Do You Believe in Magic?

Last year a writer friend of mine, Barbara Jean Hicks, received an odd sort of email.

No, it wasn't an enlargement ad or a prescription drug offer —

It was a job offer.

And the sender was apparently a BIG cheese from the BIG D… 

That’s D as in Disney.

Her first thought was something like, “Boy howdy, what will those spammers think of next?”

I mean, really, the offer was just too amazing to be true. 

It went something like this —

We want to fly you to L.A.!

We want to show you a movie!

We want you to turn that movie into a picture book!

And can you, like, have the draft to us two weeks later?

In exchange, we’ll give you fame and fortune… maybe even some mouse ears, too!

Boy howdy was right —

Because it wasn’t a spammer.

It really was a BIG cheese.

It really was the BIG D! 

So, you might be wondering how such a thing could happen…

Well, back in 2007 Barbara wrote a book called The Secret Life of Walter Kitty (illustrator Dan Santat). Apparently, the BIG cheese LOVED it. It was a BIG L sort of love. So when this opportunity came up, she tracked Barb down like Muenster on a mission…

And they worked happily ever after!

By the way — the movie?

Frozen, which debuts in theaters tomorrow.

The picture book?

Frozen: A Sister More Like Me in bookstores NOW!

Way to go, Barbara!

Yep, Elbow Benders, it’s called the Magic Kingdom for a reason.

PROMPT: First, pick up three copies of Frozen: A Sister More Like Me for inspiration. Then go all Eagle Scout and get prepared — after all, YOU could be next! Treat yourself to a movie and try the Barbara Jean Hicks test. Sure, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa might be a picture book challenge, but what the heck — I say go for it!