Welcome
Welcome! I'm so glad you came to the website. I'm John Opalenik, an author, teacher, D&D player, and a dad.
As a teacher, I've gotten a lot of feedback from kids about what kind of books they want to read, and that's what I write. Exciting fantasy books with a diverse cast of characters, danger, humor, high stakes, and powerful themes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that readers and students have asked many times over the year, along with the answers to them.
How do you pronounce your last name?
Opal like the Stone.
Then you say en, like in the word then.
You finish it with ick, like when you see something gross.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere. Lots of characters and situations are partially based on things about myself or my friends and family. I like to ask "what if" questions to come up with story ideas and sometimes just imagine that if I was reading the book what I would want to happen next, because as the author, I get to decide.
What were you like as a kid?
I was quiet, except when I was around my friends. I had a lot of energy and had a hard time sitting still in class, in fact, I still do. I did martial arts, hiked all spring/summer/fall, and snowboarded all winter.
I was always reading, but rarely the books that my teachers asked me to read. To hear more about my journey to becoming a reader, I wrote an article about it below.
Do you read comics/manga?
Yes!
How old are you?
Did you always want to be an author?
Ever since I started reading, I wanted to be the person who creates exciting books and comics.
What's your favorite book, movie, or show?
Books: The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, by T Kingfisher.
Movies: Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, and Castle in the Sky.
Shows: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Over the Garden Wall, and Firefly.
I was born in 1987.
Free Stuff!
I've always believed that everyone, especially kids, should have access to plenty of great things to read and help if they want to work on their writing. That's one of the many reasons that I love libraries so much. Here are some free stories, and a book about how to plan and start writing your own fantasy stories!
Enjoy the stories and the resources. Share them with your friends. I've done my best to make it printer-friendly for you.
Secrets of Swordbreak Village
(First chapter preview)
Kipo and his sister Flora return to the village where they used to live only to find a mysterious knight has captured everyone's attention and is going to be gifted the magic broken sword which is said to keep the village safe.
The image is a placeholder while I work with artists to create the real cover.
Here's a guide to help you plan and write your own fantasy stories. This can be useful for both writers and teachers.
Here's a more printer-friendly version if you want to save ink.
Feel like writing a scary story this spooky season? Here are a few ideas to get you started!
Here's a more printer-friendly version if you want to save ink.
How to Draw a Swordbreak Village Character
Coming Soon!
Upcoming Fantasy Series!
Tales From Benoki Island
Set in the fantastical world of Benoki Island, three friends are celebrating their village festival one last time before they each go to different schools, Brody to scout camp, Tav to the Everdawn City Magic Academy, and Tiaki will begin an apprenticeship with a legendary knight.
Their celebration is cut short when a shadow-dragon, the bottled up anger of a dragon that has come to life, attacks their village festival. It's up to these three friends to find out why the shadow-dragon attacked, who sent it there, and how they can put a stop it once and for all.
Tales From Benoki Island: My Pointy Ear is Magic is a story about holding onto friendships as we grow up, being proud of what makes us unique, and about the responsibility we have to each other.
