15 May: L. Frank Baum

Born on this date in 1856 was  L Frank Baum, US author whose most famous novel is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 10 things you might not know about him.

1. Baum was born in Chittenango, New York; his family were devout Methodists. He was the seventh of nine children. He was given the first name Lyman, after an uncle, but hated the name and always preferred to be called Frank. He was mostly educated at home, because he had a weak Heart, which led to him having solitary hobbies like reading, stamp collecting and writing. His father bought him a small printing press, which he used, with his brother Harry, to publish a regular family newspaper. At Christmas, Frank was the one who would dress up as Santa Claus and decorate the Tree. The family had a tradition that the Christmas tree was decorated behind a curtain hidden from view. Frank as Santa Claus would talk to his family while he did it. Sound familiar?
2. As a young man, he got into breeding Chickens. He was particularly fond of a breed called the Hamburg.
3. He had a number of careers before settling into writing. His first love was the theatre, and was the manager of a local theatre for a time. He put on a play called The Maid of Arran, which he also starred in. It was a modest hit, and he was able to tour with it (it was during this tour that he made his only trip to Kansas). However, his theatrical career ended when a Fire destroyed all the costumes, props and scripts. Frank was so disheartened that he gave up the theatre and tried numerous other ventures - selling oil for axles and gears, running a novelty and toy store, starting a local newspaper and selling china.
4. By this time he had married Maud Gage, daughter of Matilda Joslyn Gage, a famous women's suffrage and feminist activist. Matilda didn't approve of the marriage at first, but went on to become a supportive influence. She may have been the inspiration for Glinda the good Witch.
5. He told his children bedtime stories, and it's said that neighbour's children would sneak into the house to hear his stories as well. It was his mother in law who suggested he should write these stories down. He did, and after receiving so many rejections from publishers that he started a special journal called his “Record of Failure,” his first book, Mother Goose in Prose was published in 1897. The sequel, Father Goose, His Book, was one of the best-selling picture books of 1899-1900.
6. The first of the Oz books, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was published in 1900. He was so proud of this work that he framed the pencil he'd used to write it. It was followed by 17 sequels. Baum had grown tired of writing about Oz by book six, but he went bankrupt and had to keep on writing them to support his family. The final three were published after he died.
7. Dorothy Gale was based on Dorothy Gage, his wife's niece, who died at the age of five. The name of the fantasy land of Oz came from the label on a drawer of his filing cabinent - "O-Z". The Emerald City may have been inspired by Chicago, where Baum was living when he wrote the book. The city was host to the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, which was the biggest World’s Fair ever held in America. The exhibition was nicknamed the White City. Frank went to the exhibition and saw Thomas Edison, who'd been dubbed the “Wizard of Menlo Park”. He is said to have had a great impression on Baum.
8. While we know him mostly for The Wizard of Oz, Baum was a prolific writer who penned several other series of children's books including Aunt Jane's Nieces series, The Boy Fortune Hunters series, and the Sam Steele series and several stand alone novels. He wrote under several pseudonyms including: Edith Van Dyne, Fred Akers, Schuyler Staunton, John Estes Cooke, Suzanne Metcalf, Laura Bancroft, and Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald. He wrote one book, The Last Egyptian: A Romance of the Nile, anonymously. He wrote non-fiction, too - including books about stamp collecting, chicken breeding and decorating tips for retail-store window displays. On a darker note, he wrote a couple of short editorials for a newspaper which turned out to be a blot on his legacy. It was around the time of the Ghost Dance movement and Wounded Knee Massacre. In them, Baum suggested that killing Native Americans was necessary to ensure the safety of white settlers. In 2006, two of his descendants apologised to the Sioux nation for any hurt he might have caused.
9. He was a supporter of the women's suffragist movement and this is reflected in his writing. In The Marvelous Land of Oz, the girls and women of Oz revolt, and armed with knitting needles make the men do the household chores and a woman becomes the ruler of Oz. In some of his other works, young women are depicted in traditionally male roles and activities. He was also, thanks to his mother in law, a Theosophist. Theosophists believed in reincarnation and a mystical connection with God. This has led to suggestions that Dorothy's trek along the Yellow Brick Road was symbolic of a spiritual journey towards enlightenment. When asked if this was the case, Baum would always reply that he wrote his books purely and simply to entertain children. In his books, he predicted television, augmented reality, laptop computers, wireless telephones, women in high-risk occupations and advertising on clothing.
10. He died of a stroke at the age of 62. His last words, spoken to his wife, were "Now we can cross the Shifting Sands."

Closing the Circle

A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.

Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. 

Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.

The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.

Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.

Available from:

Amazon (Paperback)

Amazon Kindle

Completes The Raiders Trilogy. 

Other books in the series:

Book One

Book Two