Benji Cole of CBS Radio speaks with Tavia Lynn Kallison, author of “Planet Mutonia and the Young Pop Star Wannabes,” a book of magical adventure
The author of the book, “Planet Mutonia and the Young Pop Star Wannabes,” was interviewed by CBS Radio. People of Distinction host Benji Cole got to know the author and learned about her inspirations for writing the book.
Tavia Lynn Kallison got the idea for this magical adventure when she was two years old and started taking dance lessons at Mae Murry Dance Studio. In this milieu, the author flourished, eventually winning a modest dancing competition on television.
The author’s mother found an excellent art teacher who taught in the realistic classic style when she was ten years old. Students would choose prints by master artists, learn to work in oils, and then recreate the image exactly. Art, as well as dancing, would remain two of her passions.
Piano lessons were introduced to her daily regimen at the age of six, with severe rules. Our author somehow agreed to this obligation. She studied with a variety of teachers over the years. Finally, as a young adult, under the coaching of Edith Knox, a graduate of New York’s prestigious Juilliard School of Music. Ms. Knox got the opportunity to refine her technique at the elite music institution, as well as learn advanced theory from a Russian professor who had studied with the well-known romantic composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.
After college, the author went on to become a piano instructor. She didn’t start studying writing till she got married. In 1939, her father-in-law was invited to become the president of Universal Pictures in order to save the faltering studio from bankruptcy. While Ms. Kallison was growing up, he left a legacy. Her father-in-law remained president until 1960 when he was appointed Chairman of the Board and replaced by Lew Wasserman. Ms. Kallison was surrounded by writers after she married, which helped her grasp the skill of writing and how the author’s imagination came alive to weave this unique story, “Planet Mutonia and the Young Pop Star Wannabes.”
The plot of this novel poses a question. Is it possible to conceive of a future without music? Melody Bell and her two companions, Harmon E. Cord and Justin Tyme experienced just that. These three young people all want to be well-known pop singers one day. Their names are inspired by the three components of music: melody, harmony, and rhythm.
With that in mind, they are whisked into space by a mysterious red disc-shaped apparatus known as Middle C, on their way to Mutonia, the music planet. Middle C reveals to the threesome that they are the only ones qualified for the critical mission known as Operation: Restore Music because of their musical names.
When the children arrive at the unique planet’s entrance, they are confronted with a variety of events, distinctive locations, and bizarre, yet engaging personalities, and they become embroiled in strange, scary, fearful, but often wondrous adventures.
Listen to the full interview below: