It’s been a long and circuitous route to publication. Harbinger’s End began as a thirty-page short story called “Orb of Prophecy” that I wrote for my campers in my second year as an overnight counselor at Camp Shalom north of Toronto. It was the spring of 1993, and as I had already developed a reputation as one of the official camp storytellers the previous summer, I decided to get really creative with my campers’ bedtime routine. But what to write for a cabin full of preteen boys?
I’m an avid collector of movie soundtracks, so one night for inspiration I popped in a CD from a fantasy movie (lousy movie, terrific music). As the music ebbed and flowed in time to the scenes from the movie, I began to wonder what it would sound like if I wrote a fantasy adventure story that moved to the music. What a great way to put the kids to bed! “Orb of Prophecy” was born.
The story was meant to be read over four nights (this is a great way to bribe campers into good behavior — if you work at an overnight camp, I’d highly recommend trying it), and in the summer of 1993 it was an instant hit. Before long, I was coming around to every cabin in the unit. The following summer, I visited nearly every cabin in camp.
From 1993 to 1996, I wrote one new “musical adventure story” every year, each set to a different movie soundtrack, and each for a different age group. Perhaps one day I’ll turn those other stories into full-length books, too.
I started exploring “Orb of Prophecy” without music in the school year of 1993-1994 to see where the narrative would take me. But for that part of the story, you’ll have to stay tuned for book two...
Harbinger’s End now bears very little resemblance to the original short story I wrote eighteen years ago, but the spirit of “Orb of Prophecy” remains at its core. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
— EM, March 2011
Elliott Michaelson has been working as a professional educator in Toronto for twenty years. An avid science fiction fan, he has won praise for his writing and story-telling. He has several books in development for publication. Harbinger’s End is Elliott's first published series.
