Ask the Author: Mrs. D.
Answered Questions (8)
Mrs. D.
Dear Jocelyne,
Thank you very much for purchasing my book Carlo the Mouse on Vacation.
Juli Hasegawa, who illustrated most of my books, really did a great job. Please visit my website www.mrsdbooks.net and click on YouTube icon or go to my blog http://mrsdbooks.blogspot.com/ and click on BookBuzzr icon and look inside each book. Her amazing illustrations are full of color and fun. In print, this book looks more attractive than I expected. Juli's talent is apparent in each stroke of her pen. Her characters and illustrations are vibrant and fun. Her work is soft and light, the soft touch of art mixed with Japanese and Western style. She is an extremely creative and devoted artist. She likes to create adorable, mischievous characters in light pastel colors. She is also excellent in a realistic style. Experienced with both dark and light colors, Juli continues to work on my series of books on the Mouse Carlo and a few other books. She is an extremely ambitious, creative, and talented young artist, and always impresses readers with her beautiful and unusual art. She is also known as Chanoa. For more information, please email Chanoa: monmumo@yahoo.co.jp
Once again, many thanks for your questions.
Thank you very much for purchasing my book Carlo the Mouse on Vacation.
Juli Hasegawa, who illustrated most of my books, really did a great job. Please visit my website www.mrsdbooks.net and click on YouTube icon or go to my blog http://mrsdbooks.blogspot.com/ and click on BookBuzzr icon and look inside each book. Her amazing illustrations are full of color and fun. In print, this book looks more attractive than I expected. Juli's talent is apparent in each stroke of her pen. Her characters and illustrations are vibrant and fun. Her work is soft and light, the soft touch of art mixed with Japanese and Western style. She is an extremely creative and devoted artist. She likes to create adorable, mischievous characters in light pastel colors. She is also excellent in a realistic style. Experienced with both dark and light colors, Juli continues to work on my series of books on the Mouse Carlo and a few other books. She is an extremely ambitious, creative, and talented young artist, and always impresses readers with her beautiful and unusual art. She is also known as Chanoa. For more information, please email Chanoa: monmumo@yahoo.co.jp
Once again, many thanks for your questions.
Mrs. D.
I like to write for both groups. It is much easier to write for adults than children. I rewrite my story until it makes perfect sense and carries a clear message to the young readers. Children are tricky readers. By nature, they are very impatient, so I must create a story that will keep a child’s attention from beginning to end. Then the mission is accomplished. Writing for children is not how many words your write daily; it is about the quality of words the author seeds in their minds. Children’s books can raise readers or leave them crippled for the rest of their life. I think my career is going in the right direction. Since I typed my first story with two fingers on my daughter’s old computer, I have come a long way. My books won many awards. People started noticing my books, written from the heart of a mother. They write me sweet emails, lovely messages, and great reviews. I am happy that some of my books have made a positive impact and difference in children’s lives. I am moving ahead and am ready to conquer the world! I pray to God and hope that the world is ready for me.
I like to write for both groups. It is much easier to write for adults than children. I rewrite my story until it makes perfect sense and carries a clear message to the young readers. Children are tricky readers. By nature, they are very impatient, so I must create a story that will keep a child’s attention from beginning to end. Then the mission is accomplished. Writing for children is not how many words your write daily; it is about the quality of words the author seeds in their minds. Children’s books can raise readers or leave them crippled for the rest of their life. I think my career is going in the right direction. Since I typed my first story with two fingers on my daughter’s old computer, I have come a long way. My books won many awards. People started noticing my books, written from the heart of a mother. They write me sweet emails, lovely messages, and great reviews. I am happy that some of my books have made a positive impact and difference in children’s lives. I am moving ahead and am ready to conquer the world! I pray to God and hope that the world is ready for me.
Mrs. D.
Self-publishing children’s books is very different from publishing novels or romances. It involves a lot of work with editors, illustrators, and publishers. It is a costly process and very time-consuming. I have already published eight books: Carlo the Mouse on Vacation, The Trees Have Hearts, The City Kittens and The Old House Cat, Good Morning, World!, Runaway Clothes, The Royal Palm, Carlo the Mouse, Book 1: Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse, and The Little Girl Praying on the Hill.
My new book A Taste of Bread is coming this fall. Three other new books—Carlo the Mouse, Book 2: Now We’re Talking!, That Is How Things Are, and The Mysterious Life Inside the Closet are coming in 2016-17.
I am planning to publish the full series of Carlo the Mouse, The Cat Who Wonders, by Itself, and three rhyming stories in Who Is Most Important in the Fridge? in the near future. I am presently working on my first novel, The Chinese Princess.
My new book A Taste of Bread is coming this fall. Three other new books—Carlo the Mouse, Book 2: Now We’re Talking!, That Is How Things Are, and The Mysterious Life Inside the Closet are coming in 2016-17.
I am planning to publish the full series of Carlo the Mouse, The Cat Who Wonders, by Itself, and three rhyming stories in Who Is Most Important in the Fridge? in the near future. I am presently working on my first novel, The Chinese Princess.
Mrs. D.
I do not have a particular plan or schedule. I write when I feel the story, when I can’t think of anything else—just the words transforming into sentences, filling my brain until I cannot sleep. That’s how I know I have something to share. I write because I love to get lost in the imaginary world full of beautiful characters, words, and phrases.
I write because I want the same experience for the reader. I never treat writing as a job. The story should come from the heart, from the soul, from emotions, and ripen over time. Before I put my story on paper, I must feel it in my whole being. Then I know I can bring it to the reader.
I don’t look for motivation, either. I am a child of the post-WWII generation. I grew up in the Soviet Union. Each day of my life was a story. Sometimes I feel I have already lived a hundred lives. My life is my story. I am not sure if I am lucky or cursed.
I write because I want the same experience for the reader. I never treat writing as a job. The story should come from the heart, from the soul, from emotions, and ripen over time. Before I put my story on paper, I must feel it in my whole being. Then I know I can bring it to the reader.
I don’t look for motivation, either. I am a child of the post-WWII generation. I grew up in the Soviet Union. Each day of my life was a story. Sometimes I feel I have already lived a hundred lives. My life is my story. I am not sure if I am lucky or cursed.
Mrs. D.
Thank you for your question, Jocelyne. Writing for children is like playing a game: you win or you lose. There is no middle ground. I must surround myself with their imagination. I must go to their level and see the story from their viewpoint. Children have a most unpredictable imagination and hunger for knowledge. If I do not get their attention from the first paragraph, then I have lost them. I must also see the story from the viewpoint of their parents. It is hard to be a grown-up and child at the same time, and that is why writing for children is not an easy task. What I like most about writing for children is reliving the special moments, when I feel as if I am a child again. When my story makes me laugh or cry, then I know I got it right. In my opinion, children’s books must teach both child and parent.
However, as much as I like creating stories, my best part is working with the illustrator and watching the characters come to life. It is a very intensive, but thrilling process. First, I write notes for the illustrator and describe each character and scene. Then, based on descriptions, the illustrator creates the characters. We go back and forth frequently with the first sketches until we get it right and we are both satisfied. After that, the illustrator is working on the sketches and I keep writing. It takes a long time before I see how the illustrations will appear in book form. Before the coloring stage, we correct every small detail. Each illustration must represent the story correctly. Usually I do not see the coloured illustrations until they are completed. Once they are coloured, I can finally see my words transformed into pictures. However, the work does not stop there. We still correct images, check faces for consistency, and other small elements that we may have overlooked during the sketching stage. Sometimes it takes time and sometimes it goes easy, but it is worth our sweat and efforts, because a child who spends time with a well-written and well-illustrated book will want to read it over and over, and eventually will grow into a lifelong reader. I am a self-published author.
However, as much as I like creating stories, my best part is working with the illustrator and watching the characters come to life. It is a very intensive, but thrilling process. First, I write notes for the illustrator and describe each character and scene. Then, based on descriptions, the illustrator creates the characters. We go back and forth frequently with the first sketches until we get it right and we are both satisfied. After that, the illustrator is working on the sketches and I keep writing. It takes a long time before I see how the illustrations will appear in book form. Before the coloring stage, we correct every small detail. Each illustration must represent the story correctly. Usually I do not see the coloured illustrations until they are completed. Once they are coloured, I can finally see my words transformed into pictures. However, the work does not stop there. We still correct images, check faces for consistency, and other small elements that we may have overlooked during the sketching stage. Sometimes it takes time and sometimes it goes easy, but it is worth our sweat and efforts, because a child who spends time with a well-written and well-illustrated book will want to read it over and over, and eventually will grow into a lifelong reader. I am a self-published author.
Mrs. D.
Everything in life can be chronicled. You just have to have the guts to do it. A writer’s worst enemy is self-doubt. I strongly believe that the best stories live inside each of us. Look around and write! Let your imagination see the world! Make your story uniquely yours. Write what you know, write what you feel, write what you love, write because you want to.
When you are ready to publish your book, do your homework and make sure your book is professionally edited. Create a professional-looking book, one which will not get lost among the millions of poorly published books. Make your book one that you would want to buy for yourself or for your child. If you are a children’s writer, forget your age and envision your book as children would. Get involved in each illustration. Nobody knows and feels your book better than you do.
Writing is the easy task; publishing and marketing is a business. These days, an author must also be a smart businessperson. To be a self-publishing author, you will have to learn every aspect of publishing. Lastly, when you publish your book, you will wish that a day had 48 hours, because there will be no time left for writing. Writers today must be very business-oriented and be devoted to social media to promote their books. So do not quit your day job yet. Wait until you become famous. Don’t give up! If you really believe you have something to say to the world, SAY IT!
When you are ready to publish your book, do your homework and make sure your book is professionally edited. Create a professional-looking book, one which will not get lost among the millions of poorly published books. Make your book one that you would want to buy for yourself or for your child. If you are a children’s writer, forget your age and envision your book as children would. Get involved in each illustration. Nobody knows and feels your book better than you do.
Writing is the easy task; publishing and marketing is a business. These days, an author must also be a smart businessperson. To be a self-publishing author, you will have to learn every aspect of publishing. Lastly, when you publish your book, you will wish that a day had 48 hours, because there will be no time left for writing. Writers today must be very business-oriented and be devoted to social media to promote their books. So do not quit your day job yet. Wait until you become famous. Don’t give up! If you really believe you have something to say to the world, SAY IT!
Mrs. D.
Inspiration lives everywhere: in everyday life, nature, people, animals, books, art, and the past. I am older now, and I have a storehouse of memories. Sometimes it is hard to go back in time and recall everything, but once I’ve pushed my “refresh button,” there is no way out. My inspiration tortures me until I convert my memories into a story.
Mrs. D.
Countless little things can inspire a writer to write a great story. Inspiration is a fantastic feeling, and a good writer knows how to bring it to readers. I think life experiences provide the most interesting inspirations. The older I get, the more things inspire me. I was always a nature worshiper. I absolutely adore the beauty and power of the natural world. I love to observe it in action: wild, unleashed, destroying or healing, soothing or comforting. Nature is an amazing muse for any writer!
I also look around me. I watch people, recall events, dig into my past, reread books, think of interesting facts, and the most significant events I have lived through. I try to find inspiration in answers which did not make sense when I was younger, or attempt to discover it in things which are foreign to me. I strive to imagine how these elements will fit my story, how they will connect to the reader, how they will mix with the modern world, and how they will interact with my memories, which are still inspiring me to this very day. My memories feed my imagination the most.
I also look around me. I watch people, recall events, dig into my past, reread books, think of interesting facts, and the most significant events I have lived through. I try to find inspiration in answers which did not make sense when I was younger, or attempt to discover it in things which are foreign to me. I strive to imagine how these elements will fit my story, how they will connect to the reader, how they will mix with the modern world, and how they will interact with my memories, which are still inspiring me to this very day. My memories feed my imagination the most.
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