many Dad jokes. He pretended to be an accountant for thirtyyears, all the while writing the most epic of epic fantasies which someday,fates willing, will be his published masterpiece. Upon retirement, he toneddown the zaniness of his writing to produce the Wish Doctor, which received astarred review from the Miramichi Reader. Mark likes to travel, hike, makejokes and puns, be outside and read comic books while eating chocolate. Oh andhe owns 32000 comic books. He’s read 30000 of them.

The doctors’ told him his arteries were so clogged, unless he got hit bya bus, he was going to die of a heart attack. To which he answered, “Anybodygot the number of that bus?”

 

 

Title: The Wish Doctor

 

Synopsis:

For 500 years, The Wish Doctor has battled the evil spirits that make wishes go wrong. Now, the number of wishes going wrong are increasing. The wish he has made to stave off a fatal heart attack is wearing off. He needs to find a replacement or the number of bad wishes will overwhelm the world. So he opens the School of Wish in the aptly named Baddeck, Cape Breton. He invites 22 of the most outlandish characters, all susceptible to the power of wish Magic. The Wish Doctor uses his last birthday wish to wish for a replacement. What can possibly go wrong with a wish like that?

 

 

The Story Behind the Story:  

Wewere traveling in Ireland and on a bus trip to the Giant’s Causeway we saw amovie about a human and a leprechaun in a wish battle, which had me thinkingabout wishes and how they go wrong. There really should be someone who helpedtrain people to make wishes correct. Later we were in the West of Island on afairy trail with all sorts of little fairy houses and doors. The storycrystalized in my head. Details were added while telling the story to my sonwhile we walked through poets corner in Central Park, New York. The story tookon gravitas when I had two heart attacks and realized I had to turn over myresponsibilities to a new generation – hence the need for the Wish Doctor tocreate the School of Wish. Of course, I don’t believe in telling anythingcompletely seriously. Even with dire consequences, one must keep their sense ofhumor with them, so the plot of the Wish Doctor is actually propelled by puns.The cornerstone of my life.

Ohyeah, despite the imagination of this book, every single scene, is based onsomething from my real life. After you have read the book, think about thatline. What kind of life has this guy had?

Website: Please go HERE. 


A question before you go, Mark:

Scribbler: What is the ideal spot for you when you write your stories? Music in the background or quiet. Coffee or tequila? Messy or neat?


Mark: Outside, feet lifted, staring into the sky, sea, mountain or garden. Scotch is the correct beverage. Chamomile tea for editing. My Scotch is kept in an antique globe bar, my beloved spouse gave me celebrating the publication of The Wish Doctor. My mind is an unorderly, orderly mess. My outside world, which I don’t often see due to the flashing lights of imagination, in my head, is a string of chaos theory, decorated with gingerbread icing swirls.

Currently, we are spending our writing time in our piece of heaven known as WishLight Cottage with the view of a famous little lighthouse.

At low tide, behind our summer house is the Wine and Sand Bar, where only the grandest tales are told. We encourage people to visit us. You never know what kind of story you are going to hear…

Photo from Mark's website.

An Excerpt from the Wish Doctor



From Chapter 19, The Danger of Birthdays

The Wish Doctor’s ninth lesson:

 

“A birthday wish is almost always useless. Unless you want to invitetrouble. It is the single type ofwish most likely to go wrong.”

“Why?” Christianasked. “I make birthday wishes all the time.”

The WishDoctor felt like shaking his head.“I’m well aware of that. It’s why the true colour of your face is purple andwhy you always have termitesin your pants.”

The other studentslaughed. They thoughthe was joking.

“To get a birthday wish right, to make it so that the languageis airtight, that nothing can go wrong, to overcome a granter’sdesire to make the wish go wrong, isalmost impossible.

“Since a birthdaywish is yoked to the turn of time, it can rarely be used or boosted in conjunctionwith a pure wish, making it even more difficult to use, or use withoutsomething going wrong. Yet even so, a birthday wish sometimes may be your only way to solvea problem.

“Everyone has a set of birthday wishes, andthough you may give them away, no one may takethem. In an emergency, if you know how, you may borrow a birthday wishfrom the future, as long as it is froma year in which you will stillbe alive.

“To make a birthday wish work takes greateffort. If you can do that, you can make almost any wish work.You must use the principles I will discusswith you now in makingmost wishes, but most certainly for birthday wishes. But first I have to make you promise onething.”

He looked across the class with the most seriousexpression the students had yet seen upon his face.

“You must promise me you will not make abirthday wish until you have made it to fourth year and then only with myblessing. We cannot continue until you promise me this. Raise both hands if youagree.”

Syd was the first to raise his hand, and mostfollowed quickly. Alma could not help looking at the triplets. Not for thefirst time did they raise their hands last, but they did.

The Doctor took a deep breath and called for all eyes to look upon him, and all earsto hear. If ever anyone of them wereto learn enough to be his replacement, they must learn this lesson.

“To make a wishhappen, you must never have just one wishto use. At minimum you need nine wishes. Nine wishes, so maybe, maybe, you can makeone come true. Without disastrous circumstances.

“Use the first three wishesas protection wishes, to protectthe actual wish you make.Use them to guardagainst misinterpretation, whether wilful or unwilful.

“The last three wishes are mitigation wishes,wishes to make sure that another wish doesn’t come along and undo the wish you made. The power of magic is always in flux and seeks to find balance. An unprotected wish may seem okay today, but other wishes will seek toundo what you have done. Unlessyou mitigate your wish, it will be undone.

“The fifth wish is usually the best wish to beyour actual wish, but you must know the natureof the granter, if there is a granter. There are some who just detest the fifthwish. If it is a wish using naturalforces, then five is the best because nature favours the number five.” The Doctor held up his left hand spreading out his five fingers.

“Use the fourth wish to protectthat the wish doesnot later become unbearable. We call thisthe Midas protection.

“The sixth wish isa wish that allows you to reversethe wish you just made in casesomething went wrong. We call this the escape wish.

“Your studies over the next yearwill be difficult, let me warn you. You need to learnhow to harness the power of nine wishes to make a wish to help undo awish that has gone wrong. And, rarely, for the pure benefit of the wish itself. Most of you won’t be able todo it. Most of you will be sent home. But maybe one of you or two of you willlearn to do it and begranted tuition for a second year.

“I wish you well,” the Wish Doctor said.

Thank you for being our special guest this week, mark. We wish you continued success with your writing.

And another HUGE thank you to all our visitors and readers.
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