Creating a work of fantasy in the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis was a dream that took decades to come to fruition.

But with the release of his debut novel, Langley author Mike Mason has finally stepped firmly into the realm of the fiction writer.

The Blue Umbrella tells the story of 10-year-old Zac Sparks, who is sent to live with his crotchety old aunts in a town called Five Corners after his mother is killed by a lightening bolt.

In addition to being routinely and unfairly persecuted by his aunts, Zac is mystified by the inexplicable goings on at nearby Porter’s General Store.

No, it’s no coincidence that the historic Murrayville landmark where Mason officially launched his book last month, boasts the same name as the shop featured prominently in the novel.

“The idea began one night in 2000,” explained the Mason, 57, who has been writing non-fiction, faith-based books for nearly 30 years.

“I woke up in the night thinking of a place where I lived as a boy. It was at the top of a hill, and at the bottom of the hill was a special store.”

After moving to Murrayville, Mason once again found himself living atop a hill with a unique store down below.

“With that, the whole geography of a children’s novel came into my mind,” he said. “It’s unusual — the five corners suggest a star.”

Building his tale around the location, Mason set about introducing the types of characters he knew would appeal to his target audience of 9- to12-year-olds.

A young hero with a tragic past, a pair of cruel aunties determined to foil his every attempt at happiness, a diminutive butler, a girl who doesn’t speak, a blind balloon seller, a mysterious singer who is heard but not seen and a kindly shopkeeper who may or may not be responsible for his mother’s death are among the colourful cast of characters populating the pages of The Blue Umbrella.

It is the item which the shopkeeper, Sky Porter, carries with him everywhere, that lends the book its name.

“Gandalf had his staff, Harry Potter had his wand, Luke Skywalker had his light sabre and Sky Porter has his umbrella,” said Mason of the carefully chosen prop.

“When you open a blue umbrella, it’s like you’re standing under a little piece of the sky.”

And, by extension, underneath the weather itself.

“The weather is really a central character, and I did my best to get it into every chapter,” said Mason.

“The emotional arc of the book is reflected in the weather. I did that because I really feel that way myself about the weather.”

“It’s the most famous small talk.”

Like the weather itself, Mason’s story can’t always be sunshine and light.

“The characters are twisted and dark,” he said. “Obviously there’s a dark secret, there’s an atmosphere of repression.

“I’ve been told there’s a lot of darkness in the book, some are wondering if it’s too much for kids.

“There is a struggle between dark and light, and Zac is challenged to his utmost to find his way through the darkness to the light.

“It’s ultimately about the decision of who to trust.”

As he crafted his tale, Mason knew, in general terms, where he was headed.

“There were three or four or five high points -- places I wanted to get to. I had a vague idea of where I wanted to get to, but it ended much differently.”

The journey actually began decades earlier.

By 11 years old, Mason had already decided he would become a writer.

“I thought I would write novels, because that’s what I read.”

In adulthood, however, he settled into a career writing faith-based non fiction.

Reading children’s books in adulthood reawakened that early impulse to create fiction.

“At 50, I thought, ‘It’s now or never.’”

“It was an investment of time, but this was my biggest dream to be a writer of novels.”

Over the next seven years, with a few breaks here and there, he finished his first novel and set about trying to get it published.

After receiving “20 or 30” rejection letters, Mason hired an agent and “the door magically opened.”

Since then, he’s been working to get the word out — something he never really did with his non-fiction volumes.

“My other writing made its own way, but this was a whole other genre,” said Mason.

And this book, said Mason, is closer to his heart than any other he’s written.

“It has the flaws and strengths of a first novel.”

With The Blue Umbrella now in stores, Mason is working on a sequel, titled The Violet Flash, picking up with some of the same characters a few months later.

Although the first book pretty much wrote itself, said Mason, that hasn’t been the case the second time around.

But unlike the first time, which was “terrifying,” he’s learned to trust the process.

“I’d never done anything before that was such big commitment. What if I got halfway through and didn’t finish?”

“To turn and face the thing that is deepest in us, I think there can be a lot of fear, but it is absolutely necessary to growing as a person,” said Mason.

“Having been through the process... I feel like I’ve conquered something.”

The Blue Umbrella is available for $16.99 at Porter’s Store in Murrayville, Wendel’s in Fort Langley, Chapters, Blessings bookstore and House of James in Abbotsford.

v2