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Kim Thompson, who has her roots here in Yorkton, has just released the third book in her 鈥楨ldritch Manor Series鈥�.

Eldritch Manor is a retirement home for some very strange beings indeed. All have stories to tell 鈥� and petty grievances with one another and the world at large.

And from those stories three books have grown.

鈥淚 was getting tired of the television grind and really wanted to write something on my own terms,鈥� said Thompson who lived in Yorkton from about age five until she graduated and left for university. 鈥淭here are a lot of bosses looking over your shoulder when you work in TV! I felt very comfortable writing for kids since I鈥檇 been doing that for years, so I just had to shift my style from script to book-mode.鈥�

Thompson, who attended Columbia, the Composite Jr. High (when it was still called that) and then YRHS, said writing for her came out of a love of reading.

鈥淎s a child I was always a voracious reader and I was always interested in being a writer, but didn鈥檛 make much progress in that direction until much later,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y only formal training took place when I was attending film school and took screenwriting. I spent many years writing scripts for cartoons before making the move to novels.鈥�

As for the Eldritch series, the idea has long percolated.

鈥淚 think a tiny germ of the idea began years and years ago, it鈥檚 hard to say exactly when,鈥� said Thompson. 鈥淚 do know that as a child I was a little obsessed with apartment buildings, and the thought that there could be anything at all behind each of those identical doors.

鈥淭hen I had the idea of mythological creatures living there. (I loved reading about Greek, Roman and Norse mythology when I was in grade school.) The apartment building slowly disappeared from the scenario, my characters live in a big rambly house instead, but that鈥檚 how it all began.鈥�

While clearly residing in fantasy Thompson said she still works to create the proper feel and details in her stories.

鈥淚 did a lot of research before I began writing, reading about different mythologies around the world and some of the more obscure magical creatures and monsters,鈥� she offered. 鈥淪ome of those stories would spark an idea for a character.

鈥淥nce I thought of making them all retired, it just became fun to imagine what an elderly mermaid would be like, or an old man-centaur.

鈥淭he setting grew out of the needs of the story - I just wanted a town that was really ordinary, small enough to be a little boring, with a suburban kind of feel, and that was located near the ocean.鈥�

When it comes to writing, the muse can call the tune, but when needed, Thompson follows a regime to keep a book progressing.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to sit down as soon as an idea hits you, but the realities of life don鈥檛 always permit it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 write whenever I can manage to carve a few uninterrupted hours out of my day.

鈥淔or the first book (simply-titled Eldritch Manor), I didn鈥檛 have a deadline, so I could sit down whenever I had a chance and work away at it.

鈥淔or volumes two and three I had deadlines from my publisher, so I had to exercise a lot more self-discipline.

鈥淏eing a parent and working at home provides endless distractions but I鈥檓 getting better at sitting down and putting in the hours when I need to.鈥�

And there are always the hurdles of writing a book which pop up.

鈥淭his third book has an awful lot going on,鈥� said Thompson. 鈥淚 knew I needed to reveal more about the feud between Willa鈥檚 mom and Belle: what happened in the past and why they are so angry.

鈥淎nd it was about time that Willa had to face what it means to be part mermaid. I wanted her to uncover family secrets and learn something surprising about herself.

鈥淪o I had a few big issues to tackle, plus I always make things harder for myself by overpopulating my books. They鈥檙e turning into Robert Altman movies.

鈥淚n book two I introduced a troop of dwarves, and in this book three new characters move into the house - one complete with an entourage - and each brings their own unique weirdness to the mix.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to come up with new characters, but it also means you have to keep them all occupied. It makes for a very complex plot; I had charts and diagrams and mapping and calendars to keep track of everyone over the time span of the story.鈥�

So as the author, what pleases Thompson the most in her latest release?

鈥淭hat is such a hard question to answer,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 like the characters. They are all such terrific personalities I feel like I could write a whole book on each one.

鈥淎nd I appreciate how when I give them a trying situation they all react in amusing ways. 鈥楨ldritch Manor鈥� would totally work as a sitcom. And the book is pretty funny, I think, in between the scary and the weird. At least I find it funny, fingers crossed that others do too.鈥�

The result is a book Thompson likes herself.

鈥淚 am pretty satisfied, yes. Willa has gone on quite a journey from the first book to the end of the third, and yet it really doesn鈥檛 feel finished,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want my characters to solve every problem, and they sure haven鈥檛. There are always more questions to be answered.

鈥淚n terms of the strength of the series, I tried to make the characters unusual and complex. I tried to make my heroine realistic and flawed, and I tried to avoid as many fantasy story clich茅s as I could. Willa is going through all the standard adolescent issues, but with a supernatural twist.鈥�

And readers have certainly been supportive of the series.

鈥淵es, they鈥檝e really been wonderful,鈥� said Thompson. 鈥淲henever I give workshops or school talks I have kids come up to tell me how much they liked my books.

鈥淎fter the first book, before we鈥檇 decided to continue with more, I went to the Festival of Trees in Toronto (an Ontario Library Association extravaganza) because 鈥楨ldritch Manor鈥� had been nominated for an award, and so many kids insisted, nay, demanded sequels! I couldn鈥檛 really say no.鈥�

But will there be a book four in the series?

Thompson isn鈥檛 sure, but admits to the possibility.

鈥淎t the moment I鈥檓 actually working on a nonfiction project, for a change of pace,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have an immediate plan for an Eldritch book four, but the possibility is always there 鈥︹��

Check out the author and latest book at www.kimthompsonauthor.com