Lisa Finander
I’m so proud of my friend Lisa Finander, the author of Disneystrology — a clever new book that reveals the astrology behind 366 Disney characters. While the book itself is approachable and compact, the project was massive. I asked her how she developed it.
Q: How did you come to write “Disneystrology?”
A: The opportunity presented itself in a magical way. I was sitting at my desk filing papers and thinking about what direction my writing would take. I heard the chime of a new message entering my inbox, and there was an email from Jason Rekulak at Quirk Books asking me if I was interested in writing a birthday book using Disney characters. I stared at the email for a while to enjoy the moment and commit it to memory. (Ok, there was joyful screaming too.) Of course, I said I was very interested, and he asked me to write three sample birthday entries for Quirk and Disney to review. The samples (Tinker Bell, Mowgli, and Remy) were approved, and the rest is Disneystrology history.
Q: How did you choose the 366 characters for your book?
A: It might surprise you to learn how much effort went into not only choosing the perfect character for each birthday but also discovering forgotten ones from the past and learning about new ones created for upcoming movies. I started by building a huge database of Disney characters that I updated daily. It contained the names and movies of over 400 characters. Then, I researched each character diligently by watching movies, clips, reading books, searching online, and viewing images. As I added bits of dialogue, the movie’s backstory (the making of movie), and any prominent personality traits to the database, I additionally noted my impressions of where they might fit in the book.
For every month of the year, I printed out a sheet of paper where I made hand-written notes about the astrology, numerology, and tarot card associated with each day of that month. This is where I kept track of which dates were filled and which ones where still available.
Next, I used the two databases simultaneously to determine which characters I would use and assigned them to a specific day of the year. Many people have asked me if I wrote the book in chronological order. I didn’t. Instead, I started with the character and then chose the birthday that they would preside over. In the beginning, it would take me hours to match up a character with a certain day of the year.
Q: What did you learn about astrology in the process of writing the book?
A: I learned to look at each day in detail. Every astrological sign has approximately 30 different expressions, and I discovered how to tune into the subtle nuances that occur within the same sign. Also, I became aware of the energy and potential each day holds.
Personally, I use Disneystrology as a book of days and have a copy sitting on my desk next to my computer. I love looking at the images and remembering how much fun I had writing the book and getting to know the characters. Besides, why limit myself to just one day of magic and possibility when there are 366 days to enjoy!
Links
- The book is in stock now at Amazon, and it should be hitting the shelves in bookstores soon. To order it online, click here: Disneystrology.
- Visit Lisa’s website at http://lisafinander.com.
- You can also follow Disneystrology on Twitter at http://twitter.com/disneystrology.
This book caught my eye purely because I noticed the Disney logo. I’ve always been a fan of Disney and once I found out what the book was actually about, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. I never really believed in this sort of thing, although, I was still curious as to who I would be…. Dory (Finding Nemo). Again, I was a little disappointed because i assumed that meant I was rather stupid. But after reading the passage to follow it, I was surprised at it’s accuracy. So I bought the book, and looked up all my friends birthdays. I have to say, it’s uncanny how correct the majority of them are!! I love this book and it’s so well written and I’ve even brought it to work with me and they all had great fun finding their Disney Characters!!