7 Tower

Do you disapprove of drunkenness in a children's book?
Please give me your opinion.

The tower where the treacherous wizard lives lies in a trackless taiga. Tall thin trees grow there. Trolls and troublesome imps tramp through the shadows.
Beyond the troubled waters of a tarn grow a thicket of thorn trees.
A tawny owl tu-whit-tu-whos near the tower and a bittern tiptoes at the water's edge, scaring the toads.
Zettelwitz the wizard is hurrying home. He’s terribly angry because the king escaped. He opens the door with a clatter and treads heavily up the stairs to the top of the tower.
Zettel pours himself a drink from a bottle. He sits at the table and stares at his tot of tequila, tongue-tied.
How can I stop the king pestering me? he wonders.
I'll just have to work better and faster on those transformations.
From time to time he tips some more out of the bottle. Before long he’s totally intoxicated.

His tower can be seen from a long way away. The turrets on top make it look like a T. The tipsy wizard decides to try another trick. He totters towards his magic wand.
The magic wand can tell what its master has in mind.
"Don’t be silly! You won’t have anywhere to live!"
"That’s enough of your tomfoolery, you twittering twig", mutters Zettelwitz.

Tittle, tattle, tosh and prattle – Tower, become a T!
A TWIRLING TORNADO TWISTS AROUND THE TOWER!
A TOOTING LIKE A THOUSAND TRUMPETS! A THUNDERING FLASH!

The tower has tumbled down, and all that’s left is a T!
"Tell me how many letters I’ve got now!"
"Seven", answers the magic wand.

Toppling this tower can’t be right
Where will old Zettel sleep tonight?
He took a wrong turn on his trail,
A tippling wizard – a tragic tale!

Looking for a publisher for your children's book?

I am. For the German original and the English version, brilliantly translated by Alison Kirkland (www.proz.com/profile/770261).

But it is no use to send printed manuscripts to publishers, even if they insist on it in their website. It is a waste of paper (and trees). Publishers are inundated by offers for children's books. If at all, the overworked editors will skim only the first 2 pages. This is not a good basis for deciding whether a book merits printing.
The problem is, publishers are so hectic, they don't even read their mail properly.

What I might do is offer them my help as a reliable and thorough free-lance editor of manuscripts (small fee for success only) on the condition that they read my manuscript properly:)
You see, my son turned "Zauberer Zettelwitz" into 15 photo-books for the family and they all showed it around, to their doctors, teacher's of their children and friends.
Result: An excellent feed-back!
There was only one teacher in Southern Bavaria, who didn't like the 'ravishing lady, round in all the right places' :) and the drinking (Zettelwitz is so furious that the king escaped he gets drunk and destroys his tower. Well, if a publisher insists, I can tone this down.)

Also, I am going to place the full Zettelwitz into the web.
Some well known authors have started to load their books into the web and the sales went up considerably. Buying the book or CD is cheaper (and nicer) than printing out such a long text on your home printer.

Zettelwitz the wizard

Do you know that you are doing your children a favour by reading them texts with an unusual vocabulary? Even a two-year old toddler has the ability to learn 10 new words a day, no matter how long or out of the ordinary - they take them in their stride, in fact they prefer them to simple words.

Zettelwitz the wizard
is a crafty sorcerer, who likes to transform unfortunate creatures and things into their capital letters. However, magic rules require that they somehow resemble the letter. Zettelwitz is fanatical about collecting the whole alphabet. He does not get away with it easily, as some of his victims put up a fight. They chase him, beat him up and catch him, but he manages to escape more than once. Zettelwitz is in love with beautiful Ronya - so how will all this end?
Here is an exciting story, which you will find captivating - no matter your age.

• Read this story for yourself or to your children.
• Let them have fun with the animations or finding the principal letters by themselves.
• Teach them to read, write and count.
• Practise your language skills!