Stories that blend imagination with emotion often leave a lasting impression. Addie’s Eyes: A Historical Fantasy offers exactly that kind of experience, inviting readers into a world where wonder and courage quietly shape every moment.
It’s a journey that feels both magical and deeply human from the very first page.
A Magical Story Rooted in Heart
Addie’s Eyes: A Historical Fantasy by Tim Landry, with illustrations by Nataliia Kretsu, introduces readers to a touching and imaginative tale set in a Victorian theater. The story centers on Addie Alexander, a 12-year-old girl who is blind yet full of curiosity and resilience. Her world shifts when she learns that her beloved teacher will soon leave, leaving her emotionally shaken and searching for comfort.
That comfort arrives in an unexpected form. Addie befriends Fedor, a gentle sideshow performer whose mysterious presence and storytelling ability captivate her. Through his tales of a “Lost Kingdom,” Fedor opens a door to a world that Addie can only experience through imagination. Their bond grows naturally, built on trust, kindness, and shared vulnerability.
What makes this relationship compelling is its sincerity. Addie sees beyond appearances, even when Fedor struggles with his own insecurities. This emotional foundation becomes the heart of the story, giving readers something meaningful to hold onto as the narrative unfolds.
A Journey Beyond Sight
The story takes a dramatic turn when Addie is transported into Fedor’s magical land. In this new world, she gains the ability to see, which introduces both wonder and complexity. For someone who has lived without sight, this sudden change feels both exhilarating and overwhelming.
Landry uses this transformation thoughtfully. Addie’s newfound vision is not just a physical ability. It becomes a tool for discovery, growth, and understanding. She begins to explore a kingdom that is rich with beauty yet threatened by a dark and dangerous force.
As Addie navigates this unfamiliar world, her courage shines. She does not rely solely on her ability to see. Instead, she leans on her instincts, her compassion, and her faith. These qualities guide her through challenges that test her strength in unexpected ways.
At the same time, Fedor’s hidden truth adds tension to the story. His fear of being truly seen creates an emotional conflict that runs parallel to the external danger facing the kingdom. When Addie eventually learns the truth about him, the story reaches a powerful turning point that speaks to acceptance and honesty.
A Blend of Fantasy and Classic Charm
Readers will find echoes of beloved classics like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz throughout the book. However, Addie’s Eyes stands firmly on its own with its unique voice and emotional depth. Landry’s storytelling brings together elements of fantasy, history, and heartfelt relationships in a way that feels fresh and engaging.
The inclusion of full-color illustrations by Nataliia Kretsu enhances the experience further. These visuals bring the magical world to life, offering readers a deeper connection to the characters and their surroundings. It’s a thoughtful addition that makes the book appealing to readers of all ages.
The pacing remains engaging throughout. There are moments of lighthearted joy, followed by scenes that carry emotional weight. This balance keeps readers invested, making it difficult to step away from Addie’s journey once it begins.
Why Addie’s Eyes Leaves a Lasting Impression
What sets this story apart is its message. It gently reminds readers that true vision goes beyond what the eyes can see. Addie’s journey reflects the importance of empathy, courage, and faith in overcoming both personal and external challenges.
Landry crafts a narrative that feels uplifting without losing its depth. The characters are relatable, their struggles feel genuine, and their growth resonates long after the final page. It’s a story that encourages reflection while still delivering an entertaining and magical adventure.
Available in Kindle, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook formats, Addie’s Eyes offers accessibility for a wide range of readers. Whether someone prefers reading or listening, the story remains equally impactful.
About the Author
Tim Landry is an Emmy-winning artist, filmmaker, and former Disney Imagineer with a remarkable career spanning film, television, and theme park innovation. He studied at USC Film School and contributed to well-known projects like The Sixth Sense, Pirates of the Caribbean, and George of the Jungle.
Over the years, Landry shifted his focus toward creating immersive experiences and illusions for theme parks and cruise ships, delighting audiences worldwide. His creative achievements include numerous awards and even a patented display technology. With Addie’s Eyes, Landry brings his storytelling talent into the literary world, offering readers a heartfelt and imaginative experience shaped by his unique background.
A Story That Stays With You
Addie’s Eyes is a gentle reminder that courage and kindness can illuminate even the darkest paths.
Readers who step into Addie’s world may find themselves seeing their own a little differently by the time the journey ends.
We had the privilege of interviewing the author. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Thank you so much for joining us today! Can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
Hi, I’m Tim. Like most people, I’m a dreamer. I’ve always wanted to use stories and media to make people’s lives better. I used to draw and paint and make amateur films. Then I went to USC film school with the result that I got a job doing visual effects in a production house that primarily did commercials. I stayed in the visual effects business and was even on the board of directors for the prestigious Visual Effects Society for more than a decade.
When most of the Visual Effects work got shipped overseas I began doing a different kind of effects work for Walt Disney Imagineering where I focused largely on elaborate illusions in theme park attractions. The work offered new challenges and a different kind of storytelling, so it kept me interested, and I had a blast for 18 fun years.
What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “Addie’s Eyes“?
Addie’s Eyes came into existence in the form of a screenplay I wrote in the early 1990s entitled “Jo-Jo’s Kingdom.” It was a spec screenplay that never got any traction in the real world. But it was a decent story, and my wife encouraged me to turn it into a book. But making a living consumed my world then, so the story sat on a shelf, waiting for its time. More than thirty years later, I finally had the time and motivation to do the conversion from screenplay to novel.
There were always things in the story that bugged me, and this was the chance to fix them. And with the passing of thirty years my skills had sharpened somewhat, and Jo-Jo, one of the primary characters who is based on a real historical person, became more historically accessible as the internet opened up new information into this mysterious celebrity over those intervening years.
This new knowledge precipitated a change in setting for the story from Connecticut to Liverpool, England. Certain characters were changed or added, as you might expect from such a rewrite. New scenes were added. But amazingly, large portions of the screenplay made their way almost directly into the novel. All I needed to do was change the tense from present to past and add the literary conventions, such as dialogue attributions.
As a result I had a first draft in a mere 45 days! That’s unheard of speed for most people. Then I spent another three months editing and refining. But the story was there in only a month and a half.
Then I turned my attention to getting a literary agent so that the manuscript could be submitted to publishers. Long story short: Unless your name is Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, you’re not getting past the gatekeepers. So after wasting 4 months getting hundreds of rejections I made the decision to self publish.
The people that I’d had doing beta reading for me were very enthusiastic about the manuscript, however, so, despite the rejections, we thought it had a chance.
The advantage of self-publishing is you get to do it your way; whereas a major publisher would take it out of your hands and do all the design and layout to their liking, whether you liked it or not.
So all of a sudden, I had complete creative freedom—but also complete responsibility. So I tried to do it right. I designed four different covers and got them focus-grouped, resulting in one of the designs getting 60% of the vote. So that became our cover.
Then I decided that I wanted the book to be illustrated, not heavily, but enough to support the fantasy. I worked with a Ukrainian artist who used ChatGPT to translate back and forth from Ukrainian to English and worked on the project with me for several months despite having bombs and drones whizzing over her in her native country. There were times she took her work into her bathroom to get away from injury from exploding windows. And then the power and the internet would regularly go out. But miraculously, with God’s help, we completed 24 full-color illustrations for the book, which, at that time, took on the title Addie’s Eyes.
What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I’m a fan of H.G. Wells, Vladimir Nabokov, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Steinbeck, Salinger, Twain, and Dickens.
What’s your favorite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
I love Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation in Arizona/Utah. We’ve been there several times, and it’s always special, not only because it’s beautiful and a photographer’s paradise, it’s where a lot of my favorite movies were filmed.
Also, speaking of which, I have always adored wandering movie studio backlots with the historic standing sets that have helped to tell so many of our culture’s classic stories.
Finally, another time and place that was always special to me is Disneyland in California, at about 7 am as the sun is coming up and the birds are chirping, but it’s otherwise quiet since there are no crowds because the park is not yet open. It’s so peaceful and magical with anticipation each day before it fills with guests.
What inspired you to write the book ‘Addie’s Eyes‘?
In the early 1990s I was working in Visual Effects, trying to find a way to move up the Hollywood ladder, so I decided to try to leverage my VFX skills by writing a screenplay that would utilize computer graphics in a new way, to depict an Alice in Wonderland kind of fantasy world. Mind you this was before the first Toy Story film, so I was thinking ahead.
In addition, I was always a fan of Beauty & the Beast type stories: King Kong, Phantom of the Opera, Elephant Man, etc. I looked into a historical figure known as Jo-Jo the Dog Faced Boy from the late 19th Century. He was a beloved and fascinating figure at that time and one of the highest-paid entertainers of the era. I decided to match him up with a fictional blind girl in an adventure story to see what might happen. I also wanted to use the story to bolster readers’ faith in the face of adversity. Everybody has problems. I wanted to show how some characters, who had been dealt difficult circumstances, held up under challenges.
How long did it take you to write your book ‘Addie’s Eyes‘?
Technically, it took about 33 years.
On what platforms can readers buy your books?
Amazon, of course. Ingram Spark, Barnes & Noble, and about 36 audiobook outlets as well, including Audible and Apple Books.
Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Addie’s Eyes‘?
As I said I tested several different cover designs. The ones that featured images of Jo-Jo amazingly scored the lowest. I mean—he looks like a Wookie! He’s adorable! What’s not to like? But that’s not what the committee wanted to see. So we ended up with an image of a stylized and fanciful fairy tale palace that I first designed in the 1990s and updated using more current techniques.
The original title, ‘Jo-Jo’sKingdom,’ actually didn’t work because it’s mostly the blind girl’s story, not Jo-Jo’s. And not flagging that fact in the title was a source of confusion to test readers. So we tried a few other options and ended up with ‘Addie’s Eyes.’
When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself.
When I’m writing a story, I try to make sure to give the reader a surprise of some sort on every page if possible. That keeps them turning pages.
What keeps you going in time of trouble and frustration?
My faith in Jesus Christ gives me peace and hope in the face of many challenges as I grow older. Not only do I look forward to a life with Him with a renewed body and no more pain or tears, but the hope of being reunited not only with my own loved ones who’ve passed from this life, but saints throughout the ages who have shared my hope.
My book ‘Addie’s Eyes’ contains all kinds of characters, but it includes some who truly live their Christianity. I’m hoping that their journey and example will help readers start to embrace the true hope that faith in the Savior brings to your life.
Thank you so much, Mr. Tim Landry, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!
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