Meet Kathyrn Silverio, Author of The Jessie Books
What inspired you to become a children's author?
Writing, in general, is something that came naturally to me from deep within at a very young age. I remember as if it were yesterday writing “December,” my first attempt at poetry, in between assignments as I was sitting in class in the first grade. The words just flowed out and I was bursting with energy to write them down in my notebook. After joining the Beginner Books Club and discovering Dr. Seuss, I fell in love with the juxtaposition of his wacky characters and plots with the profound messages expressed in his simple words. And the idea of writing for children became my ultimate dream
How did you come up with the idea for The Jessie Books?
The initial idea for The Jessie Books was the creation of my co-authors, Phylliss DelGreco and Jaclyn Roth (Jackie), who were longtime friends. Jackie and her partner Jami had just had their first child, Jessie. Jackie scoured bookstores, looking for stories that mirrored Jessie’s life, books her baby daughter would be able to grow into and relate to. There were some books out there, but the market was and still is quite thin. None of the available stories really resonated with Jackie: she found that most of the books about two moms or two dads focused on the parents, and she wanted the opposite of that. She wanted her daughter to be able to read books about the adventures of a child, like herself, who incidentally happened to have same-sex parents. When she lamented to Phylliss about this gaping hole in the market, a spark ignited and the idea to write stories about a little girl who just happened to have two moms was born. Phylliss, my sister, approached me to help out, and so we enthusiastically combined our creative forces to bring about The Jessie Books.
How many books are available in The Jessie Books series so far?
Right now, my co-authors and I have written seven books in The Jessie Books series. From the beginning, our plan was to write a seven-book series, each book being an adventure our heroine, Jessie, has on a particular day of the week. As we developed these books, we thought of many more stories we wanted to add to the series in the future. As far as how many books are available for sale right now, the answer is three: Monday with Maxim, The Amazing Maltese; Tuesday with Mommy… and Pterodactyls; and Wednesday, A Walk in the Park. Our fourth book, Thursday with Helenna and Alex, is very nearly completed and will be published in June. The remaining three books in the seven-book series should be completed in about a year.
What do you think readers will remember most about your books?
The Jessie Books are optimistic, inspirational stories that reflect a rich, diverse, and inclusive world. I would hope readers not only remember, but also feel, the zeal with which Jessie lives each day. With an open mind, curiosity about the world around her, kindness, and bouncing energy, Jessie’s days are fun-filled adventures that she eagerly invites the reader to share with her. Through her daily explorations, Jessie asks questions and accepts challenges that enable her to learn about the world around her and grow as an individual. By accompanying her through the events of the day, I believe readers will come away feeling uplifted and inspired by Jessie’s natural ability to connect to the world and to them.
What advice would you give to a new author trying to get their book published?
That is a tough question. The publishing industry has changed dramatically with the introduction of self-publishing. For a first-time author who does not have “celebrity status,” it is difficult to get the attention of a traditional book publisher until you have actually generated a good amount of sales. We have heard a rumor that 2,000 books sold seems to be an important hurdle. Based on information we learned from friends who had self-published, as well as our own independent research, we did not put a lot of time into going the traditional route. We also believed there was an immediate need for our books and we wanted them to be available as soon as possible. Self-publishing enabled us to readily realize our creative vision and storytelling. Plus, my formal background in book publishing enabled us to self-publish quite independently because it was not difficult for us to do all of the preparation work. As a result, our books were produced cost effectively and without a hitch. I would definitely encourage a new author to consider self-publishing. Even if he/she does not have book production experience, the self-publishing companies offer many options in terms of support, at varying price levels, of course.
Are you currently working on other books?
As I mentioned earlier, my co-authors and I have a whole bunch of exciting story ideas we plan to develop for The Jessie Books. For the foreseeable future, our priority is to complete the last few books in the seven-book series of Jessie’s daily adventures.
You can find out more about Kathryn Silverio and The Jessie Books by visiting www.thejessiebooks.com.
Writing, in general, is something that came naturally to me from deep within at a very young age. I remember as if it were yesterday writing “December,” my first attempt at poetry, in between assignments as I was sitting in class in the first grade. The words just flowed out and I was bursting with energy to write them down in my notebook. After joining the Beginner Books Club and discovering Dr. Seuss, I fell in love with the juxtaposition of his wacky characters and plots with the profound messages expressed in his simple words. And the idea of writing for children became my ultimate dream
How did you come up with the idea for The Jessie Books?
The initial idea for The Jessie Books was the creation of my co-authors, Phylliss DelGreco and Jaclyn Roth (Jackie), who were longtime friends. Jackie and her partner Jami had just had their first child, Jessie. Jackie scoured bookstores, looking for stories that mirrored Jessie’s life, books her baby daughter would be able to grow into and relate to. There were some books out there, but the market was and still is quite thin. None of the available stories really resonated with Jackie: she found that most of the books about two moms or two dads focused on the parents, and she wanted the opposite of that. She wanted her daughter to be able to read books about the adventures of a child, like herself, who incidentally happened to have same-sex parents. When she lamented to Phylliss about this gaping hole in the market, a spark ignited and the idea to write stories about a little girl who just happened to have two moms was born. Phylliss, my sister, approached me to help out, and so we enthusiastically combined our creative forces to bring about The Jessie Books.
How many books are available in The Jessie Books series so far?
Right now, my co-authors and I have written seven books in The Jessie Books series. From the beginning, our plan was to write a seven-book series, each book being an adventure our heroine, Jessie, has on a particular day of the week. As we developed these books, we thought of many more stories we wanted to add to the series in the future. As far as how many books are available for sale right now, the answer is three: Monday with Maxim, The Amazing Maltese; Tuesday with Mommy… and Pterodactyls; and Wednesday, A Walk in the Park. Our fourth book, Thursday with Helenna and Alex, is very nearly completed and will be published in June. The remaining three books in the seven-book series should be completed in about a year.
What do you think readers will remember most about your books?
The Jessie Books are optimistic, inspirational stories that reflect a rich, diverse, and inclusive world. I would hope readers not only remember, but also feel, the zeal with which Jessie lives each day. With an open mind, curiosity about the world around her, kindness, and bouncing energy, Jessie’s days are fun-filled adventures that she eagerly invites the reader to share with her. Through her daily explorations, Jessie asks questions and accepts challenges that enable her to learn about the world around her and grow as an individual. By accompanying her through the events of the day, I believe readers will come away feeling uplifted and inspired by Jessie’s natural ability to connect to the world and to them.
What advice would you give to a new author trying to get their book published?
That is a tough question. The publishing industry has changed dramatically with the introduction of self-publishing. For a first-time author who does not have “celebrity status,” it is difficult to get the attention of a traditional book publisher until you have actually generated a good amount of sales. We have heard a rumor that 2,000 books sold seems to be an important hurdle. Based on information we learned from friends who had self-published, as well as our own independent research, we did not put a lot of time into going the traditional route. We also believed there was an immediate need for our books and we wanted them to be available as soon as possible. Self-publishing enabled us to readily realize our creative vision and storytelling. Plus, my formal background in book publishing enabled us to self-publish quite independently because it was not difficult for us to do all of the preparation work. As a result, our books were produced cost effectively and without a hitch. I would definitely encourage a new author to consider self-publishing. Even if he/she does not have book production experience, the self-publishing companies offer many options in terms of support, at varying price levels, of course.
Are you currently working on other books?
As I mentioned earlier, my co-authors and I have a whole bunch of exciting story ideas we plan to develop for The Jessie Books. For the foreseeable future, our priority is to complete the last few books in the seven-book series of Jessie’s daily adventures.
You can find out more about Kathryn Silverio and The Jessie Books by visiting www.thejessiebooks.com.
Stacie Theis / beachboundbooks@yahoo.com / copyright 2012
