Blog Archives

Author Interview: Kate Frost

6/28/2013

Meet Kate Frost, Author of The Butterfly Storm

Kate Frost has wanted to be an author ever since she wrote her first novel during the long months she spent off school following open heart surgery when she was seven. The novel was called London's Burning and was a time travel story set during the Great Fire of London. Over the years Kate has worked in a cinema, a bookshop, a factory and for the National Health Service. She's also worked as ground staff at Edgebaston Tennis Tournament, as a Virgin Vie consultant and as a Supporting Artist in the films Vanity Fair, King Arthur and The Duchess. (Amazon.com)

BBB: What inspired you to become an author?

KF: My love of stories and writing. As a kid I adored reading with novels such as C. S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach and Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons on my bookshelf. I started writing when I was seven and wrote my first novel when I was eight, a time-travel story called London's Burning set during the Great Fire of London. Ever since then it's been my dream to be a published author

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book, The Butterfly Storm?

KF: It all started with the setting of Greece, a country I had fallen in love with the very first time I went there with my Greek husband to visit his family back in 2000. From that point on I knew I wanted to set a novel there and that sparked the idea of Sophie leaving behind her life and everything she knows in England for a new and exciting life in Greece with her boyfriend, Alekos.

BBB: Tell us about your one of your main characters?

KF: Rather than tell you about the novel's narrator, Sophie, I'll tell you about her mum, Leila. I like her a lot. She's very different from me: feisty, confident and strong-willed. She's quite a character and at the start of The Butterfly Storm her and Sophie have a big falling out, one that’s been building up for years. Leila had Sophie when she was just 19 years-old and raised her as a single mum. When Sophie was growing up it was very much Leila who behaved like a teenager, bringing a trail of boyfriends home, encouraging her underage daughter to drink... she really wasn't a very responsible parent and acted more like an older sister. As well as being an integral part of the story Leila was also incredibly fun to write, particularly her dialogue, which is at times quite ballsy and direct.

BBB: What do you think readers will remember most about The Butterfly Storm?

KF: With the story following Sophie on a physical and emotional journey between Greece and north Norfolk on the east coast of England I think it will be the sense of place that the novel, I hope, evokes. Without giving too much away, place plays an important role in The Butterfly Storm and it becomes a major factor for Sophie. My intention was to bring the places featured in the book to life through sight, sound and smell, whether that’s a windswept beach in Norfolk or the hectic heart of Thessaloniki in Greece.

BBB: Are you currently working on another book?

KF: Well, I'm working on the final edit of a children's novel called Time Shifters, a time-travel adventure for 8-12 year-olds. I'm also in the planning stages of a new contemporary women's novel, a follow-up to The Butterfly Storm, although they're in no way related. It's got the working title of The House of Stone and is going to be set in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

You can kind out more about Kate Frost and her book by visiting
thebutterflystorm.kate-frost.co.uk/

5 Comments

Author Interview: Lee Haydn Straight

6/24/2013

1 Comment

Meet Lee Haydn Straight, Author of The Little Pink Balloon and Bob Bear's Beards

BBB: What inspired you to become a children's author?

LHS: A deep love of children and a book called 'The Read Aloud Handbook' by Jim Trelease. When I learned how important children's books are, I just had to be part of it. I have always loved to draw but didn't realize I was any good at making up stories until bedtimes with my first daughter, Mya, when they would just come into my head. I thought it was magic, and still do.

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book, The Little Pink Balloon?

LHS: It came to me as a way to relate to children's feelings of fear and loneliness when they are separated from their family in any number of situations. And, I had always wondered what happens to a balloon when we lose one and it floats away. I thought kids(and adults) would appreciate a happy alternative to what we all think happens.

BBB: What do you think children will enjoy most about The Little Pink Balloon?

LHS: They will ALL understand how Little Pink feels, I'm sure, but I think they will enjoy her rescue the most. They will all be rooting for her, and find themselves riding a mini roller coaster of emotion as her story unfolds.

BBB: Tell us about your book, Bob Bear's Beards.

LHS: Well, if you have ever seen a child eat you will understand why I wrote it. Most of what they eat ends up all over their face! Bob Bear is no exception! Everyday, brings a new dish, alot of mess, and a new colored beard. I wrote it to be easy for beginner readers to have a go at reading too!

BBB: What do you think children will like most about Bob Bear's Beards?

LHS: It's funny! I've read it to Japanese children and they laugh their heads off!
The other day while I was reading it to a group I didn't notice that at that time one of the little boys was eating something chocolatey and when we got to the end of the story I saw the little boy and he had a brown beard, just like Bob Bear! It was perfect!

BBB: Are you currently working on another book?

LHS: I have written many stories, which are waiting for illustrations, which people are welcome to read at my blog:

http://leehaydnstraight.blogspot.jp/?m=1

I am always open to working with artists who would like to illustrate my stories, because the stories keep coming and I can't illustrate them all by myself!
I would love my next book to be The Polar Bear because it is a rhyming story and I LOVED writing it. It has the possibility to be an incredibly beautiful book and I can't wait for you all to see it.

1 Comment

Author Interview: Kobsupang Robertson

6/18/2013

1 Comment

Meet Kobsupang Robertson, Author of Howard & Chloe Go to Bunnyland

Kobsupang Robertson is the author of Howard & Chloe Go to Bunnyland which was inspired by Howard the Ragamuffin cat and the city she loves and resides in. She created the story with the support of her husband, family, and friends.

Besides the story she created, she also illustrated the characters in this book with the help of Choi Wan Chung, a freelance illustrator who sketched black and white beautiful NYC landscape. (howardandchloe.com)

BBB: What inspired you to become an author?

KR: I have loved reading books since I was a little girl. I always asked my father if I could go with him to a book store. My father would buy me books and I would read them until I fell asleep with one of my books in my hand. I had never thought I could write a story, but I was encouraged by my mother and also, my husband who constantly told me I could do this. I came up with things I was passionate about which were cats and New York City. And most importantly, Howard the Ragamuffin cat that I have known for years. I knew that I had found my main character. Once I finished my first draft, I remember the face of people I showed my story to, they really enjoyed reading it!

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book, Howard and Chloe Go to Bunnyland?

KR: I was introduced to this Korean cartoon called " There She Is" and the main characters are the cat named Nabi and the bunny called Doki. I was obsessed with them because the idea was very bizarre to me, but in a good way. Besides I love cats and bunnies. I can see that children would easily fall in love with my characters.

I also used the locations that I'm most familiar with; New York City. New Yorkers can relate to it, and I feel children who are not from here would be curious and want to know more about it. The story takes place in NYC, starting from Park Slope, Brooklyn where I had lived in for 5 years. I loved brownstones and I just had to have it in my book. I'm just glad to use other beautiful places of the Big Apple in my book as well.

Once I had these ideas in mind, I did some research about the name for my book because I didn't want to use the name that someone else already used, and I was surprised that I had not seen anything about Bunnyland and the story about a cat and bunny together as the main characters.

I want my book to teach young children something. I want them to enjoy my book and have a smile in their faces while reading it, but also learn things once they put it down and so far, I think Howard and Chloe Go to Bunnyland have done a pretty good job.

BBB: Tell us about your main characters.

KR: The main characters are Howard the Ragdoll who lives with a young couple and their four-year-old daughter, Annie. Howard loves Annie and wants to be near her. Then one day the parents bring a cute rabbit home for Annie as her birthday present. That changes everything because the rabbit, Chloe, steals all the attention and Howard doesn't like that. So, he comes up with this plan to get rid of her and that how Bunnyland comes up.

Basically, the readers would see that Howard is this cat who is very smart, confident and brave, when Chloe is the opposite. She's cute yet shy, but once you keep reading, you will see how they both have changed through this adventure and obstacles.

BBB: What do you think children will enjoy most about Howard and Chloe Go to Bunnyland?

KR: I think children will enjoy the characters because I think they can relate to the story and with the nice landscape of New York City plus the characters' personalities that would keep the young reader engaged. For example, the scenes where Howard and Chloe see the Brooklyn bridge for the first time, The Plaza Hotel, when they are chased by a mean dog, or even have to take the subway for the first time. It's an adventure to young kids who have never experienced going away from home all by themselves.

BBB: Are you currently working on another book?

KR: I have just finished publishing the book, but while promoting our book on Kickstarter, I came across so many ideas of what would be my next move and I could see Howard & Chloe go to other places as well.

You can find out more about Kobsupang Robertson and her work by visiting howardandchloe.com and connecting with her on Twitter and Facebook.

1 Comment

Author Interview: Priya Desai

6/12/2013

6 Comments

Meet Priya Desai, Author of Jake Monkey-Tail, Benjamin Writer Messy and Other Stories

Priya Desai is a speech and language therapist who works in schools. Noticing that there were no fun storybooks available which spoke about 'specific school skills' such as, handwriting and spelling etc. she was inspired to start independently publishing motivational children's books.

Priya's books are written for children aged between 4-9 years of age. Through her stories, Priya provides all school children with fun, inspiring characters that they can naturally relate to! The stories instill confidence in children who find handwriting and spelling a little bit of a challenge! Children will read Priya's stories and feel reassured, and think, "I can do it!" (Amazon.com)

BBB: What inspired you to write Jake Monkey-Tail?

PD: Jake Monkey-Tail is my second book – I had no idea that I would even be writing a second book in fact, as I wrote my first book, Benjamin Writer-Messy because I wanted to try something new in life – I wanted to see if I could write a book and then go about producing it. Fortunately, everything fell into place quite easily.

It was as we were putting Benjamin Writer-Messy together that I realised I could do this; and also that there needed to be more of the type of book I was creating; that is, books that have inspirational figures for children at school, who are learning about what they are: handwriting, spelling, Maths etc.

The idea of Jake Monkey-Tail came to my one day while I was working with a child. He couldn’t sound out words correctly such as ‘cat’. Jake originally started off as a monkey who had special ears to hear sounds. But then I realised I needed to break spelling down, to help the story make more sense and go back to the first stages of learning to spell which is linking sounds to the correct letter shapes (seeing and hearing), as opposed to just targeting the hearing side of spelling. This first stage can be hard for children to start with - this is Jake’s difficulty and it impacts on his ability to spell words correctly.

BBB: What do you hope children will learn from Jake Monkey-Tail?

PD: I hope that all children learn that it is okay to find something hard and to always recognize what they are good at, as often we forget about our strengths when we are focusing on something we find challenging. I think children’s strengths and skills need to be supported so they can develop a sense of worth and inner confidence, which is why in the book we see Jake talking about what he is good at before he decides that he is going to find a way to improve his spelling.

I also hope that Jake will encourage children to ask for help; and to know there will always be a way to make something better.

BBB: Tell us about your book Benjamin Writer-Messy?

PD: Benjamin Writer-Messy is a story about a boy who has terrible handwriting. He lives in a place called Pencil Land, where everything just happens to look like a pencil! Ben has a handwriting competition at school; he knows he needs to find a way to improve his handwriting so he has a chance of doing well in the competition. He visits the Handwriting Queen, who gives him a golden pencil to use during the competition. Does he win? You will have to read the book to find out!

BBB: What do you think readers will like most about your character, Benjamin?

PD: So far children have loved Pencil Land and Benjamin’s pencil head the most.

Benjamin is a character that children can easily relate to, especially as he is going to school just like them; and of course having to write just like them.

All children at some point find handwriting difficult. For some children it’s the letter formation, for others handwriting is physically painful. Children have to write a lot at school – it’s exhausting for them to have to write continually. Hopefully Benjamin will give children the confidence to keep working on their handwriting at whatever level they are. He talks about believing in himself in the story, so I hope children will like seeing his confidence grow, and be inspired by this.

BBB: re you currently working on any books right now?

PD: Yes, I am. I can’t say too much about them at the moment but I can tell you they are different to my first two books in that they are not about characters based at school; and they are also much shorter! Three new e-books will be coming out in a few months time. Benjamin Writer-Messy and Jake Monkey-Tail will also be released as e-books soon, which I’m really excited about.

You can find out more about Priya Desai by visiting http://wordypriya.wordpress.com and http://www.priyadesai.co.uk.

Kid Lit Blog Hop #18

6 Comments

Author Interview: Ann Swann

6/5/2013

1 Comment

Meet Ann Swann, Author of All for Love

Ann Swann was born in the small West Texas town of Lamesa. She grew up much like Stevie-girl in The Phantom Pilot, though she never got up the nerve to enter the haunted house. Ann has done everything from answering 911 Emergency calls to teaching elementary school. She still lives in West Texas with her husband, Dude, two rescue dogs, and one rescue cat who rules the roost. The Phantom Pilot was her first published book (Cool Well Press).

BBB: What inspired you to become a writer?

AS: I just loved reading. Eventually, that made me want to write a book that I would like to read.

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for All for Love?

AS: I read an article about the shocking number of abortions performed in our state every year.

BBB: Tell us about your main character Liz?

AS: Liz is just an average girl who falls deeply in love with a boy in college. He falls for her, too, but then his past intervenes, or maybe I should say, life intervenes, and they have to go their separate ways. After that, the fairytale comes to an end and they have to make some really hard choices. I wanted to show that what happened to them happens to someone, somewhere, every day of the year.

BBB: What do you think readers will remember most about All for Love?

AS: I hope readers will be moved in some way. I think they will remember the joy and the sadness of this particular love story.

BBB: How many books have you written?

AS: I've written seven. I've had three published, with the fourth one, Stutter Creek, due to be released from 5 Prince Publishing, on June 1st. It is a romantic suspense story in which the main character, Beth, goes in search of an old flame and finds a serial killer instead. I'm also re-releasing my Phantom series for Middle Graders. The first two books, The Phantom Pilot and The Phantom Student, were previously published by Cool Well Press. They should be available again before too long, only the titles will change slightly to Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot, and Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student. I will also release the third one in the series, Stevie-girl and the Phantom of Crybaby Bridge.

BBB: Are you currently working on another book?

AS: Yes, I'm currently writing a horror novel. I've always wanted to try one since Poe was one of my first loves. Actually, I suppose you could say all of my books have an element of horror in them, although it is usually the realistic wish-we-could-sweep-this-under-the-rug type horror. Anyway, wish me luck. I think this is the hardest genre of all!

You can connect with Ann Swann by following the links below:
Amazon Author Page * Blog * Facebook Author Page * Facebook * Twitter

1 Comment