Bringing Disney Alive With Ridley Pearson
On April 13, 2012 | 3 Comments

Bringing Disney Alive With Ridley Pearson

by Tif Sweeney

Ridley Pearson

Local favorite Ridley Pearson came out to another fan-filled room on the evening of April 7 to promote the release of his latest young adult series, The Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game. The Kingdom Keepers series follows the lives of Disney’s latest (fictional) additions to the park: models of holographic guides. Soon after this latest advancement goes live, the models begin having odd dreams, touring the grounds of Disney facilities after dark. However, the dreams turn out to be much more than expected and the models must save the park from the evil villains we all know so well from the Disney tales.

Pearson’s tales come with many perks and during his presentation he shared his latest research of touring the parks in detail at night and behind the scenes, complete with pictures! In his fifth book of the series, he ventured into the depths of Typhoon Lagoon and the Disney Cruise Line. He shared hints from the ship, the local stops and below the decks that we will never see, yet may be seen by Kingdom Keepers’ holographic heroes.

This final adventure, in Pearson’s opinion, took far too long to tell, so Book VI will continue the last leg of their journey from the east to the west coast.

Besides dishing the details on The Kingdom Keepers, Pearson also shared some random thoughts from the creative mind behind the magic. His favorite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, featuring his favorite dark character, Boo Radley. He wrote six hours a day for eight and a half years before being published.

And, for the aspiring writers in the audience, he gave the following advice:

  • Read, read, read!
  • Be free to abandon a book (but give it at least 50 pages!).
  • Sit down and write on a schedule (though the schedule may vary per person and may be daily or weekly).
  • Think about a beginning, middle, and end to your story.

Finally, Pearson discussed some of his latest projects. He recently signed to a new three-book series with Dave Barry (co-author of the Peter and the Starcatchers series). He also has the sixth and final book of The Kingdom Keepers in edits as well as a new adult crime novel, The Risk Agent, being released this June. However, writing is not the only thing he is working on; he will also be one of the celebrity voices for the upcoming America Scores – Saint Louis.

Pearson is a favorite local author for good reason. He brings humor and unique material to every event in a genuine voice. He is simply one that you can listen to again and again. For more information on the author and his multitude of works, you can visit The Official Website of Ridley Pearson.