How Mouse Gate Works

 

Become One of Our Authors
Mouse Gate welcomes first time Authors. Mouse Gate recognize it is difficult to get published but we are here to help. We guarantee we will evaluate your book and publish your title at no cost to you IF your work is acceptable to us. Because we do not charge you upfront for your submission we also will not pay you upfront for your work. However, we do pay high royalties for product sold.

Mouse Gate plans to publish hundreds of books for the series and utilize hundreds of talented new and existing authors–who could contribute one or more book on this project.

ButtonHow to Become One of Our Authors
If you would like to write for us, please click the book and complete our on-line application form to start the process of getting a contract.

Book Concepts
Mouse Gate, the ongoing trio of action/adventure series, written for Preschoolers, Kids, Pre-teens Teens, Christian youth and Adults of All Ages. These books, much like Pirates of the Caribbean or Pirates The Midnight Passage, are written in a style and with content to appeal to readers of all ages.

magicalheroesBasic Format
The average title length will range from 100 to 120 pages. However, some books in the young adult series may range from 250 to 350 pages.

Mouse Gate plans to publish the series immediately in paperback and digital books (eBook) formats with Audio books soon to follow.

As the series develops, MouseGate also plans to publish condensed versions (about 30 pages) for young children with full-color graphics, as well as selected titles for conversion to full-color print and online comic books.

Mouse Gate Series Storyline Concept
Your Character (s) obtains a Magic Key. (Ex: a Disney Pin).

Your protagonist(s) is unaware of its powers. But, while at a Disney location, when the hero(s) bring the Magic Key within ~10’ of the Mouse Gate, the Magic Key activates the Mouse Gate and propels the hero(s) on to their adventure.

Your Hero(s) is transported through the Mouse Gate to some destination (completely open to your, the author, imagination) where the main character(s) finds themselves in the middle of an adventure.

Upon reaching the ‘other side’ the hero(s) finds that they have a new body which is appropriate to their new surroundings and that they can communicate as if they were from there all along. So if our hero from New York City suddenly finds that they are in China, they can read and speak Chinese (it is translated automatically in their head).

Once the adventure or task is completed, the protagonist(s) is transported instantly back to their original Disney location, with only the blink-of-an-eye of time passing and no one around them (who didn’t travel with them) knowing they had even gone. If more than one hero was involved, they all remember the adventure, but again no one else knows what occurred.

Mouse Gate adventures Concepts, Ideas, and Suggestions for the series:

  1. Hero Series–targeted to all readers. Books in this series should average between 100 to 120 pages (and not to exceed 130 pages) and involve only the hero (s), a Magic Key and the Mouse Gate. (Ages 7 and up)
  2. Hero, Sentential or Guardians Series–targeted to the Pre-teens, Teens, Christian youth, and Adults of All Ages. These books should run about 100 to 130 pages (and not to exceed 150 pages) (Ages 12 and up)
  3. WALTER Council Series–targeted to Pre-teens, Teens, Christian youth and Adults of All Ages. Books in this series run from 120 to 350 pages. (Ages 12 and up)

Stories in all three series must be fast paced, loaded with action, intrigue, suspense, mystery, adventure, romance, twists and turns or any combination.

As the publisher of these books, Mouse Gate encourages our authors to be as creative as they want, but we will provide these guidelines in the interest of establishing consistency and coherence throughout all the series in the MouseGate stories.

Core Story Concept Details:

  • Magical Key: These keys when in close proximity to its corresponding Mouse Gate, causes it to activate, propelling our Hero(s) on their adventure. Authors should set their Magic Key in a form that is an iconic Disney item such as:
  1. Disney card key,
  2. Disney watch,
  3. Disney cap,
  4. Disney pin.
  5. If the author wishes to create a different Magic Key, they will require the approval of MouseGate.
  • Mouse Gates: These are travel portals that launch the hero(s) into their adventure The hero (s) must possess the Magic Key when they come in contact with the Mouse Gate. There are the four standard types of Mouse Gates:
  1. Hidden Mickey (A “Hidden Mickey” is an image of Mickey Mouse concealed in the design of a Disney Theme park attraction or resort). The most common image is the head and ears silhouette of Mickey),
  2. An archway or door way into any attraction,
  3. Turnstile or fast pass location,
  4. Picture on the wall at a Disney location.

If the author wishes to create a different type of Mouse Gate, they should go for it..

When the hero(s) travel through the Gate, they experience a visual and audible sensation similar to going down a drain, but, like Dorothy in the Twister, they see and hear their Disney surrounding whizzing by, then that changes into stuff from where they are ‘landing’. The return trip is the same only reversed.

  • The Guardians: These supporting characters work for the Council and can change shape at will, become invisible and/or immaterial. The rarely make themselves know directly to the hero(s) but are there to monitor, guide (their whispers are ‘heard’ though the hero’s intuition can heed or ignore); protect and educate. They can be used to help the hero(s) learn a vital clue or an important lesson; they can also make great plot devises for near misses, harrowing escapes as well as a way to add humor to a situation. Three examples of the type of character from movies that would be a Guardian are: Genie from Aladdin; Mr. Jordan (esp. Claude Rains) from the ‘Heaven Can Wait movies; Obi Wan Kenobi for Star Wars IV: A New Hope (esp. after his battle with Darth Vader).At this juncture, there are no ‘named’ recurring Guardians, but TRP may create a Guardian hierarchy in the future.
  • WALTER Council: The council consists of five beings (visualize a panel of Supreme Court justices) that identifies the hero’s task and assigns an overlord to supervise the adventure. These beings monitor all of Space, Time and Alternate Realities looking for anomalies that a hero would need to be sent in to fix. All Five of the council members have one of five hyper-senses (sight, smell, sound, hearing or touch) or (Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Wood).

WALTER Council Series Guidelines
W.A.L.T.E.R stands for: Worthy Adventurer Location Team and Emergency Response. It is a council of beings (visualize a panel of Supreme Court justices — 3 male and 2 female) that identifies the adventure, locates a suitable hero and arranges for the hero`s acquisition of the Magic Key. They also monitor the hero(s) and prime the Mouse Gate.

The council members are:

  1. Patrick Casey Finnegan: An Irish accented ‘man’ who is the wise leader of the council. He is quick to smile, always greets with a typical Irish greetings (like’ “Top o’the mornin’ to ya”) and usually wears green. Others sometime informally call him Mick. Do not forget that as an Irishman he tells it like it is, has a quick temper and a faster forgiving nature.
  2. Madison Summerbell: Maddie is the free spirit on the council. She is small (like a Fairy) and is always good natured. She always looks for the ‘silver-lining’ in every situation.
  3. Gordon Andreas: Gordon is the brainy, but timid one on the council and is always seen wearing lab-coats. He only answers to the name Gordon and dislikes it when people shorten it (like calling him Gord or Gordie). When he talks, he always uses big words (like saying communicate instead of saying talk).
  4. Yasmeen Paula Quackenbush: YPQ as many call her (or Poppy to her very good friends) is curious and can be impulsive. While she loves all flowers, especially Poppies, she always wears them in either her hair, the pattern on her dresses or as a piece of jewelry.
  5. Bruce Roberts: Bruce is a backwoods folksy type. He always wears a ball cap, tends to wear denim and plaid shirts, is often seen chewing on a toothpick (– he says that his toothpick gives his mouth “somethin’ ta do, so it don’t go blabbin’ all the time”). He is fond of teasing Gordon’s use of ‘$20.00 words’ and often translate Gordon’s meaning to those listening — a good way to help build the readers vocabulary.

Content each author must address
Authors must follow these general content guidelines:

  • A scene with the Council setting up the need for the adventure. Perhaps introduce a Guardian? Let the reader know the end goal?
  • Introduce a hero(s) and develop the hero character(s). This hero will be yours and no one else can use what you created. You may only kill characters you create.
  • Explain how the hero(s) obtain the Magic Key
  • Identify the Mouse Gate location and describe the hero(s) transport into the adventure, perhaps introduce a Guardian, or have the guardian be known to the hero(s). Like hero(s), the Guardians you introduce are yours, though other their name will be collected and stored in a central database so other authors can use them in passing (like Hitchcock walking through a scene in one of his movies). Again, only you may kill characters you create.
  • Keep the story line positive in the Disney Hero fashion.
  • Writers should submit a chapter in which they develop the hero(s) character and a proposal for their story. Mouse Gate wants to setup the production schedule for the manuscript and to start on developing the cover. The Metadata files are developed at this time, Press Releases are created and MouseGate begins advertising the book
  • Contact us if you have any questions or need more details.

ButtonIf you would like to write with us, please click here and fill-out our on-line application form to start the process of obtaining an Authors contract.

Beginning Adventure Location
Question: Once I have identified the MouseGate Hero and the Magical Item where do I start my adventure? Below are some ideas and locations to start from.
Answer: Visit your favorite Disney web site and select an attraction (Example Locations:
Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Discovery land, Critter Country, New Orleans Square, etc) that will.