How lucky am I to be a part of a global tour that started in Australia?! Bringing awareness to authors and illustrators and their current work is what this tour is achieving and it's doing a great job. I was tagged by the incredibly creative Candace Camling. At the end of this post you will see a viking illustrator. Oh yes they do exist, in fact, he is The Next Big Thing!
Let's get to answering some questions.
What is the working title of your latest book?
Queen Quail is Quiet: and other ABC Tongue Twisters, published this month by Xist Publishing.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I wanted a big project so I could grow in my storytelling and in my ability to tie multiple illustrations together. I thought nothing is bigger than the alphabet so I decided to write an illustration for each letter of the alphabet using every sound of each letter. It was definitely challenging but I learned so much along the way. I pitched the idea to Calee, my publisher from Xist Publishing, and she agreed there was a place for my book with them. So thank you Calee!
What genre does your book fall under?
Kid Lit.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Hmm, good question. I would love for my characters to be animated and have unique and fun voices like the characters in Adventure Time.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Lots of letters, learning and love.
Who is publishing your book?
Xist Publishing.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
For the manuscript portion I would say a year and a half. Rough drafts galore but the illustrations and sentences are more refined and polished now. The complete book took a little over four years to complete.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I love Secret Agent Josephine's ABC Book, she was one of my inspirations to write my own.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired because I saw my fellow illustrator friends coming up with their own projects and I wanted to do the same. My daughter is going to be a year old this month and creating with her in mind is inspiring as well. It's a dream come true to have her flip through something I created.
What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
The tongue twisters are no joke! I told my friend the title and she had the hardest time saying it three times fast. Will be fun to giggle with little ones while they have this read to them or read the book themselves.
Next on the blog tour is the super talented artist:
Ingvard has done it again! His style is digital woodcut and it looks amazing. So much heart in his illustrations. Go check him out.