Frank L. Cole has beautifully constructed an imaginative world for middle-graders in which magical potions are crucial to our everyday life. That’s the basis of the fun Potion Masters trilogy, with the final installment, The Seeking Serum, having just been released.
As his books are so creative, it’s no wonder he is drawn to creative people. “People with great imaginations — ones that think outside the box — are my kind of people. My favorite characters in stories are the ones who take risks, fall down a ton, pick themselves back up and are finally triumphant.”
In Book One, The Eternity Elixir, 12-year-old Gordy Stitser has a special talent most children his age do not: an ability to brew magical potions. Gordy has been learning from his incredibly skilled Elixirist mother for years and is quite the prodigy. When his mother disappears and Gordy receives a package containing a mysterious potion, he is inadvertently sent on a life-and-death adventure.
We had the chance to talk with Cole about his books, magic potions and his commitment to young readers.
Q: So you have this thing for potions. Why the fascination, and why are they the centerpiece of your Potion Masters Trilogy?
A: It started when I was very young. I always wanted to be able to mix stuff together and make my concoctions do amazing things. Mostly, I made messes. And now my daughter does the same thing — she makes slime! I just love the possibility of being able to create something magical from otherwise normal ingredients. Creating the potions and the ingredients for them was probably my favorite thing about writing these books.
Q: Here’s a phrase you’ll recognize: “With a good imagination, you can solve any problem you ever come up against in life.” Explain why those words are so important to you.
A: I firmly believe it! You may have to get creative to get yourself out of a jam, but people with great imaginations — ones that think outside the box — are my kind of people. My favorite characters in stories are the ones who take risks, fall down a ton, pick themselves back up and are finally triumphant. I think a great imagination doesn’t keep you from failing, that’s all part of life, but it definitely helps you recover and eventually succeed.
Q: In the series, you establish a strong sense of character and characters — fun people that kids can relate to. Where do your characters come from?
A: All my characters could be linked to people I know or have known in the past (my own kids, my classmates growing up, my family members, myself). There’s a little bit of me in Gordy, but there’s also a little bit of me in Max too. Max is obnoxious, he’s boisterous, he loves his snacks, but he’s also completely loyal to his friends, even if he does drive them crazy from time to time. I love to write about clever, good-natured characters with a bit of mischief sprinkled in.
Q: What would our world be like if the many unusual potions that you create in your stories really existed?
A: So much more interesting! If we all had the potential to be an Elixirist, think about the creativity that would take place. We would only use our technology to look up recipes, we would be actively involved in creating magical potions and we would all be scientific geniuses! Man, that’s a world I want to live in! Even with the bad Potion Masters hanging around, causing problems, it would be worth it to have the possibility of real magic.
Q: What does the future hold for you?
A: There will definitely be more books in the future. I’m actually hoping to announce my next project very soon. And as far as school visits and presentations go, it really is my favorite thing to do. Nothing inspires me more than young, creative minds getting excited about my novels and just books in general!
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About Frank Cole:
Frank L. Cole was born into a family of southern storytellers and wrote his first book at age eight. He is the author of the middle-grade Potion Master trilogy: The Eternity Elixer, The Transparency Tonic, and The Seeking Serum. Highly superstitious and gullible to a fault, Frank will believe in any creepy story you tell him, especially ones involving ghosts and Big Foot. Currently, along with his wife and three children, he resides in the shadow of a majestic western mountain range, which is most likely haunted.
