Where’d the idea for “Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates” come from?

Well, the mental magic actually started way back when, but without a single hocus-pocus, scepter or flying carpet. No magical tools whatsoever, in fact, just imagination.

When was the “when”?

Oh, let’s take a peek in the rearview mirror: Hannah Schifrin was about two when I, Woody Weingarten, her grandpa, started improvising characters and stories instead of only simply reading kiddie books to her.

A couple of years later, after I’d invented a family of critters and an oral storyline that could easily be picked up whenever we went for a car ride, I started asking Hannah to name the recurring characters.

She did. Creatively. Amusingly.

Two years after that came a major crossroads on our literary journey. With my encouragement, Hannah began putting her own spin on my stories, superimposing imaginative subplots onto the already existing characters and their histories.

When she turned eight, I asked her if she’d like to collaborate with me and write an original children’s story from scratch — with a totally different cast. She grinned and instantly said yes.

I suggested we write about something we knew about, like being a grandfather and a granddaughter. She said that would be fun, but the old dude had to be a sorcerer and the granddaughter had to be a fairy. She also had to have a bff who also was a fairy.

I agreed, so we immediately took off for Fairyzona, a name she fabricated (along with Fairyville) that very day.

The rest was comparatively easy — and quick. We just let the characters take us where they wanted to go.

After we finished that first tale, I was ready to stick a “The End” label on it but Hannah said, “No, we’re not done. We need to do some more.”

So, we did.

Three chapters later — and enough time for Joe Marciniak to perfect his wonderful, playful, full-color illustrations — we had “Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates” ready for prime time. And, therefore, you.

Hannah had contributed a full 50 percent of the content; I, a longtime writing pro, had come up with the rest.

It’s now a four-part tale of a sorcerer who rescues his granddaughter and her friend when they mess up their spells. Often.

We love our book. We hope — and expect — you will, too.