I’m currently editing one of Jeff Sampson’s new books (he’s 

here on LJ; go join the Fu Tang Clan!), and I must reiterate how funny this guy is, especially when it comes to dealing with kender, a hobbit-like race in the Dragonlance world. I see kender much as I see children: they see the world from a much different perspective–it bugs me when people think of children as somehow “lesser” because of this different perspective, even to the point of assuming them stupid or slow-headed or annoying–but the truth is kender (and children) can be really just more quirky and different, in a very good and sometimes entertaining way. And a
good author who writes for children knows how to tell a story embracing those wonderful qualities of childhood to tell something funny and unpretentious, while still able to touch on deeper matters as the story demands.

Well, let’s just give you a little taste of what The Stolen Sun, book 3 in the Suncatcher trilogy, will herald. In the (unedited) prologue (i.e., subject to change), two human characters are talking to each other about their journey to Sindri’s homeland. They’re in a wagon traveling and neither can sleep. One says to the other, “You do realize we are heading for an entire countryside filled with kender?” 

“Wilden chuckled. ‘I do. You’re saying I’ll need all the rest I can get?’

“‘I would say that, yes.'”

I will be spending the rest of my week giggling, I’m sure. So go start reading The Wayward Wizard if you haven’t yet, and you’ll be all caught up by the time this one comes out!