The Fearsome Beastie by Giles Paley-Phillips

It's always exciting to receive a new picture book to review and "The Fearsome Beastie" was quite a treat. It cast me back to childhood when we were threatened with the bogeyman if we didn't behave.

The Fearsome Beastie is quite a threat as he eats children (there's seven live next door to me that he's quite welcome to!) The story is told in simple rhyme that is fun to read out loud and easy for children to memorise, and the dark humour appeals to adults too.

The children try to hide from the Fearsome Beastie but he is sly and cunning at hunting them down. By pretending to be lonely and just wanting to play, he gets a meal - an important lesson in not talking to strangers.

In the end, in a scene that is reminiscent of Red Riding Hood, Granny saves the day by chopping the Beastie in two so that the children can escape.

The story is superbly illustrated by Gabriel Antonini, in a style that reminded me of another famous beastie, 'the Gruffalo'. The beastie is scary, but not so scary that children would be too frightened to look at the book. The expressions of fear on the children's faces is well-captured and Granny is a great character with her big bloomers.

All in all, an entertaining, well-written and beautifully illustrated book that deserves to be a bed-time favourite.

The Cloud Seekers by Robert L Calixto

Review

As a child, I frequently saw pictures and faces in the fire, cracks in the ceiling, and the garish 1960's patterned wallpaper or curtains. So, it is easy for me to identify with the Cloud Seekers.

The book encourages children to look beyond the obvious and to use their imagination. The story is simply written and easy to read for beginners.

Illustrator, Russel Wayne, has done a great job at depicting the six culturally diverse friends and there is likely to be a character that each child will identify with - whether they are an animal lover or a lover of biscuits! The images in the clouds are recognisable whilst still remaining 'cloud-like.'

The book opens up possiblities of discussing types of clouds (I was always fascinated with the different names and trying to identify the different kinds) and how clouds are formed so could be used as part of such a lesson.

Available from Halo Publishing

Interview with Robert L. Calixto - Author and Dreamer

Robert L Calixto's first book, "The Cloud Seekers: A Pirate Ship in the Clouds" will be published by Halo Publishing during the first week of March.

What type of reading inspires you to write and what kind of books did you enjoy most as a child?

To find inspiration to write, I try to read anything and everything I can get my hands on, includingonline sites like Wikipedia and various blogs. Lately, I've been reading a lot of biographies of great-minded people, especially writers like E.B. White, Roald Dahl and Oscar Wilde. As a relatively new writer, I find E.B. White's life story a great beacon for aspiring writers. I also have a collection of inspirational self-help books that I have collected over the years. I spent my childhood in Manila,Philippines until I was eleven years old. My parents seldom read children's books to me, so I had to catch up in my early teens in America. I still enjoy reading some of the great children's classics like 'Charlotte's Web', 'Alice in Wonderland' and every by Dr. Seuss to my children. These books always seem to loosen my imagination. I have to also mention that in my early teens, I used to enjoy reading my Mom's Reader's Digest subscription. I was addicted. I couldn't wait for those little things to come in the mail and read them from front to back. There were a lot of inspiring stories in those mags!

What is the inspiration behind the Cloud Seekers?

The Cloud Seekers is quite special. As a young child growing up in the tropical islands of the Philippines, during the rainy seasons I spent countless hours on the corrugated metal roof of my grandmother's bodega-style house, staring at the clouds. There was a particular day when it all got started. Just before I turned six, as one of my earliest memories, I remember my entire family plus several cousins spending an entire afternoon looking at the clouds; seeing faces, animals, cars, hearts, and a really huge barge, amongst other things. In the first book of the Cloud Seekers series, I turned the barge into a pirate ship. I still remember going up to the roof by myself, constantly trying to find "things" in the clouds. When my family migrated to America, the clouds just weren't quite the same. To this day, I still have a habit of looking up at the clouds. As a son of immigrant parents, I equate the experience of cloud seeking as a metaphor for finding a better life. I shared this childhood experience in the back of "A Pirate Ship in the Clouds", called "A Cloud Seeker's Story". A friend read the story and she convinced me to include it in the book. I'm very glad that I did.

What do you think is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours?

To create a character, you have to start with a theme for your story. That's a major part of the foundation of your story. The characters suport that theme in their actions and words. And of course, your characters have to be believable. To be believable, a character has to be someone that anyone and everyone can identify with. In my book, all of the characters are children between the ages of five and nine. They all have very distinct personalities and even dress the parts, so they are much easier to identify with. There's a cowboy, a princess, an athlete, an artist, a sweetheart, and a well-rounded boy (yes, he's well-rounded in every sense of the word!) Purposely, I set a goal early on so that each character would be easily identifiable to any child reading the book. Diversity and acceptance was the theme. I'm quite sure I covered all bases. To create believable charactes, you really have to be very consistent, in the way they talk, the way they move, and even down to 'how the girl with a sweetheart personality holds her teddy bear'.

What is your creative process? How do you set about writing and illustrating a book?

First of all, I can't draw even if my life depended on it, so I had to find the right illustrator to bring my vision to life. With the Cloud Seekers, I described as much detail on each page as I possibly could. I think that is you're going to collaborate with an illustrator, it's so much better to over-describe than to under-describe. It will make life so much easier for your illustrator. Also, I think it's very important to know what you want before you start. Then give the illustrator as much freedom to express his originality and genius on the page without losing your original idea.

From the very beginning, I told Russel Wayne, illustrator for the Cloud Seekers that I absolutely loved his style. The only criteria I asked for in return was that he needed to love my story as much as I loved his drawings. If he only 'liked' it, then we couldn't go on. I wanted us to be equally passionate about the project and I think that shows in the book. It would be ideal if that happens in every one of my children's books. I can only hope.

As for my creative writing process, I use the three classic components to ocmplete my story; the theme, the characters, and of course the story. Most new writers think that the story is the most important thing. Without an engaging theme and memorable characters, you won't have much of a story. These foundations are crucial to any story. It's what people hold onto, forever. In writing a story, for me there simply aren't any rules. Sometimes a great story comes to mind and I build my characers around that, and sometimes vice-versa. It really doesn't matter what comes first. You just have to knwo how or what to wrap around an idea. You can come up with a great title, and if you wrap that title with great characters and a great story, then you're on to something. I don't set rules for myself. I just let my imagination run free and hopefully I can express it as best I possibly can. You have to have a lot of faith in your abilities if you want to become a great writer. Like E.B. White says, "Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar."

Describe your work area.

I have a small office in my house, about 7 feet by 8 feet, with a window overlooking the backyard and a fairly big desk that takes up half of the room. It's my own little writing space.

Does reader feedback help you?

Yes it does. I'm at a point in my life where my ego doesn't rule me. I can take any feedback or criticism, asl ong as there is reasoning behind it. I like listening to other people's opinions becasue most people's intentions are usually positive and helpful.

What has been your experience with publishers?

I've only really dealt with my current publisher so far, since this is my first formally published book. At this point, I'm very happy with Halo Publishing International. They are a small sized self-publishing company and there's always someone there to communicate with. Their art department is truly phenomenal, I might add. I'm really happy with the way the book has turned out.

Is there a web address where we can see some of your work?

The Cloud Seekers is at http://thecloudseekers.com/ and my other writings are at http://robertlcalixto.weebly.com/

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on the drafts of another children's book called "The Earth is a Taco." I'm also finalizing the draft of the Cloud Seekers' second book of the series, called "Meet the Cloud Seekers." When I worte The Cloud Seekers, I wrote eight stories. My original goal was to publish them all at the same time, as a series. But with time and financial restraints, it'll have to be one at a time. I can't wait for all of them to see the light of day.

What advice do you have for someone who likes to write and would like to make a living from it?

First learn as much as you can about writing and the publishing industry. Knowing which direction to take helps you focus on your destination. And that destination is your finished manuscript. Once you're finished, the second challenge is to get it published. Then onto the next project. Remember that from one project to the next you'll grow, you'll evolve, you'll improve. Most people never get the first book done because they think everything has to be perfect. "Life is an inevitable process of growth and transformation," I once read. There's a lot to be said for having a 'body of work'. I mean, I love writing children's books. I'd say it's my favourite genre, but I also have many other book projects in the works which are not only for children. I can't wait to get those done too.

How do you set about publicising and selling your work?

The way I see it, marketing is the second half of any of my book projects. Afte ryou've come up with your finished product, whether it's self or traditionally published, you still have to promote it. I love the challenges of marketing your own art. I think it is a lot of fun. I plan to do book signings, radio or tv interviews, cable advertising, school presentations and readings, and lots and lots of internet marketing. sharing your art is like sharing your light with the world!

Interview with Shelina Ishani, creator of the Jazzy series

What kind of books from your childhood inspired you to write?

There are many books from my childhood that have inspired me to write the Jazzy series. The most memorable one is the Twinkle short stories. This was a great series about a young girl, Twinkle, who with the help of her puppy, Lulu was involved in many adventures. I remember looking forward to reading the stories every week.

What was the inspiration behind the Jazzy series of books?

The inspiration behind the Jazzy series is my three year old daughter, Jenna. Jenna is an animal lover just like Jazzy. All the pets in the Jazzy series are out own pets, thanks to Jenna. Puppy is our 16 year old cat. Snowball is our 8 month old dog. Furry and Precious are our budgies and Shue was our goldfish who recently passed away. So, yep, our house is full of pets. I love animals and so do my kids. I feel that kids learn unconditional love and kindness when growing up with pets.

What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours?

I feel that for a characer to be believable, the read should be able to relate to it. I created Jazzy because I felt that there is a lack of books depicting the power of animals in a child's life. Research has indicated that children who grow up with animals learn to be kind and gentle adults. This is exactly what I am trying to achieve with the Jazzy series.

Are you equally good at telling stories orally?

Well, I hope so. I know my kids enjoy me reading stories to them. So far, I have read the Jazzy books to my son's preschool class, a mixed group of kids and my older son's third grade class. All of them really enjoyed the stories. Next month, I'm booked to read in two elementary schools in Edina, MN. So...I really hope that I am a good story teller.

Does reader feedback help you? How do you obtain this?

I really appreciate reader feedback because after all, it is the readers that I am trying to relate to with the Jazzy series. I rely on the reader's feedback on the type of story, the illustrations, the media tha tI use to illustrate with and the font that I use. If my readers enjoy the books that I have created, then I feel that I have achieved success. So, I strongly feel that reader feedback is critical in this field. I obtina reader feedback firstly from the most critical group ... my family. My husband and three kids show me no mercy when they read one of my books for the first time. I then pass it on to extended family, friends and neighbours. Once those suggestions have been incorporated, I get the first proof of the book which I pass on to reviewers, librarians and teachers. Then the final copy is done, I ask fellow authors to post review of the books on Amazon.com and on my website. So, it is a long process but it is totally worth it.

You are one of a growing number of self-published children's writers/illustrators. Why did you decide to take this route? Is it difficult?

I did a lot of research prior to deciding to self-publish my book. The thing that attracted me to self-publishing is that you can have the freedom of when to make your work available to the market. For instance, I published Jazzy's Lovely Christmas just prior to Christmas. I also like that the books can be printed on demand, so inventory is not an issue. Finally, I also like that the author has more control over the entire publishing process.

Self-publishing is difficult. I am not very computer savvy. So, my husband had to teach me the programs for illustration and layout. Also, he was kind enough to help me design and set up the website.

How do you create your illustrations?

First, I sketch the illustrations on paper. I then scan them and perform touch ups in Adobe Illustrator. Finally, I add colour to the sketches using Adobe Photoshop.

What is the hardest thing for you to draw?

The hardest thing for me is people. But I think I am slowly getting better at it.

Do you ever work with other authors or do you prefer to only illustrate your own work?

As of yet, I have not worked with any other authors, but I am certainly open to the idea.

Describe your workspace and how you work.

My workspace is the kitchen table. I usually get all my work done once the kids go to bed.

Do you have a website where we cn see some of your work?

All my books are posted on my site both as slide shows and as PDF files. The site is http://www.jazzyseries.com

How do you set about promoting and selling your books?

I do a lot of networking online. Some of the sites that I have found useful are the children's writers' group on Yahoo and Jacketflap.

What are you working on now?

I am currently workingon three short stories (not Jazzy related) and the fourth book in the Jazzy series which will hopefully be ready in time for Father's Day.

An ideal series for beginner readers

The Jazzy Series by author/illustrator Shelina Ishani

The Jazzy series of stories is aimed at the under 5s who are just learning to read and are perfect beginners' books.

In the first story Jazzy and Puppy, we meet the young girl Jazzy and her imaginatively named cat 'Puppy'. Puppy follows Jazzy everywhere until one day when she suddenly goes missing. Jazzy finally tracks her down and finds a litter of kittens.

The second book, Jazzy Gets a Dog, introduces us to many more of Jazzy's pets. After pestering her parents, she finally gets to go and choose her dream puppy and has one more pet to love.

In Jazzy's Lovely Christmas, Jazzy wishes to buy a special Christmas present for each of her pets and is disappointed to find that everything costs far more than the money she has. Her mother explains that there is one gift she can give her pets that costs nothing at all - love. Jazzy comes to realise that love is the real meaning of Christmas and that there are some things that money can't buy.

All the stories are very simply written and easy for a young child to follow and understand. The repetition of names and words allows for learning to read. The illustrations are bright and appealing to children.

All the books are available from Amazon and signed copies can be ordered from the Jazzy website.

Interview with Lorna Foot, illustrator for 'Gone Indy'

Lorna Foot is the illustrator behind the 'Gone Indy' brand of children's books, written by Marc Archambault.

How did your working relationship with Marc Archambault first come about?

I met Marc at our Kung Fu school and every once in a while we would work together and talk. One day, he aske me to draw a mural for his youngest daughter's bedroom when he found out that I was an artist. It wasn't until recently that I found out he writes children's stories. He asked me if I wanted to illustrate them and I said sure.

What was the first book you ever illustrated? How did you go about it?

Our first book that I illustrated is called Hal the Unwashed Dragon. I chose to do this book first because my speciality is dragons and I figured it would be a good start. I drew the pictures onto paper. When I was satisfied, I would go over then with ink, scan them onto my computer and then colour them in Photoshop.

Is there a web address where we can view some of your work?

Sure, there are a few actually - http://cartoon-dragon.deviantart.com/gallery/ - this is my cartoon strip, and http://dragonartist101.deviantart.com - this is my miscellaneous works. I also have a new portfolio page at http://dragonartist.carbonmade.com

Have you completed formal art studies, or are you self-taught?

I'm practically self taught. I've been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil, but with some guidance from school I've been able to try new techniques that I would never have done by myself. So say 90% self-taught.

Which past or present day illustrators do you admire most?

Honestly, I don't have a particular illustrator that I admire. In fact, I admire all of them.

How similar are your current drawings to those you did as a child?

Not similar at all. I've kept all my old sketchbooks and my drawins have evolved so much. Since I draw dragons the most, I can draw wings better, scales, body structure etc. I'm more detailed, loose and sketchy now.

What is hardest to draw?

People, machinery, vehicles. People are hard just because I've never bothered to try drawing them, but now I'm working on it. And vehicles, houses and machinery, for some reason they just don't flow.

What part of your work do you do on paper and what part digitally?

I usually do the basic outline and minor detail on paper and then I would finish the detail, colouring and background digitally. But usually, it depends on what I'm doing. Sometimes it's 100% paper and vice versa.

What research do you do for your illustrations?

I find reference pictures on the internet or I will look into some how to draw books to pick up some techniques. I'm using books right now to help me draw people.

Do you have any specific goals as an illustrator?

I plan on sticking with Gone Indy, and when I start getting into the flow of things and getting much better, then I'll start looking for additional authors in need of an illustrator, but I will stick with Marc.

What are you working on now?

I'm already working on our next book. It is called "Mommy is too tired to play"

What advice do you have for someone who likes to draw and would like to make a living from it?

Be yourself, don't try to be the next Vincent Van Gogh. Your art is your own and is unique, be proud of it. Make sure you listen to constructive criticism and practice a lot.

"Teevert" by Marc Archambault, illustrated by Lorna Foot

Review

Teevert follows the life of one individual little leaf, from his first budding to his final fall to the ground. Throughout the book, Teevert and his family are full of enthusiasm for life and love of the changing seasons. However, when, one by one, Teevert's friends start to turn brown and fall from the tree, he is not so fond of winter and is frightened of taking that fall. Eventually, he is left alone and is forced to face his fears and take that final jump.

The story is told in a very simple and straight forward way and is perfect for youngsters who are beginning to read for themselves. Lorna Foot's illustrations are bold and capture the atmosphere of the changing seasons as well as Teevert's emotions.

The book gives parents and teachers a perfect starting point for discussion of a number of subjects: the seasons, growing up and the circle of life and death, all presented in a manner that is non-threatening and esay to understand. Recommended.

Buy 'Teevert' from Gone Indy's Lulu Book Store

Please return in a few days time for an interview with Lorna Foot, illustrator of 'Teevert'

Interview with Marc Archambault, children's author

Partnered by illustrator, Lorna Foot, Marc Archambault is the author of a number of children's picture books produced under the publishing name of 'Indy Books'. His most recently published book, "Teevert" will be reviewed in my next blog.

What kind of books did you like to read as a child? What type of reading inspires you to write?

Roald Dahl was my favourite author. I sought out anything and everything written by him, but that was when I was a bit older that when reading picture books. I honestly don't have much memory of the picture books from when I was very young. I mostly got exposed to them more recently when my wife and I would take our daughters to the library and return with - quite literally - a cartful of books too heavy to carry.

What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?

There's a spark. I try not to force my writing. I write when the inspiration hits and it usually just pours out all at once. Sometimes it will be a mater of mere hours between the spark and the finished story. Other times the spark may linger for months or years before it finally comes out int a story. Often the spark will come from my family. In the case of Teevert, it was a walk in Vancouver with the family one autumn and one of the kids said 'what if a leaf is afraid to fall?'

What do you think makes a good children's story?

It depends on the intent of the story. I've seen some very good ones that are quite serious. Mine, however, tend to all have a sense of playfulness. Like any story, there needs to be a beginning, middle and end. There needs to be a point or a punch-line. It needs to engage the reader. Personally, I also have a pet-peeve that I dislike stories that insult the intelligence of children by distorting reality - for example, putting together animals that are normally found on different continents, calling chimps 'monkeys' and other inaccurate things like that. Sure, the animals talk, but if you're representing African animals, do a bit of research first so that you're not sticking South American animals into the story.

How do you get reader feedback?

So far most of our sales have been direct at book signings, craft fairs, through people we know, etc. So often people will read the story there and tell us they love it. Or they will tell us later after they've read it to their children.
What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc?Regarding writing, none. I write when the inspiration hits me. The promoting of the book requires a lot more work in contacting people, setting up events, etc. I'm still new and learning so I'm mostly taking it as it comes.

What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help you concentrate?A mess! I write in the same office where I do my day job, and it's pretty messy - and we're still renovating. When I'm inspired I'm immersed and I don't need any help concentrating. I do always, always listen to music while I'm worknig at the computer though.

What has been your experience with publishers? Why did you decide to independently publish your stories?

I submitted a number of my stories to a handful of publishers. I got some positive feedback - handwritten notes from the editors rather than just form letters - but no bites. I found it to be a lot of work researching the publishers, writing cover letters, mailing then waiting weeks and weeks. It's such a matter of luck. You need to get the righ editor at the right time with the right story, and it has to fit their criteria re. number of words, etc. It's such a restrictive process and I didn't enjoy it at all. The impetus to self publish really came from realising that the tools were out there (Lulu.com) and meeting the right illustrator. I didn't really know what I was doing at first, but I learned quicly and so far I have enjoyed the process very much. There's freedom to it. There's reward in proportion to the amount of work you do to promote the book, rather than just sitting and hoping that it might get accepted by a publisher.

How did your partnership with Lorna first come about? How do you work together?

Lorna and I are Kung-fu brother and sister. We've been beating each other up for a couple of years now!

After I decided to try and find an illustrator, I initially asked another guy I knew from Kung-Fu who is a professional cartoonist. He was interested but turned out to be too busy. I kind of knew Lorna was an artist, so I asked her and she agreed enthusiastically. I sent her all the stories I had written to date - I think there were six - and she chose to start with Hal the Unwashed Dragon. She gave me some sketches and I chose which I liked best for the character. Then I gave her a story board of what should be on which page, and she drew it. There's a big of back and forth on some changes, but mostly she just rolls with it and works independently. The process was the same for Teevert, but a bit smoother. My wife also helps with the storyboarding and editing, etc.

How do you go about publicising your work and selling your books?

It became apparent quite quickly that getting people to order from Lulu would be difficult. So I invested some money and bought 125 copies of Hal - you get a good discount when you order 100 copies or more, plus there was also a good coupon at the time. We started with friends and family. Then we decided to focus on the one niche market that every author has: local. We sent a press release and got in the local paper (twice) and another regional paper is picking up the story aw well. We got ourselves into some local retailers and arranged for signing and reading events. We sold copies to libraries. And through it all, we've been actively promoting on Facebook and on our fan page. We've also just recorded the books on audio and Lorna has mixed them with music and a slideshow and put them up on our new YouTube channel.

Do you also have a day job or do you manage to make a living out of your writing?

This one made me laugh! We haven't even managed a profit yet let alone a living. So far, all the money we make we use to buy more books to sell (but then we only started this 3 months ago). I work full time and overtime as a life insurance underwriter from home. One day I'd love to be able to be just a writer instead of an underwriter, but that day is likely some way off.

Do you have a website we can visit?

Yes, several. Most of the information is on our Facebook fan page - slideshows, interviews, updates, newspaper articles, etc. www.artist.to/goneindybooks/

We've also got a YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/goneindy

and a temporary basic website http://www.goneindy-books.piczo.com/?cr=3

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into writing children's books?I'm not exactly a bestselling author yet, so any aspiring author can take this advice with a grain of salt.

Read lots and lots of kid's books. Read your stories to kids. Also, be sure you really are a writer. I've heard lots of people say they;ve written "a" kid's book. In my opinion, if all you have in you is one book, you're not a writer, just someone with one story. It may be good enough, but maybe not. You should be writing lots, have lots of ideas and experiment!

Please return in a few days time for a review of Marc's most recent book, "Teevert"