Karma Tandin is 12 years old. He goes to school in Jakar in Bhutan, his friend is the slightly eccentric Chimmi and he has a crush on Dawa. While all this is normal 12-year-old stuff, Karma is also a monster hunter and keeps his town and school safe from them. In Evan Purcell’s Karma Fights a Monster (Duckbill, 2019), Karma discovers the new librarian in his school, Miss Charmy, is actually a shark mutant. The fast-paced book, which was selected for the Parag Honor List 2020, finds Karma having to decide if Miss Charmy is a monster, especially when he sees her reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her daughter…
The second book in the series, Karma Meets a Zombie , is as fast-paced and fun as its predecessor and finds Karma facing up to the school bully, who has turned into a zombie that is rather different from the ravenous types we are used to seeing on different screens.
Potent metaphors
“The thing about zombies is that they serve as potent metaphors for pretty much anything: consumerism, racism, disease,” says Purcell. “They all have clear messages hidden behind the green face paint. That said, the actual image of a zombie is pretty similar in most stories: Silent, slow, always approaching. I wanted to keep the metaphor parts but change the rest. I wanted my zombie to talk and make jokes and (sometimes) have his arms fall off. It was a fun writing experience, and I hope that in the future, more zombie stories will start experimenting with the conventions.”
The 33-year-old American teaches English and is currently based in Kazakhstan. “I have also worked in Zanzibar, Russia, Ukraine, China, and (of course) Bhutan. This month, I’m working on summer camps, which has been a great opportunity to do some very cool projects with the students. Yesterday, we did a fun obstacle course throughout the camp.”
An attempt at recalibration
Purcell says he was working for the government in America, and experienced a burn out. “I helped at-risk students get their high school equivalency diploma. It was rewarding, but was also a bit stressful. I wanted to recalibrate myself, so I took a job in China. From there, I started going from country to country and I haven’t regretted it for a second. I love connecting with new cultures and meeting students with completely different life experiences. It is so much fun. I will say, though, that nothing beats my time in Bhutan. I’d never felt so calm and happy.”
One of the reasons for setting the Karma books in Bhutan was Purcell’s love for the country. “I love the scenery and (especially) the culture. I was constantly impressed by how much my students there loved to read. The problem was that most of the books they read were imported. I wanted to write a series that connects with their culture and their experiences (plus tons of monsters, of course).
Endless possibilities
The Karma series is pretty unlimited at this point, according to Purcell. “I have a folder with literally hundreds of ideas for scenes and monsters. Plus, when we had our first monster-design contest, in which students sent me their ideas for new monsters, I was flooded with even more inspiration. A few of their monsters will make some appearances in future books, and I can’t wait!”
Admitting to a fondness for horror-comedy, Purcell says, “There is no better feeling than laughing out loud at something crazy, something that you shouldn’t laugh at. I love stories that alternate between scary and funny. It is a fine line, and a lot of books (and movies) lean too far in one direction. As a kid, I grew up with Scooby Doo, which was my entry into the genre. From there, I read and watched a little bit of everything.”
Monsters, Purcell says, represent our fears, obstacles and self-doubts. “When characters fight against a monster, they are also fighting against the fears and problems that we all face. Honestly, 2020 hasn’t been the best year for any of us, so I think now is the best time to read monster stories. It is an easy, fun way to deal with all the bad news out there.”
Crazier the better
Purcell says he write stories that he would have liked to read as a child. “For me, that means the crazier the better. For example, why write about a boring Dracula rip-off when you can create a completely new type of vampire? Why copy Night of the Living Dead when you can write about a zombie character that no one has ever seen before?”
Writing is never easy, Purcell says. Having written for both children and adults, he says, “Sometimes you get in the groove and have fun, but a lot of the time it is tough. I have so many ideas pulling me in different directions, and the hardest part is picking the best one and sticking to it. I like to think that the Karma books work for both kids and adults because of the universal themes and the constant surprises. When you surprise a reader, no matter how old they are, then you catch their attention. Adults are harder to surprise, mostly because they have read more in their lives, so that can be a challenge.”
Back and forth
While he prefers writing for children, Purcell says, “I also write some stuff exclusively for adults because I can take the tone in a different direction. Honestly, I like switching back and forth.” Next in the pipeline is Karma 3, “which (spoiler alert) has a ton of new monsters in it.”
The pandemic has been treating Purcell not too badly. “I have a roommate, so I don’t get lonely. Plus, I can continue my classes online, which is challenging in some ways but quite fun in others. It is an excuse to experiment with new stuff. For example, I am making a lot more videos for our school’s Instagram ( studyroom.kz .) They are pretty fun and embarrassing (in a good way).”
Karma Fights a Monster and Karma Meets a Zombie are available as ebook and paperback
