The Fox’s Tower follows a cunning and sneaky fox who wants to build the tallest building in the city at any cost. What was the inspiration for your story?

The Fox’s Tower is the third book in my Fox Series, and the next three are already well underway. The whole series is inspired by people throughout society who promote their individual interests and power. The main character, Francis the Fox, is an archetype who sees the community as his playing field and is ready to use any means to reach for power, position, and wealth.

This third part of the Fox Series emphasizes the theme of competition. When the desire to beat everyone else and stand out from the crowd grows to extreme proportions, the result can even be a disaster. At worst, the dishonest pursuit of financial gains can lead to severe social phenomena, such as bribery and circumventing the rules—even at the expense of safety, as in my Fox story.

Construction can sometimes become a means of exercising power and showing off. We witness exaggerated constructions around us, where maximum attention value is often sought in addition to financial profits. Sometimes, massive structures—bridges, monuments, palaces—also proclaim the strength and importance of their builders. Even today, some want to leave behind their pyramids.

What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?

Making children realize that selfish and inconsiderate behavior has consequences is essential. Although everything may seem to be going well initially, the victory may be short-lived. I want to emphasize that honest action always wins in the end. Although this does not instantly seem true in real life, justice will eventually prevail. The profit it gives can be more than money and power. The victory of justice can enhance humanity, cooperation, and a balanced, harmonious life.

The persistent planning and goal-oriented actions of Francis the Fox with his projects could be seen as an educational element in this book. We could admire his enterprise and consistency to a certain extent as long as we simultaneously realize the skewed morals involved. As I write about Francis, I often think how much good could be achieved if the fox’s enormous potential and enthusiasm were directed toward a decent course. With the right attitude, such a person could be helpful to others. But, sadly, Francis is just looking for his rewards.

Along with the adventure elements, I also want to highlight the importance of following the rules agreed upon in society. Here, building regulations serve as such an example. At least when it comes to a well-functioning and developed society, the established procedures also have reasonable justifications and aim to improve overall functionality and citizen’s safety. Unfortunately, we often hear news about how inadequate obeying and controlling building regulations has led to loss of life. For example, many drastic consequences of natural disasters could have been avoided with responsible foresight. Human lives are a high price for the builders’ neglect and greed and the authorities’ incompetence!

What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?

When I write a story, the characters belonging to it are also found somewhere in my subconscious. I feel like they’re in my mind, and I don’t have to create them. Persons, or at least some of them, represent some counterforce to others. That’s how human relationships are in real life, after all. A certain amount of confrontation and challenging each other is part of life. Even in a fairy tale, it is possible to present complex moral considerations through such compositions.

My characters usually have different sides, but especially in the Fox Series, the two main characters are rather black-and-white as personalities and influencers. Finding much good in Francis the Fox is difficult, as his actions are usually utterly self-centered.

On the other hand, the old and experienced mayor, William the Wolf, represents honesty and reliable management of societal issues. In addition to all the good features, he is incredibly patient. From book to book, time after time, he gives his young protégé Francis yet another chance to get his life back on track. But I can reveal to you that the fox’s dubious behavior in the future parts of the series exceeds all the acceptable limits. Mayor Wolf realizes that he can no longer control the young fox. All that remains is exposing his tricks, providing fair punishment, and minimizing the damage.

Several other characters with morally different action models exist between these two opposite extremes. Some are weak but kind. Others may be weak and succumb to temptations to gain fame and money or fulfill their dreams in the wake of a fox.

It is exciting to transfer the complex relationships and power games of real life into the world of a fairy tale. This way, it is possible for children to notice the injustices around them early on and learn to fight for good. 

Will Francis the Fox have another chance at making one of his big dreams come true?

The Fox’s Tower is the third book in the series. Until now, each book describes a new attempt by a young fox rogue to get something that doesn’t belong to him. At least the means he uses are questionable time and time again. The fourth part of the series has already been illustrated, and the texts for the next two are ready, so I know what will happen to him very well.

I can assure you that Francis the Fox has enough dreams! They relate to the media world, leadership positions in society and elections, and financial interest in waste management and research. As you see, he has plenty of activities where he can dream, try, and fail again.

Even if the fox’s evil plans fail repeatedly, he doesn’t understand any wrongdoing in his actions. That is his fate, and he learns nothing from his previous mistakes this way. He imagines that he is aiming for something great and good, but in reality, it is quite different: he commits crimes for his benefit, and punishment follows his failure. This is pretty sad. — I hope that by reading about the life of a crooked fox, children will learn to set better goals for themselves in the future.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/15/honest-actions-always-win/