Chic Sharp comes from a big family, at least in his imagination. Sharp, a Revelstoke author, has been working on a series of books that tell the stories of his 12 brothers, all of whom disappeared mysteriously.
“When my children were small – I have three daughters – I made up stories about fictional brothers I once had and how they all mysteriously disappeared,” Sharp told the Arrow Lakes News. “My kids loved the stories and kept begging me for more.” So Sharp wrote some of them down, not thinking much of it at the time.
When his daughter Cara, a proficient artist, was older, the two decided to work together to bring the old stories to life and share them in a series of books. The series is My Twelve Brothers and Me, and each features a different brother’s story.
The books are brightly illustrated, and Sharp himself is pictured in each frame as he narrates the story. Don’t expect your typical narrative or disappearing act. Each story is a unique tale about Sharp’s fantastic family that takes the reader to unexpected places.
At the moment, there are three books published, and a fourth is in the works.
“They have been limited runs of 1,000 copies each but so far have been doing extremely well. We will soon have to have printed a second run of the first
edition,” said Sharp, who feels lucky to have been able to get a small company to publish them.
Sharp has lived in Revelstoke for around three decades, and has worked as a teacher, counsellor, probation officer, outdoor instructor and more besides. He also teaches karate in Revelstoke and in Nakusp.
His daughter Cara was born and raised in Revelstoke and besides being an illustrator of books is an elementary teacher up in Telegraph Creek.
Sharp will be coming to Nakusp Elementary to give a reading on Friday, March 8. You can also catch him for a book signing at Spiritwood between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. And if want a bit of a preview, visit www.mytwelvebrothersandme.com or head into Spiritwood for a copy.