The Curious Mr. Blend
. . .
Mr. Blend is an author of fiction who has a distinctive adoration & vision for whimsically peculiar & playfully macabre storytelling. His curious tales are ideal for family time, thunderstorms, & whilst sitting in a moonlit attic.
Creativity, Skill, & Passion! No A.I. Involved!
“... HE GENEROUSLY DEDICATED his time each Monday to come & read two books to our students ... his effort in bringing in a small library & creating a cozy reading space has made a meaningful impact on our learning environment ...”
Carla Dominguez, head of school, Guidepost Montessori (Fairfax, VA)
Books & Stories
Hard-Cover & E-Format | Simply reading Mr. Blend’s tales will make you feel either comfortably-invited-whilst-still-looking-over-your-shoulder or unwaveringly-unsettled-without-a-doubt-in-mind.
Reading by Candle Light
Mr. Blend can read to K-7 classrooms to bring the excitement of spooky storytelling to life. Includes a Little Free Library®, e-candles and lanterns, and Lantern Keepers from the audience.
“I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the redoubtable & Curious Mr. Blend for his ability to create engaging reading experiences of all kinds ...”
Matt Scanlon, chief marketing officer, American Retirement Assoc. (ARA)
Rumors suggest Mr. Blend rides a penny-farthing or that his home office houses skull-and-raven decor alongside an eighty-three-year-old typewriter.
Does he even own a penny-farthing? Unfortunately, the answers to those questions shall remain a most curious mystery. However ...
What can be said is that upon experiencing a prolonged bout of boredom, Mr. Blend decided to pack a small bag and use said penny-farthing to explore and document people, places, and miscellaneous oddities from each tiny township that adorned the mysterious landscape.
They were quaint communities, though seemingly located neither here nor there from the perspective of a map. And within them, he discovered mysterious circumstances, which he meticulously documented as inspiration. But is that the whole story?
— A recent portrait —
’Tis not, because his journey began in elementary school.
As a young kid, Mr. Blend was a voracious reader. From regular fiction to choose-your-own-adventure books, he consumed stories with a hunger for adventure.
In fact, he always kept a watchful eye on the small reading nook in the corner of his fifth-grade classroom—making sure he quickly finished the project at hand so he could snatch the best seat in the house whilst continuing The Hobbit, or There and Back Again; The Chronicles of Narnia; A Wrinkle in Time; or some other journey.
And creative writing was part of it.
Mr. Blend attributes his love of writing to a number of creative writing workshops taught in his elementary school. Small periods of time in which he and his classmates would craft tales of their own.
But he found one particular story, called Gory Story (written by a friend and read in class), particularly interesting.
Sure, the playfully macabre elements were fun—what kid wouldn’t enjoy that in the early 80s? But it was the excitement of a story created from imagination, listening to it unfold, curious about would happen next—that is what truly captivated him.
Those were, in many ways, the best times of his childhood. And eventually, they served as a guide for his career.
— Mr. Blend’s home office —
— The other side of his home office —
“READING IS ONE form of escape. Running for your life is another.” ~ Lemony Snicket, author, A Series of Unfortunate Events
“MOVE OVER DR. Seuss, Tim Burton, et al—there's a new creative in town with a new set of characters that will embrace your inner child!”
Jerry Patterson, patron
ALAS, MR. BLEND cannot accept a messenger crow or werewolf howl as correspondence.
So, if you have questions or want to discuss a collaborative opportunity—serious inquiries only, please!—simply contact him by way of electronic post, telephone, or black cat.
