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John's years in Massachusetts were a whirlwind of activity, from moving around between Boston and Haverhill and returning briefly to teaching, to starting a family and finding time to continue writing.
And write he did: first was the publication of The Face in the Frost, followed by a smattering of small-scale projects, attempts, and ideas. One persistent idea involved that neighborhood house from childhood and its occupants – what if they were magicians? What if there was a supernatural clock hidden away inside? What if it was written for young readers? After years of rewrites, the "what if's" became a reality and 1973's The House with a Clock in its Walls opened its doors to soon-to-be fans hungry for more adventures.
And the adventures kept coming: first with Lewis Barnavelt and his friends in small-town Michigan; then the first of Anthony Monday's escapades involving treasures, tomes, and talismans; and finally Johnny Dixon, living with his grandparents in the foothills of the White Mountains. Each one unique with its characters and display of details, collectively John's fifteen books captured the innocence of youth, of how evil is oft-overturned, and that you can never have too many friends.
Now Bellairs really was the "famous author" - his mailbox overflowed with correspondence from fans in Haverhill and elsewhere around the world, he visited schools and libraries to visit his young fans in person and answer their questions, and his novels were recognized with awards, two even going as far to be adapted for television.
When John died in 1991, he left unfinished ideas that his son, Frank, brought into fruition through author Brad Strickland.
...and the legacy continues....
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| Timeline |
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| 1968 |
John settles in Boston, then Cambridge; Marries Priscilla Braids; Teaches at Emmanuel College. |
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| 1969 |
The Face in the Frost published; Teaches at Merrimack College; Son Frank Bellairs born. |
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| 1970 |
The Bellairs family moves to Haverhill. |
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| 1973 |
The House with a Clock in its Walls, the first book in the Lewis Barnavelt series, is published. |
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| 1978 |
The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn, the first book in the Anthony Monday series, is published. |
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| 1983 |
The Curse of the Blue Figurine, the first book in the Johnny Dixon series, is published. |
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| 2000 |
Induction to the Haverhill Hall of Fame. |
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| Memories |
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Wayne G. Hammond
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| Quotable |
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I write because I like to fantasize, and because I love to talk. I'm opinionated and my mind drifts off when people are talking to me, but I don't take myself seriously. And I like looking myself up in reference books. |
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| Feed |
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| Map |
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Visit the Bellairsia Wanderlust Project |
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