Author to host signing at Bookshop Benicia

What if the mythical creatures that people have been reading about for ages are secretly living among us? That is a question posed by author Todd Calgi Gallicano in his children’s book series on the adventures of Sam London. Gallicano will be at Bookshop Benicia for an Author Event this Friday to sign copies of the series’ first installment “Guardians of the Gryphon’s Claw.”

Gallicano said he became a writer because he had what he called an “overactive imagination” and wanted a medium to release his ideas.

“As a writer, you get an idea in your head and it just will stay there and grow exponentially, and you have to get it out there to clear the space,” he said. “For me, I had a lot of ideas and stories that I wanted to tell.”

In middle and high school, Gallicano became interested in film and television and even did the scripts for a TV show he did in high school.

“I got used to writing,” he said. “That was kind of that guide.”

Gallicano graduated from New York University’s School of Film and Television and began working in the film industry. Now living in North Carolina, Gallicano now spends his time writing stories.

One night, Gallicano had a dream about a visit to Redwood National Park where he said there were creatures he could not see.

“I woke up and thought, That’s pretty interesting, and I wrote it down,” he said. “It grew from there, this idea that there were these creatures that we were sort of blind to them.”

“Guardians of the Gryphon’s Claw,” released in August, sets the stage for the first installment of the Sam London series. The story centers around the titular character, an average middle schooler who lives with his mother in the town of— wait for it— Benicia, Calif. Much like the author, Sam’s journey is sparked by a dream of a mythical gryphon in Redwood National Park. Sam meets a zoologist and park ranger sent by the U.S. government who informs him that mythical creatures are real and living in national parks. In fact, a special office within the Department of the Interior— called the U.S. Department of Mythical Wildlife– operates to keep the existence of such creatures a secret. However, the confidentiality of the beasts is now in jeopardy, and Sam has to save them.

Gallicano was inspired to set the series in Benicia because he needed a place close to Redwood National Park, one of the areas Sam visits. The author has a cousin who lives in Benicia and has visited often, so he figured it would be the perfect location for the protagonist.

“I wanted that small town kind of feel,” Gallicano said.

To promote the book, Gallicano has made visits to Benicia Middle School— which Sam attends in the book— and the local elementary schools.

“The school visits are great,” he said. “I get to meet the students, and the kids there are Sam London’s age.”

Gallicano depicted Sam as an average kid because he had a similar feeling about himself in his youth.

“When I was 12, I didn’t know what my special thing was,” he said. “Some kids were good at sports, others were good at math or science. I didn’t know what my one thing was. Sam is that kind of kid: searching for his one special thing and where he belongs. That was something I experienced as a middle schooler, and it’s sort of a universal feeling for that age group.”

Gallicano said Sam’s journey is a way for the character to figure out his place in the world, and he hopes kids with similar views about themselves will feel inspired. He also wants young readers to learn more about mythological creatures and folklore from different cultures, and visit national parks.

“We have these incredible national treasures all over the country that are these great places to explore and check out,” he said. “I hope that’s something that comes out of it as well.”

The next entry, “Selkie of San Francisco,” will be released in June.

The Author Event at Bookshop Benicia will take place from 1:45 to 3 p.m. Friday, April 27. The bookstore is located at 636 First St. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the store at 747-5155. For more information on the Sam London series— including case files, a creature index and the Secret Ranger program— visit the Department of Mythical Wildlife’s website at mythicalwildlife.com.