Ask the Author: Russ Towne
Answered Questions (5)
Russ Towne
"Mysti Z's Magical Day" is a children's picture book. The initial idea came from an image in my mind of a unicorn with stripes. I added vignettes about what could happen to its stripes if it went to the beach and got a sunburn and then went swimming and its stripes washed off. Those ideas became "Misty Zebracorn." I felt I could do much better with that semi-story. I played with color-related ideas and enhanced the original story by adding scenes where a mysterious fog came and drained all color from the beach, and ultimately Mysti saves the day with the help of a rainbow. She is rewarded by the rainbow with beautiful colored stripes. With the story changes, I also used a different illustrator, Jack Wiens. I asked him to go wild and crazy with the stripes and he came back with a look so over the top that I loved it and new readers would too. I added a different book designer, my daughter-in-law Kristi Towne, and editor, Karen M. Smith. That wonderful team helped create much of the magic of "Mysti Z's Magical Day."
Russ Towne
The seeds of stories often come to me in dreams, or while I'm doing brainless activities. I've learned to stop what I'm doing and collect the seeds before they blow away forever.
Russ Towne
Listen to the whispers of your heart. Speak your truth. Observe yourself and the world. Write, write, and then write some more. Put it out there. Trust that every writer has a potential audience. Social media helps writers and their audience find each other. Don't compare yourself, your creations, or audience to anyone. Hire a good editor.
Russ Towne
I'm blessed with being able to learn much about myself as I create characters, settings, situations, dreams, fears, challenges, and settings, to be experienced by readers in their own unique ways around the world. Writing creates the opportunity for writers and readers to learn more about themselves and others, fostering greater understanding and closer connections.
Russ Towne
I'm working on a few projects:
"The Elm Street Ladies Club" is about a group of elderly ladies who are constantly getting into hilarious situations. It's currently a group of stories or vignettes. Some of them may evolve into one or more novels or novellas. I let my stories evolve into whatever they naturally become.
"Sunny Saves the Day" is a children's picture book that began as "The Grumpadinkles" and is evolving with a new illustrator.
"Mysti Z's Magical Day" is another children's picture book that has evolved. It was originally released as "Misty Zebrbracorn," a short book with some humorous vignettes that has become a complete story with all-newillustrations by Jack Wiens. I believe the new incarnation could easily become one of my most popular books.
A fantasy/sci-fi story with the working title "Ready" about a person who begins experiencing episodes where parts of what he sees begins to fade away as other scenes take their place, like puzzle pieces from a completed puzzle being gradually remed and replaced by pieces from n entirely different puzzle.
"The Elm Street Ladies Club" is about a group of elderly ladies who are constantly getting into hilarious situations. It's currently a group of stories or vignettes. Some of them may evolve into one or more novels or novellas. I let my stories evolve into whatever they naturally become.
"Sunny Saves the Day" is a children's picture book that began as "The Grumpadinkles" and is evolving with a new illustrator.
"Mysti Z's Magical Day" is another children's picture book that has evolved. It was originally released as "Misty Zebrbracorn," a short book with some humorous vignettes that has become a complete story with all-newillustrations by Jack Wiens. I believe the new incarnation could easily become one of my most popular books.
A fantasy/sci-fi story with the working title "Ready" about a person who begins experiencing episodes where parts of what he sees begins to fade away as other scenes take their place, like puzzle pieces from a completed puzzle being gradually remed and replaced by pieces from n entirely different puzzle.
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