Pennell Bradley

Seaway News
27 November 2011

17 year old Bradley Pennell, is on the cusp L of realizing his dream. He completed his first of a series of five novels - the urban fantasy series, Demongelic. Brad has combined his love of illustration with his imaginative writing skills and has brought to life the heroes and villains of Demongelic. It is surprising that someone so young has successfully completed this venture; now tack on the fact that he has also illustrated all the characters in the book including the cover.

He has successfully weaved the story of young Christopher Skye, a 16 year old that, after discovering he is half-angel, quickly learns that his paranoid feelings about being followed and watched are actually true. Beings thought to be myths are real and have evolved and adapted into our society. They can be anyone or anything and are blending in our world giving a whole new meaning to the saying Urban Legends.

Along the way he meets other Halflings that help in his quest to discover his origins and help keep him safe from the barrage of attacks at the hands of the Unlucky who is also a half-angel, Damon the jokester Leprechaun, Holly the loveable mysterious stalker and Darren a half-demon who defies his evil heritage; take a protective approach towards Chris.

So what drove Brad to take on such a major endeavour and where did the inspiration come from? Brad always had a vivid imagination, but after a dream where he saw these characters interacting, he started to write down his ideas. Chapters were written and the characters were fleshed out, both on page and in sketch format. He developed a following at St. Joseph Catholic Secondary School, where he is now a grade 12 student.

He attended Artpreneur and further honed his talents and increased his self-confidence. He was featured on TV Cogeco's ArtCurrent last November, and was on the cover of The Local Seeker as an up and coming cartoonist/ illustrator in April 2011. This gave him the extra boost to pursue the dream.

Demongelic contains 26 chapters and a sneak peak of book 2's first chapter, where three very popular new characters are introduced. Since the drawings were so instrumental to his creation, Brad has included an illustration at the beginning of each chapter, so you get a good idea of who are key to that chapter, and what they look like in Brad's imagination. He has developed rich descriptions and special abilities for each unique character he's created.
The story combines action, intrigue, mystery and camaraderie amongst the characters. There are humorous moments, touching scenes and well described action sequences. The villains are entertaining, sarcastic & vile. Some are extracted from real urban legends with a Brad twist, while others are purely the imagination of a young man who has always had an interest in fantasy, folklore, and the basic good vs. evil quandary.

The main antagonist is Bloody Mary. Brad was terrified when he heard about this urban legend in elementary school and so, in a bid to accept that fear, he developed Mary in a unique way. She travels through mirrors and when she attacks and is retaliated against; her skin made of glass fractures, but can regenerate when she returns to her mirror world. She is just one of the many villains you meet in Demongelic.

The book is geared for ages 13 and up. A good rule of thumb is if someone is familiar with or read series such as Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, it is in that kind of fantasy category.

Brad spent his summer at the downtown Cornwall Farmers' Market & Waterfest/ Artfest where he sold handmade bookmarks, key chains, t-shirts with Demongelic characters and a zodiac line he created.

His entrepreneurial spirit was further developed when he was one of the successful Summer Company Business participants, which gives students an opportunity to create their own business.

Summer Company is a program through the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation Ontario and the local program provider is the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. Brad has already seen the support of our wonderful community and firmly believes in supporting local businesses as well. He has printed his book locally through Angel Printing.

His first book signing is on Saturday November 19 from l0 am -5 pm Brad will be onsite to sell the first printing of his book and will sign copies. Fantasy Realm will also carry Demongelic at the store. The book is available for $15.

The Grind will host a book signing for Demongelic on Saturday December 3rd from 10 am - 4 pm. Brad believes in his hometown, and recently joined Team Cornwall to demonstrate his support of his hometown and act as a young ambassador. He encourages his friends and classmates to pursue their dreams too. He always likes to meet other young artists that share that passion for creativity.

One thing for sure about this young man is, that if he makes it big someday, he'll never forget where he started and who supported him. As he so proudly told everyone at FanExpo, "I'm from Cornwall, Ontario."