Around 200 of my Etsy listings will deactivate in the next week when they reach the end of their listing duration. The remaining listings will be deactivated by me in around 2 1/2 weeks. I will lose a significant part of the listing duration for the listings that I deactivate.
I am hoping to clear out some of the Etsy books before the listings begin to deactivate, so I have placed all inventory on Etsy at 15% off.
Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy
I am doing this because I have to pay for each listing. I hope to get some of them sold in the next few days.
The Etsy sale runs through July 23, but many of the listings will end between July 20 and July 23. The date Etsy shows is July 20 for when the listings will come down, but I've noticed that Etsy sometimes leaves them up for an extra day or so. I'm not sure why.
My eBay inventory is not on sale at this time.
Jennifer's Series Books on eBay
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
15% Off on Etsy
The Black Hollow Lane Books by Julia Nobel
1. The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane, 2019
2. The Secret of White Stone Gate, 2020
For fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Blackthorn Key series comes an award-winning boarding school mystery about twelve year old Emmy, who's shipped off to a prestigious British school. But her new home is hiding a secret society... and it may be the answer to Emmy's questions about her missing father.
With a dad who disappeared years ago and a mother who's a bit too busy to parent, Emmy is shipped off to Wellsworth, a prestigious boarding school in England, where she's sure she won't fit in.
But then she finds a box of mysterious medallions in the attic of her home with a note reading: These belonged to your father.
When she arrives at school, she finds the strange symbols from the medallions etched into walls and books, which leads Emmy and her new friends, Jack and Lola, to Wellsworth's secret society: The Order of Black Hollow Lane.
Emmy can't help but think that the society had something to do with her dad's disappearance, and that there may be more than just dark secrets in the halls of Wellsworth…
I found that I had trouble telling the characters apart as I began reading the first book. I decided not to worry about it. There were a few too many characters for me to keep track of them, and they had minimal or no descriptions.
I enjoyed these books, but to me, they are just average children's fare.
Thursday, July 10, 2025
July 2025 eBay and Etsy Update + Upcoming Hiatus
I recently collapsed most of my eBay store categories. eBay makes it difficult for buyers to see the store categories, so having lots of store categories is of little benefit. As a buyer, I find that I always search an eBay seller's store for whatever I want. I never look for their categories. In fact, I find that most eBay sellers have a poor selection of store categories.
I have listed many books on eBay and have a few auctions running for items that are especially difficult to find.
Jennifer's Series Books on eBay
Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy
I have no new Etsy listings, simply because I have to pay $0.20 for each listing. I will be going on hiatus in less than one month, and it's not worth paying for a four-month listing when the listing will be inactive for a significant amount of that time.
I have more free listings on eBay than I can ever use (over 10000 free listings each month), so it makes no difference what I do. I pay a yearly subscription rate instead. For that reason, I've been listing everything on eBay. I won't be losing anything when my eBay store goes on hiatus, since I pay for the store rather than for each listing.
If you want something, then make sure you purchase it by around August 1. Otherwise, you might have to wait until around October.
Friday, July 4, 2025
Nancy Drew Kickstarter Action Figures Campaign - Selling the Extras
This post was written in December 2024. Now it's July 2025. I really did intend to list the action figures back during the winter, but then my eyes became terribly inflamed—most likely from Covid—and are still a problem. As my summer break begins to wind down, I'm finally getting some stuff listed. I have my extra action figures laid out, and I will hopefully get them photographed and listed.
I backed the Nancy Drew Kickstarter in May 2023. The pledge totaled $605.00. I was later charged $209.08 shipping. I also purchased another set of action figures at a total cost of $332.63.
Everything I have from this Kickstarter was acquired at a total cost of $1,146.71.
I want to sell all of the extras, but I haven't had any idea of what I really paid for each item. I need to know what I paid so that I can decide how to price them.
This is what I have along with the listed prices on Kickstarter before shipping.
1 Detective Accessories, add-on for $3.00
1 silhouette stand, add-on for $2.00
5 book stands with figure, $27.00 each
1 white t-shirt, ?
5 black t-shirts, ?
Old Clock carded figure, $26.25
Old Clock carded figure, $26.25
Hidden Staircase carded figure, $26.25
Hidden Staircase carded figure, $26.25
Old Attic carded figure, $26.25
Old Attic carded figure, $26.25
Dancing Puppet carded figure, $26.25
Dancing Puppet carded figure, $26.25
Old Clock boxed figure, $27.00
Old Clock boxed figure, $27.00
Hidden Staircase boxed figure, $27.00
Hidden Staircase boxed figure, $27.00
Lilac Inn boxed figure, $56.00
Lilac Inn boxed figure, $56.00
Old Attic boxed figure, $27.00
Old Attic boxed figure, $27.00
Dancing Puppet boxed figure, $27.00
Dancing Puppet boxed figure, $27.00
Crooked Banister boxed figure, $56.00
Crooked Banister boxed figure, $56.00
6 Case of the Curious Collection books, $22.00 each
Since the above prices do not include shipping, my cost was higher. I have 39 items all together. Some items, like the silhouette stand or detective accessories, are worth considerably less than other items. Ignoring that, if I take my total cost of $1,146.71 and divide by 39, I get an average cost of $29.40 per item. That is not cheap. It's easy to see that I will have to sell anything that is more desirable (the action figures and book) at $50 or above at a minimum.
I expect that I will sell everything except for one of each action figure, one book, and one book stand. I might keep the detective accessories, but I'm not sure.
I know what the prospective buyers will think when they see my future listings. They'll think I'm overcharging unless I price the action figures well below my costs. That's the sad reality. People don't appreciate how much cost is involved with backing a venture like this. They just think about how the action figures would be priced if they saw them for sale in Walmart. These action figures will never be in Walmart and were only produced in low quantity. They weren't cheap and won't be sold secondhand for cheap.
I expect it to be a real problem for me to get my money back for the extra action figures. The key is to try to profit off of the five extra copies of Case of the Curious Collection. It's a Nancy Drew story that isn't available anywhere, and it never will be. The only way to get to read it is to obtain one of the limited edition copies of the book.
Whenever I decide to sell one of the books, it will be via eBay auction. The starting bid will be at least $75.00. Remember, eBay fees are high, and I offer free shipping on orders above $40. Postage is getting expensive as well.
I created a spreadsheet and redistributed my costs to where my cost for each Curious Collection book is higher than some of the action figures. For that reason, I consider a $75.00 starting bid to be an "at cost" selling price for me. If I can pull more money into the book, then I can list the action figures at somewhat lower prices to make it more likely that they will sell.
That's my reasoning.
I've been hoping that someone would list an extra Curious Collection book on eBay so that I would have some idea of what the market will support. It's looking like I'm going to have to go first. I may go with a $100.00 starting bid just to be safe.
I don't know when I will try listing one of the books. I might end up waiting another month or more. At least I do now have a reference point on how much I paid for each item, which opens the door for me to list some of them.
No doubt many of you are thinking that I could just sell on Facebook and avoid the eBay fees. Sure, but it's too much trouble for me. I have two autoimmune diseases, one controlled by medication that flares regularly and one currently untreated that flares constantly. Even the slightest stress causes a flare.
This is how it goes if I sell on Facebook. If I post in a group, I photograph the items, state the price per item, the postage, and that I accept PayPal. I tell them everything they need to know upfront.
The questions will start rolling in. What is the cost? Do you have ______ available? Can I pay through PayPal? What will the shipping cost be?
Next, three people will want the same item. I have to contact all three, accepting the first one and declining the other two. One of the people who lose out will express disappointment.
Let's say I want to avoid PayPal fees. I give the buyer my PayPal information, and they'll send payment through PayPal via the friends and family option without including their address. I have to ask for it. I then have to go to PayPal and manually enter the buyer's address into the shipping label. I have to give the buyer tracking number.
I am very prone to mistakes, so I have to triple-check every step. It's too much, and I refuse to go through it.
I'd rather be hosed on fees. All tasks must be streamlined in order to continue to do the things that I want and need to do. The process is so easy when done through an online marketplace, and it greatly minimizes my work.
Friday, June 27, 2025
Keeper of the Lost Cities: Forkle's Pared-Down Identities
This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set. Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published. You've been warned.
In April 2023, I had found the anagram in Kenric's name, and I was certain that Kenric is Forkle. I expected this information to be widely known when I went online to read discussions, and I was shocked to see no mention of the anagram and very little mention of the possibility of Kenric being Forkle. Naturally, I doubted myself, so I wanted to prove beyond any doubt that Kenric really is Forkle. I immediately began reading the books again to search for clues.
I was reading digital copies of the books, but I purchased a set of paperback books so that I could mark pages with sticky notes. I used four different colors, one for each of Forkle's identities.
Kenric = hot pink
Forkle = blue
Leto = orange
Astin = lime green
This photo shows #1-8, 8.5, and 9 arranged from left to right with the pages facing the front. Remember to click on images in order to see them better.
#1 is the first book on the left, and #9 is the last book on the right. The books are arranged this way so that all of the pages in the set are in order from left to right. That would not be the case if the spines were facing the front.
Kenric is present in the first three books and then only in the Forgotten Secrets in the last two books.
Forkle shows up minimally in the first three books, then he is the most prominent identity beginning after Kenric's death.
Leto appears quite often but less than Forkle.
Astin only appears in #1, 4, and 5.
Here's a closer look. This picture is of #1-3.
Here are #4-6.
Here are #7-9.
In Book 5, the older Forkle twin is killed by Gethen. The surviving younger Forkle tells Sophie that he will have to cut back on his identities.
Book 6, Page 181 "Mostly it involves me learning to do less, since I'll have to shoulder the burden alone now. I don't think either of us truly believed this would be our reality, but… here we are."
Book 6, Page 182 "And I'll probably need to pare down my total number of identities. I'm just struggling to decide the best way to do that without drawing too much attention."
This has always confused me a bit, because he doesn't seem to cut back at all. My assumption has always been that Forkle cuts back on his Astin identity. Astin certainly doesn't show up in the later books, but he is barely present in the early books. Cutting back on Astin doesn't make much of a difference.
Book 6, Page 184 "Everyone who heard about my death will have to know the truth about my brother, otherwise they'll wonder why Magnate Leto is still at Foxfire, and why Sir Astin will sometimes appear in the Lost Cities, and why this bloated body will still be an active part of the Collective."
What Forkle says seems to indicate that all of his known identities will remain active, although his comment about Astin makes it clear that Astin will continue to be elusive.
How does Forkle cut back on his identities? He doesn't cut back in any way that is appreciable. That's why I've wondered about it.
What I forgot is that Forkle is supposed to have five identities. What is the fifth identity?
As I've mentioned (see post), I believe the fifth Forkle identity is Ethan Benedict Wright II. This character doesn't appear at all, so he's unknown. I believe that this alias was also used for the fertility doctor. This would explain why Keefe notices in Unraveled that the obituaries for Ethan strangely don't mention that he is a doctor. "Doctor" was left out of the obituaries so that anyone who saw them wouldn't connect them to the fertility doctor.
Ethan is likely the identity that Forkle dropped when he pared down his total number of identities. Forkle must have spent a lot of time as Ethan.
My current theory is that the younger Forkle twin abandoned the Ethan identity after the older twin was killed. He wrote Ethan's obituary and got Eleanor set up with a guardian.
I have believed for some time that Kenric is Ethan, and I have struggled with the idea of Kenric hurting Eleanor. But now I understand. Being Ethan would have taken up a lot of time. With one Forkle twin dead, the remaining one had no choice but to reduce his identities. He did have a good reason, even though it hurt Eleanor.
Note: It was pointed out to me that Eleanor and Ethan supposedly die before Sophie comes to the Lost Cities. The obituary found by Forkle and later by Keefe does state that Eleanor was 10, so this does appear to place their disappearance before Sophie's arrival. However...
Book 9.5, page 351 "Blond woman, about as tall as me, wearing a fancy cloak?" "Sounds like her," Keefe muttered, ..."I take it that means you've met Mommy Dearest." "No—but I saw her." "When?" "Doesn't matter." "See, but it really does... Where did you see my mom? And how long ago was it?"
There you go. Eleanor says that Lady Gisela is "about as tall as me." Eleanor would be taller now than she was back when she was 10. Since I doubt that Lady Gisela is as short as a 10 year old, this indicates that Eleanor has seen Lady Gisela relatively recently, like in the last year. Unless Eleanor is hiding some connection to Lady Gisela, then the deaths had to have been faked not long ago.
I still believe that Ethan is the pared-down identity. I do not believe that the obituary can be trusted. If I'm right about all of this, Mr. Forkle wrote the obituary. He would have obscured the truth.
All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:
Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories
Monday, June 23, 2025
Keeper of the Lost Cities: The Clues about Forkle's Identity
This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set. Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published. You've been warned.
Note: Yes, this post is a lot to digest. I wanted it all in one place so that fans don't have to dig through dozens of posts. I have added some brief explanatory comments to many of the clues. The explanations are much more detailed in my previous 80+ posts. If you read through all of my previous posts in order, then you'll see how I gradually figured everything out. This post is just a summary.
I also want to point something out, since some fans think none of this means anything.
Shannon uses 74 pages of Stellarlune for Kenric's Forgotten Secrets. The secrets must be very important for Shannon to devote 10% of the book to them. It's been curious to me that many fans have dismissed the Forgotten Secrets when they are clearly important. Here's what is going on:
Kenric requested that Oralie give his cache to Sophie. He rigged the cache so that Sophie couldn't open it without Oralie's help. Kenric wanted both Oralie and Sophie to view his Forgotten Secrets. The Forgotten Secrets are Kenric's way of telling the Moonlark and her mother how Project Moonlark came to be. Why would Kenric do that? Because he is Forkle.
Finally, keep in mind that since Kenric is Forkle, he must be a pair of twins. It's been suggested that I invented a twin for Kenric. No, that was Shannon. Everything that is true about Forkle also applies to Kenric.
The purpose of this post is to put all the clues about Forkle in one place. The first clue is the anagram in Kenric's name (see post from 2023). I looked at some of my oldest posts where I kept saying things like "if Kenric is Forkle."
Girl, you knew he was from the day you decoded the anagram.
Since fans were so dismissive about the possibility of Kenric being Forkle, that took away my confidence to state it boldly. No more.
This photo is from the annotated edition of the first Keeper book. Click on the image to see it more clearly.
Shannon's note in the margin says, "Sentences like this... take me hours to write, since naming all those stars is so much work." Consider that the names of the stars aren't that important to the plot, yet Shannon spent hours on them.
I would say that a major character's name is even more important. Shannon had to have spent hours on Kenric Elgar Fathdon's name alone. The name was designed as an anagram—a very specific anagram. As such, Kenric must be Forkle, since the anagram says that he is. It's impossible for Kenric's full name to rearrange to form such a specific plot-relevant anagram (Forkle grin and teach) without it meaning exactly what it says. "Grin" is Kenric, and "teach" is Leto/Astin.
This means that Kenric is Forkle.
Forkle recruited Oralie to donate her DNA to Project Moonlark. We know Forkle must have been the elf who recruited her. On page 170 of Book 6, Tiergan tells Sophie that only Mr. Forkle knew her parents' identities. Mr. Forkle must have been the one to convince Oralie.
If Forkle recruited Oralie, then we can conclude that Kenric (as his Forkle identity) recruited Oralie.
Who would Kenric/Forkle select to be Sophie's father? Kenric needed Oralie because he needed his number one match. Therefore, Kenric (that is, one of the twins) is Sophie's father.
The anagram is the proof of who Forkle is, which in turn proves who Sophie's father is. Let's go through what's in the books.
The early books introduce key points about Sophie but are sparse on clues that Kenric is Forkle, aside from the anagram itself. Instead, the early books lay some groundwork that ostensibly shows that Kenric cannot be Forkle.
In Book 1, Kenric and Astin appear together in a scene (before readers know that Forkle is a pair of twins). In Book 2, Kenric asks for the compass that led Sophie to the Black Swan, which is exactly what would be expected if he weren't connected to the Black Swan. In Book 4, Astin makes a strongly-worded statement about how Kenric would never hurt Oralie by faking his death. All misdirection...
Now, the clues. I've gone through my Kindle notes and all of my posts. I've compiled everything that ties to Kenric and Forkle in this post. I also read the Forgotten Secrets again and glanced at a few other parts of Book 9. I included a few new minor observations from the Forgotten Secrets.
I've undoubtedly left out some important points, but I should have most of them gathered here. Some are vague, but they are all meaningful because Kenric is Forkle. The anagram establishes who Forkle is without a doubt, so the clues do hold weight.
Many of the clues are parallelisms. Certain characters use the same phrases as other characters, and I firmly believe this is deliberate. Shannon has set up numerous parallelisms in the series, including both plot parallelisms and narrative parallelisms.
Book 1
Page 64 Kenric: "I've never seen such natural talent. You're even a natural at our language." Astin uses the word "natural" on page 175.
Page 71 We learn that Sophie is clumsy, and Sophie's clumsiness is mentioned regularly throughout the series. Kenric, Forkle, and Leto are each depicted as clumsy in later books.
Page 81 Sophie counts the seconds for the first of many times. Kenric also counts the seconds (Book 9), and Forkle mentions counting the seconds (Book 5). No other characters count or mention counting the seconds.
Page 175 Sir Astin says that Sophie is a natural.
Page 312 Alden points out how odd it is that Sophie knows the location of a star that only the Councillors know how to find. Someone on the Council must be providing information to the Black Swan.
Page 395 Sophie is sent a Spyball by the Black Swan, and only elves with a special permit can have a Spyball.
Book 2
Page 142 Dex tells Sophie that Mr. Forkle had said in Paris, "You can do this, Sophie." Kenric uses the same encouraging phrase in Book 3 on page 218.
Page 210 Alden explains to Sophie that he believes that the Black Swan's message, Let the past be your guide, meant that Sophie was to be his guide. He explains that using the word guide was not coincidence "especially mere days before the Council ordered a memory break." This implies that someone on the Council is connected to the Black Swan. See page 502 quote.
Page 235 Alden tells Sophie that he's never heard of the nook she described finding in his mind. Both Forkle (page 504) and Kenric (Book 9, Forgotten Secret #5) know about the nook, yet Alden didn't.
Page 462 Leto's "lips twitched—almost like he wanted to smile." Leto is purposefully not showing any lighthearted behavior.
Page 500 We learn that Forkle has an impenetrable mind like Sophie.
Page 502 Mr. Forkle tells Sophie that her mind is broken. He then says, "And if we'd known you were damaged, we never would've sent you down there." Mr. Forkle is claiming responsibility for Sophie going into Exile as Alden's guide. This implies that Mr. Forkle has an inside connection with the Council. How else would he have known when he would be able to send Sophie into Exile as a guide?
Page 504 Forkle mentions the nook inside the mind. See Book 9, Forgotten Secret #5, where Kenric also mentions using a nook inside the mind.
Book 3
Page 58 Kenric acts like he knows what Sophie is thinking, despite her impenetrable mind. He immediately makes an excuse and leaves after Sophie worries about having to tell what happened to a Councillor.
Page 129 Leto checks "his overly gelled hair." Leto is self-conscious about his hair.
Page 132 Leto knows that Fintan's upcoming healing is classified, which suggests that he has some connection to the Council.
Page 133 Leto is emotional when speaking of not having a wife.
Page 215 Kenric gives Sophie a suggestion on how to inflict, but adds, "At least, that's what I remember studying." The reader isn't yet aware that Forkle inflicted on Sophie years before in San Diego, and Bronte certainly doesn't know about it. Kenric knows more about inflicting than he should and is covering his knowledge.
Page 218 Kenric says, "You can do this." See Book 2 Forkle mention.
Page 455 Sophie asks Forkle if he could betray his own father. Mr. Forkle says that he's done far worse. This suggests that Mr. Forkle has hurt someone he cares about, such as Oralie by faking his death.
Book 4
Page 23 Oralie says that Kenric told her that Sophie was "the spark of change our world needed." On page 434, Forkle makes a similar statement.
Page 102 Mr. Forkle tells Sophie that he washed her memory of the boy who disappeared. This establishes that Forkle is a Washer, and we learn in Book 8.5 that Kenric was a Washer.
Page 201 Forkle "required quite a lot of thrashing and flailing" as he arose from his beanbag. This suggests that Forkle is clumsy like Sophie.
Page 240 " 'Do you think we're going to find a clue about the Neverseen in his memories?' she asked... 'It seems likely. No one keeps up a pretense perfectly. In fact, I've made several slips I'm stunned you didn't catch.' " Shannon is hinting that she has placed clues in the books.
Page 292 Mr. Forkle admits that Astin gave Sophie the list of unmapped stars. The location of the unmapped stars is known only to the Councillors.
Page 353 "Magnate Leto smoothed his black hair, even though it was coated with so much gel it couldn't possibly move." This is a hint that Leto's hair is unruly and difficult to tame.
Page 368 Mr. Forkle tells Sophie that he is not her genetic father, but he does say that he is family. This Forkle is probably her uncle.
Page 369 "Have I ever met them? Sophie transmitted back. I can't tell you that—and I'm begging you to stop guessing. Should you finally settle on the correct answer, you will trigger a chain reaction that could topple our world." The only way the identities of Sophie's parents "could topple" the Lost Cities would be if they were Councillors.
Page 370 Mr. Forkle reveals that his middle name is Loki. "Loki," Sophie repeated, tempted to roll her eyes. "You named yourself after the Nordic trickster god?" "Actually, he was inspired by me... I've always been partial to that part of the world, and in my younger days I may have had a bit too much fun there. It was so easy to take on disguises and cause a little chaos." The Norse god Loki is commonly depicted as having red hair.
Page 395 Sophie is placed in the Ambi (purple) hemisphere at Exillium. On page 409 of Book 5, we learn that Leto is also in the Ambi hemisphere.
Page 434 Forkle tells Sophie: "You're a natural force for change." See Kenric quote from page 23.
Book 5
Page 34 Leto says, "I've never been a fan of my reflection—especially in this form." This implies that Leto is not his true identity.
Page 36 Leto says, "Questionable actions can be forgiven when they're done with good intentions." This is Leto acknowledging that he has done many questionable things. If he's Kenric, then he devastated his love by faking his death.
Page 299 Sophie notices that Mr. Forkle carries a lot around in his pockets. Later, Sophie carries items around in her many pockets.
Page 409 Magnate Leto's "levitation was wobblier than he probably wanted—and his feet nearly grazed the crowd's heads." This is a clue that Leto is clumsy like Sophie.
Page 409 Leto's cape is "marked with a purple handprint," which means he is in Exillium's Ambi hemisphere just like Sophie.
Page 474 Mr. Forkle mentions counting the seconds. "I bet you have no idea how long you've been in here. Maybe you should've thought to count the seconds."
Book 6
Page 181 " 'That's why even with his final breaths, my brother made sure there would be no gaps in my memories.' He reached into his pocket and removed the round gadget that Mr. Forkle had pressed into Sophie's hand as he lay dying." See Book 9, page 257.
Page 199 Mr. Forkle tells Oralie, "I would've made the same choice my brother did in that moment." One Mr. Forkle died for Oralie, and the other would have as well.
Page 605 Leto's "usually sleek hair looked much more disheveled than usual as he led the way into his triangular office." This is a sign that Leto might have unruly hair.
Page 606 Leto "sank into his own chair, which was more of an upholstered throne now." This doesn't mean anything, but it's humorous if Leto is Kenric.
Page 608 Ro tells Leto that the Councillors are "too stuffy." Leto smiles. My take is that Kenric is amused by the Councillors coming across as stuffy.
Book 7
Page 136 Sophie realizes that Elwin might be suspicious "if he saw Magnate Leto searching her memories, since only Mr. Forkle and Fitz could sneak past her mental blocking." See Book 3, Page 58. Kenric appears to know what Sophie is thinking, which means that he can slip past her blocking.
Page 206 Leto's "greasy hair" is mentioned, yet another sign that Leto hides unruly hair.
Page 481 Mr. Forkle criticizes Fintan:
"Fintan successfully faked his death. None of us had the slightest suspicion that he was still alive. And his order already relied on cloaks to hide their identities. So he had absolutely no reason to show his face the day he threatened the Council in Eternalia—other than his own vanity. He wanted credit for the feats he'd pulled off."
The above passage is telling. Fintan wasn't the only elf who faked his death, but the other elf is not seeking credit. He will stay hidden until he has a reason for revealing himself.
Page 513 Flori designs clothing for Sophie that has lots of pockets.
Book 8
Page 3 Sophie wonders if Forkle's lips are "twitching with a smile." This indicates that Forkle has a more lighthearted side that he's hiding.
Page 4 Mr. Forkle winks. Same as above.
Page 8 Sophie hopes to see "clues to who Mr. Forkle truly was" in his office. This is a way of telling the reader that Leto is not Forkle's true identity.
Page 195 Sophie is unhappy about having to wear a crown. In Book 9 on page 246, Kenric doesn't like his circlet.
Page 343 Forkle mentions how he gave Sophie the location of the unmapped stars and the formula for frissyn. Only the Councillors know the locations of the unmapped stars. The frissyn formula is highly classified.
Page 480 "[Forkle] turned to Sophie, and she was a little surprised by the level of pride radiating from his expression—like a dad whose kid had just hit a game-winning home run."
Page 591 Mr. Forkle grins, which he never does in the early books.
Page 655 Sophie points out that her enhancing is particularly strong with Empaths and Telepaths. This indicates that her parents could be an Empath and a Telepath.
Book 8.5
Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie at Night (see post)
Page 526 We learn that Kenric was a Washer. Mr. Forkle is a Washer as well.
Page 527 Oralie remembers being with Kenric in her sitting room, that his smile was off, and that someone else was there. Both Kenric/Forkle twins were present, and one of them was wearing an addler.
Page 529 Kenric mentions that he's thought about leaving the Council. This is a clue that he faked his death in Book 3.
Page 531 Kenric informs Oralie that he knows about Project Moonlark and Oralie's role in it. He lies to her about how he knows, since he steps away from her before he answers so that she won't detect the lie. Kenric also steps away from Oralie as he lies that he learned nothing when he breached Fintan's mind.
Page 532 Oralie mentions that Kenric stopped by right after she finished donating her DNA. He was checking to make sure she was okay.
This Forgotten Secret occurs before Sophie is brought to the Lost Cities. At this time, the Councillors are unaware of Sophie's existence. They think that the strand of DNA was a hoax. And yet, Kenric says this:
Page 533 "You're going to need all the allies you can get. Especially since someday the Black Swan is going to bring their moonlark into play. You know that, right?"
This remark reveals that Kenric knows more than he should. He's aware that the DNA was not a hoax and suggests that the Black Swan will "bring their moonlark into play." Kenric must be part of the Black Swan.
Page 733 Mr. Forkle's "lips curled with another smile."
Page 734 Mr. Forkle laughs and also "smiled his widest smile yet."
Mr. Forkle is delighted that Sophie burned the storehouse. He's also proud of Sophie's moonlark symbol and tells her that he's keeping the drawing. He sounds just like a proud father.
Book 9
The Forgotten Secrets are in Kenric's cache, but they are Forkle's secrets.
Forgotten Secret #1 Bronte and Kenric (see post)
Page 199 Kenric counts the seconds, thus revealing that Kenric shares an odd trait with Sophie. Sophie, Forkle, and Kenric are the only three characters who count the seconds.
Forgotten Secret #2 The Matchmaker Memory (see post)
Kenric secures proof that Oralie is his number one match, which is why the Black Swan asks Oralie to donate to Project Moonlark.
Forgotten Secret #3 Kenric and Oralie in Kenric's Readying Room (see post)
Page 217 Kenric props up his feet. See Leto on page 490.
Oralie is upset that Kenric left during her dinner and calls Kenric out on lying about it. Kenric most likely left the dinner to switch with his twin.
Oralie confronts Kenric about him voting against her becoming a Councillor. He lies about why. He most likely voted against Oralie because the twins were attracted to her and didn't want that complication on the Council.
Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie with Fintan (see post)
Page 232 "Though... Kenric could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be." Forkle is intimidating.
Kenric learns about Elysian when he enters Fintan's mind. Kenric may also have retrieved the map of Elysian from Fintan's mind as well.
Forgotten Secret #5 Kenric and Prentice (see post)
Kenric recruits Prentice to be his personal keeper, or rather, the keeper of the Black Swan.
Kenric mentions that he is a Washer and that he would hide the secrets in a nook where they would only be revealed if triggered by a word or phrase. The skill is called "implanting" and is a rare skill. Forkle previously explained to Sophie that he did just that with her.
Page 246 Kenric refers to his circlet as "obnoxious." See Book 8 where Sophie doesn't like wearing a crown.
Page 247 Kenric props "his feet on what looked like a polished tree stump." See Leto on page 490.
Page 257 Prentice questions how Kenric would know not to recruit him again if the memory is washed. Kenric replies, "I have a way to prevent that." Kenric is probably referring to the round gadget mentioned by Mr. Forkle in Book 6 on page 181.
Forgotten Secret #6 Kenric and Oralie in Elysian (see post)
Page 263 Kenric swipes at the butterflies "again and again—nearly losing his balance the second time." This is a clue that Kenric is clumsy like Sophie. In three different books, Forkle, Leto, and Kenric have each been depicted as clumsy.
Page 266 The Washer's face is blurred. The Washer was probably Kenric's twin, and he was wearing an addler.
Forgotten Secret #7 Map of Elysian (see post)
Both Kenric and Forkle had maps of Elysian.
Page 290 Mr. Forkle mentions that he thought Sophie "would need the formula for frissyn someday, as well as the name and locations of the unmapped stars." Book 1 establishes that only the Councillors can find the unmapped stars and that the formula for frissyn is highly classified.
Page 334 "Mr. Forkle's lips twitched with a hint of a smile."
Page 483 "Magnate Leto patted the sides of his heavily gelled black hair."
Page 487 "But I've lost far too many years searching for rivers that do not exist." Forkle spent years searching for rivers, just like Kenric.
Page 490 Leto props his feet on his desk, which is bizarre behavior that doesn't fit with my image of Leto. This is an extremely obvious clue after the multiple mentions of Kenric propping up his feet. Shannon wants us to make a connection between Leto and Kenric.
Page 493 Leto "looked far less put-together than usual, with weird creases in his hair, as if he'd been trying to drag his fingers through the crispy gelled strands." Leto has unruly hair that he gels to hide it.
When Shannon reveals Oralie as Sophie's mother, the series begins to build towards its climax. Shannon takes it further with Oralie's Forgotten Secret, which provides some clues about Kenric without being obvious about them.
During this same time, Shannon begins providing stronger hints about similarities between Kenric and Forkle by having Forkle begin to smile or laugh. With Kenric's Forgotten Secrets, Shannon reveals secrets about Kenric that lay bare that he must be involved with the Black Swan and is therefore Forkle. Meanwhile, Shannon begins dropping more obvious clues that Forkle has some of Kenric's traits.
Stellarlune's cliffhanger is a moment that Shannon has planned from the beginning of the series. She's said that Elysian is the Lost Cities' darkest secret. The story is near the climax of the series, and the end-of-series payoff is well underway.
In my opinion, the very best books of the series in no particular order are 1, 8, 8.5, and 9. The first book sets up the series and is magical. Books 8, 8.5, and 9 dole out answers and are all part of the end-of-series payoff.
All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:
Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories
Friday, June 20, 2025
Keeper of the Lost Cities: Fan Denial about Certain Theories
This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set. Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published. You've been warned.
Most fans who don't think Kenric can be either Forkle or Sophie's father are likely taking everything at face value that is stated in the books.
Even so, the anagram in Kenric's name should hold weight. It is extremely improbable that a full name (first, middle, last) can be rearranged to form a perfect anagram—using each letter once and no letter more than once—that is relevant to the plot of the book. It is nearly impossible, unless the author designed the name to form that exact anagram.
Such is the case with Kenric Elgar Fathdon, whose name rearranges in a perfect anagram as "Forkle grin and teach." The anagram is exactly why theories about Kenric cannot be discarded as most fans have done.
In April 2023, I decoded the anagram from Kenric's name, and I felt certain that Kenric is Forkle. I also felt that Kenric is Sophie's father. I couldn't find anything about it online, so I posted about the anagram on Reddit. I very much doubt that I was the first fan to discover the anagram. After all, Book 3 was published eight years before I decoded the anagram. Surely, somebody had already discovered it. I appear to have been the first person to post about it online.
After seeing that most fans weren't interested, I've almost completely kept to myself this entire time, just writing in this blog.
In the two years since my post, I have found it strange that online discussion hasn't budged at all. It's as if I had never posted about the anagram.
My blog posts appear high in Google's results for searches for Kenric, Oralie, and Forkle. Despite that, the vast majority of fans think that Sophie's father is still a mystery. They favor Gethen or Elwin. Gethen makes no sense, and it would be sickening for a murderer to be Sophie's father. Elwin is logical only because Google gives him as the answer due to a false rumor.
A couple of us recently made a few comments in the main Keeper subreddit about Kenric and Forkle. One person became hostile and dismissed us as the same person.
Since then, two more threads about Sophie's father have been posted. When I read them, I felt like I was in a bizarre alternate reality. It's weird to have clues pointing to Kenric, yet fans are completely oblivious.
Most fans are in complete denial even when presented with evidence. Let's go through how they respond.
Forkle said that Kenric isn't Sophie's father, and Forkle doesn't lie.
I don't know where fans have gotten the idea that Forkle doesn't lie. The books make it clear that Forkle does lie.
Book 8, Page 232 Keefe tells Sophie that Forkle is "a way better liar."
Book 8.5, Page 375 In the section titled "Things I know about Mr. Forkle," Sophie notes, "He lies sometimes. Maybe all the time. Who knows?"
And there are other places where Sophie thinks that Mr. Forkle has lied.
How have fans acquired this unyielding belief that Forkle doesn't lie? I'm baffled, because he clearly does lie.
Since Forkle lies, we cannot rule out Kenric as Sophie's father. In fact, even Sophie doesn't rule him out.
Book 8, Page 261 Then again, she supposed all of that could be a reason for Mr. Forkle to lie to her about Kenric. Maybe she shouldn't rule him out as her biological father after all...
Mr. Forkle says that Sophie's parents don't know each other, so Sophie's parents cannot be Kenric and Oralie.
See above. If Forkle lies, then this doesn't hold any weight. I have already mentioned in past posts (see here and here) that Forkle uses tricky language when he tells Sophie that her parents had no connection.
Forkle has confirmed he (Forkle) isn't Sophie's father, so this also rules out his identities including Kenric.
But Forkle is a pair of twins. Both twins were still alive when one Forkle tells Sophie that he isn't her father. That statement does not rule out his twin brother.
Shannon has repeatedly told fans that Kenric isn't coming back.
No. She hasn't. I have found exactly one interview where she addresses the situation (see post). This is an exact transcription:
Not really the plan just because if they were still alive, they would basically be the worst person ever for letting everybody mourn for them. Because it's a world where death is very, very rare and very devastating so it's... Usually if I've said that someone we like dies, they're probably dead.
That's pretty vague. She appears to be saying that he won't return, but she is not stating it for sure. "Usually... they're probably dead." That's a bit indefinite. It's indefinite enough that fans shouldn't be shutting down posts about Kenric being alive.
The Wanderling trees for Kenric and the deceased Forkle don't look alike.
I recall that the ruckleberries are wearing off as Forkle dies.
Book 5, Page 659 It was hard to see past the blood, but his body seemed to be in a strange in-between state. Like the ruckleberries were wearing off, but hadn't completely.
We know from the Book 4 Forkle identity reveal that Forkle always turns into Leto when the ruckleberries wear off. For that reason, the natural assumption is that Leto is Forkle's true identity.
Book 6, Page 213 The seed had no real color—just a faint milky tone—and was shaped like dried-out, already-been-chewed gum. But coiled carefully across it was a strand of thick black hair..."
Perhaps the disguise caused the Wanderling for Forkle to be different from that of Kenric.
This is Kenric's tree:
Book 3, Page 340 The sniffles turned to quiet sobs as a tiny sapling sprang from the earth and sprouted vivid red leaves.
This is Forkle's tree:
Book 6, Page 213 The trunk was narrow, but the bark was thicker than other trees, and coarser too, with a swirled pattern of brown and gold and red and black and even a few threads of green. The leaves were equally varied—some wide and flat, some thin and curled, some shiny, and others covered in a cottony fuzz. Berries sprouted among them, the exact blue as Mr. Forkle's eyes... The rest was such a hodgepodge of colors and textures, it almost felt like the Wanderling was trying to reflect all of Mr. Forkle's identities at once."
This is ambiguous, enough that we can't be certain how different the two trees are. I thought that the different colors were the leaves, and that would make the trees completely different. Instead, sneaky Shannon is describing the specific colors of the bark of Forkle's tree. She then switches to the texture and shape of the leaves of Forkle's tree.
But then the final part says that the "rest was such a hodgepodge of colors and textures..." The rest of what? The leaves? Probably, but she doesn't say. We don't know for sure what the leaf color is on Forkle's tree. It sounds like the leaves are all different colors, but if they are, we don't know which colors or whether one color might be more dominant.
Kenric can't be Sophie's father because Kenric is dead. Forkle would know that he could reveal Kenric's identity since Kenric couldn't be punished.
Let's say that Forkle reveals that Kenric is Sophie's father. The Council would be shocked and would start wondering about it. They'd realize that Kenric was a Telepath, and they'd probably think about how Forkle is a Telepath. Hmm... They might also start thinking about Oralie and her blonde hair.
Also, Oralie would connect all the dots. She'd know that she was Sophie's mother, and then she'd know that Kenric is Sophie's father. Oralie would likely figure out who Forkle is. I believe that Kenric faked his death at least partly to protect Oralie. He can't reveal who Sophie's father is.
Even when fans allow that Forkle could be lying and are receptive to the clues, they refuse to believe that Kenric could be Forkle and/or Sophie's father due to having misgivings with the idea.
It's icky that Kenric could have had a child with Oralie without her knowledge.
We know very little about Kenric and Oralie and the full dynamics of their relationship. Once all is revealed, I am confident that Oralie will understand why certain decisions were made. However, I bet she'll yell at him first, and he will have to do some quick explaining and a good bit of groveling. Shannon had better write that scene for us. I need it.
Book 8.5, Page 528 "But Kenric would never do anything malicious—especially to me. He and I..."
Oralie is an Empath, and I trust that she understood Kenric and that she will understand his actions. Shannon's story is leading towards Kenric being Sophie's father. I also trust in Shannon that she will do it right.
It's too weird for Kenric to be a pair of twins both in love with Oralie.
I've been thinking about this since yesterday. Oralie said something about having trouble remembering what happened when Kenric was with her one time in her sitting room and that someone else was with him. She didn't know who. She thought that Kenric's smile was off.
I think one twin (if Kenric is Forkle) liked Oralie and the other not so much. That's why Kenric's smile was off. It was the other Kenric.
The question is... which twin is still alive? The one who liked Oralie or the one who didn't?
For quite awhile, I've believed that the surviving twin is Sophie's father. This is simply because I believe that Shannon is planning to wrap up the story with Sophie's biological father still alive.
I've gone back and forth on whether both twins loved Oralie. For a long time, I thought that the surviving twin was the only one who loved her and that his DNA was used for that reason. I still think that the surviving twin's DNA was used but for a different reason. I'll get to that later.
I have read the Forkle twin reveal scene from Book 6 many times. While I contend that Forkle lies to Sophie when she asks about her father's identity, I believe Forkle tells the complete truth in the twin reveal scene. That scene is key to understanding the twins and how they lived. It explains everything.
I believe both twins loved Oralie. It wasn't creepy or unnatural. It was pure and real, and it was true love. At the same time, it was devastatingly sad for them.
Book 6, Page 176 "There was never any division between us. I was him and he was me. We only ever had one life, that we shared equally."
Book 6, Page 176 "In a way it was always me. We shared every thought. Every feeling. Every memory. Nothing was ever separate—except for our bodies."
Book 6, Page 177 "Anything we ever said or did came from both of us, even though only one of us was present in that moment."
Book 6, Page 177 "We always considered each other before we made decisions—and we updated each other on everything. Before we manifested as Telepaths, we made it a habit of staying up late, rehashing every detail of our days. And once we could connect our minds, we started swapping memories fully—holding nothing back. So, when you were with him, it was no different than if you were with me."
Book 6, Page 177 "Because it was either share a life, or face the scorn of identical twins. And back when we were born, our world was even more restrictive than what you see now. We never would've been allowed to attend Foxfire, or been invited to join the nobility—"
Book 6, Page 179 "He gave us one name. One inception date. One registered strand of DNA. And from that moment on, we were raised to see ourselves as two halves of a single whole."
Book 6, Page 182 "And then, of course, there's simply the challenge of being me. My brother was my balance—and I was his. I'm not sure how I'll get anything done without having him question everything I'm thinking. It feels like I've been left with a hollow body and only half a brain, and…"
Book 6, Page 183 "What am I supposed to call you?" she asked. "The same things you always have, Miss Foster. I'm still him. I always have been. And I will be, until it's my turn to draw my last breath, should that day happen."
Book 6, Page 184 "We wanted to commemorate our shared life the same way we lived it—together, and just outside the bounds of our world."
The twins regarded themselves collectively as one person. They shared every single thought and feeling. It would have been impossible for one twin to love Oralie and the other not to love her. Since the twins shared every thought and feeling, they would have both felt the same feelings. There's no way one twin could have avoided experiencing the other's love for Oralie.
This feels right.
Think of how horribly difficult it would be to fall in love with someone, knowing that it could never be. Even if both Kenric and Oralie were to resign as Councillors, they could never be together.
Book 3, Page 133 [Leto] "I don't have a wife." His voice had turned thick, his face twisted with emotion—though Sophie doubted even an Empath could translate it. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It's not… And I still… Not that it matters…" She wasn't sure if he was talking to her anymore. His gaze had turned distant, like he'd fallen deep into a memory... And when she glanced down a few floors later he was still standing there, staring into space, looking even more confused than she felt.
There was nothing creepy about both twins loving Oralie, since they lived as one person and since they never acted on their feelings. If their shared identity had acted on their feelings, then that would have been wrong.
This explains why Kenric voted against Oralie becoming a Councillor. He/they fell in love with her at first sight, and they didn't know what to do. They tried to keep her off the Council.
After that didn't work, they then took the approach of being hostile to her, like what we saw in the Forgotten Secret from Kenric's readying room. Honestly, that's one of my favorite scenes in the series. It crackles with electricity.
I think it also possible that in spite of their strong attraction to Oralie that the twins might have found her to be annoying at first, so the hostility might not have been completely faked.
I believe that the surviving twin will be revealed as Sophie's father.
Book 6, Page 178 "When I made my surprise appearance—two minutes and twelve seconds after my brother made his—my parents had to make a choice. And they chose this."
Book 6, Page 178 He lifted the swollen folds around his neck, revealing a registry pendant set onto a strained silver chain. "Technically, the feed this crystal generates isn't mine, and never has been. But it's the only life I've ever known."
My theory is that the second twin, the younger one, would have been used as the donor. Since the Lost Cities have a belief that twins are defective, then why not use the one that they might consider more defective as the donor? My thinking is that the younger twin would be considered the extra, and thus weaker. By doing this, the bias could be disproved by having a child who has strong abilities.
Kenric would never hurt Oralie by faking his death.
The last sticking point is that Kenric apparently faked his death. It's unthinkable that he would do that to Oralie. Astin says exactly that.
Book 4, Page 539 "No." He cut her off before she could fully form the question. "Kenric is gone." "So was Fintan!" "Yes. But do you think Kenric would let us mourn his loss?"
Book 4, Page 540 But Sir Astin was right. Kenric would never let Oralie suffer. Just watching her thrash and flail and sob broke Sophie's heart.
Since a Forkle identity is telling Sophie this, we can't be sure. In fact, Astin is determined to shut down Sophie's line of thought. That tells me that he is protecting his secret.
But still, how could he do that to Oralie?
Book 3, Page 455 "I've done far worse," Mr. Forkle whispered. "The right road is rarely the easy road. And no war was ever fought without casualties."
The above quote is in response to Keefe asking Forkle if he could betray his own father. Forkle says that he's done worse, and he must be referring to Oralie.
Kenric had to hurt Oralie in order to protect her. Also, since the twins knew that they never could be with her, they might have done it to set her free.
I also want to mention something else. Some fans have complained that there aren't enough significant deaths in this series. They are annoyed about the Forkle death and twin twist, saying that Shannon came up with a twin to undo the death. No, not at all.
The Forkle death is the most significant death in the series, and it has far-reaching consequences. The death of one Forkle—that is, one Kenric—means that the remaining one could be with his love, Oralie, someday. This is huge.
The Forkle death was utterly devastating for the surviving Forkle. They shared their life as one. How awful for the surviving one to lose his other half! Forkle has said as much. There are plenty of instances of him having a catch in his voice when speaking of his twin. He's in deep grief.
Kenric is a complex and fascinating character, and this is why Kenric is interesting. Layered characters who behave ambiguously add a depth to the story. The Keeper of the Lost Cities series was in part modeled after Harry Potter. Kenric's counterpart in the Harry Potter series is Dumbledore. Dumbledore does plenty of things that are problematic and that could even be considered mean to Harry, like making him live with the Dursleys or not sharing information with him during the 5th book. Dumbledore has reasons for his actions, and he's not an evil character.
Kenric and Dumbledore are exactly alike. Each will do anything to further their cause.
Book 5, Page 36 [Leto] "Questionable actions can be forgiven when they're done with good intentions."
This is both Kenric and Dumbledore in a nutshell.
My next post will contain all of the evidence about Kenric.
All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:
Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Tracking Down Books Read When Young
When I was in elementary school, I read a set of children's biography books. I loved the books, and I have wondered for years what the books were. You know how it is when you can't remember something, and it keeps bothering you because you can't remember? That's what it is. I am not interested in collecting the books or in reading them again. I'd just like to know what they were.
Each book featured a historical figure. The books were dark blue with a drawing of the person featured in the center of the cover. I'm pretty sure that the books were picture books.
I searched online for children's biographies that are blue. This led me to the Childhood of Famous Americans series. The below image is from Amazon.
This blue book version of the Childhood of Famous Americans series is too new. The books I read were published at least 45 years ago based on when I would have been reading picture books.
The Childhood of Famous Americans series has been around for a long time. Here's a picture from eBay of an old set of blue books.
These aren't the books, either. The covers don't depict an image of the person featured in the story. I also distinctly remember that one book featured either Mozart or Beethoven, and neither composer was an American. These books aren't picture books, either.
I have done all sorts of searches for vintage children's biography books including the word "blue" and also using both "Beethoven" and "Mozart" in some searches.
The books couldn't have been the Landmark Books or the We Were There books because neither series are picture books.
I couldn't find anything that remotely looked like the books I read. I couldn't find any blue books that were what I recalled.
Huh.
It kept bothering me. Every so often, I'd try again with no luck.
Recently, I randomly thought of these books again and suddenly realized something. The books probably were rebound library editions, and that's why I couldn't find the dark blue picture books online. The books could have been any color before they were rebound.
I knew that I had seen vintage picture book biographies online that I had ignored because they looked nothing like the books I checked out. I searched again, and this time I didn't eliminate the ValueTales set of biographies from consideration. I looked at them carefully.
The ValueTales books don't look right at all, because I know that the books I read were dark blue with shiny covers. That's why I ignored them during all of my searches.
Despite the books looking completely wrong, I am now nearly certain that the books I read must have been rebound copies of the ValueTales book series. There's nothing else that the books could have possibly been.
Wikipedia page on the ValueTales set
Thriftbooks product page
This picture is from an eBay listing for a bunch of the books.
One of the books does feature Beethoven, so that tallies. The center of each cover does depict an image of the person featured, so that tallies as well. The books are the wrong color, but books can be rebound as library editions in any color of binding.
The age of the books tallies as well. The series was published beginning in 1977. I would have checked out the books from my elementary school library most likely during the span of years from 1978 to 1980. The Beethoven title was published in 1979.
The ValueTales books must be the books I read.
I have no interest in revisiting the books. I found an image of one page from the Christopher Columbus book online, and it doesn't appeal to me.
If I were to stumble upon a set of the books with the dark blue library binding, I wouldn't be able to resist, just because of nostalgia. Otherwise, they are of no interest.