Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "illustrations"

As a reviewer for Bookpleasures.com, I often choose to read children's books as I have young nieces and love to pass the books to them when I'm done with reviewing. Recently, I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Abe's Lucky Day by Jill Warren. I was very impressed by the book. I just had to invite Jill to my blog so you could all meet her and find out more about her and her book.

As well as agreeing to answer my questions, Jill has very generously offered to give away one copy of the 'Abe's Lucky Day' to readers of my blog. If you'd like the chance to win a copy, just leave a comment below or 'like' this post. A winner will be chosen on the 16th August 2011.

Here's the interview:
What kind of books did you like to read as a child? Did you have any favourites?

I read quite a lot when I was a child. I read all of the The Black Stallion books, and every other horse-oriented story that I could find in the school and local libraries. I also liked books such as Sybil: The True and Extraordinary Story of a Woman Possessed By Sixteen Separate Personalities, Flowers for Algernon, and The Miracle Worker. I was very interested in psychology from a fairly young age. In addition, I really enjoyed books by Ray Bradbury such as The Illustrated Man and Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. I loved horror stories, too, such as Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum and The Tell-Tale Heart. Stephen King books are my one guilty pleasure!

Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into writing.

I have been writing in one way or another for a very long time. I started out in junior high writing poetry, which I did up through college, when I had a few pieces published in the college paper. In 8th grade English, we had a short story assignment, and I remember really enjoying it - I wrote quite a messy horror story! I also enjoyed a mini-course on classic literature, during which time I read Les Misérables. It was the best book I had ever read up until that point, and I remember wanting to be able to write like that. I tried to sit down and write at different times over the years, but just couldn't get anything going. Then about 3 years ago, the urge became stronger, and I started writing again. This time, the stories began to come easier, and I found that I had a style all my own that I truly liked. From then on, I have had periods where I feel like maybe I will never write another story, and then a thought comes into my head, and I have to write again. The drive is so strong that most of the time, I can't stop writing until the story is finished.

Is ‘Abe’s Lucky Day’ your first published book?





'Abe's Lucky Day' is my first published book, but I am currently working with my illustrator on the pictures for my next project. I have written between 20 and 30 children's stories, and would like to publish about half of them.


Your bio says that you work with children. Have you read ‘Abe’s Lucky Day’ to them? If so, what types of reactions have you been getting?

I do work with children, but I have not read the book to them yet. I work with preschool-age children with autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders, and they sometimes find it very difficult to sit in a group for a story unless it is one with an accompanying CD, especially if it is musical. They also don't respond well at times to a "new" story. They seem to prefer hearing stories that are familiar, with a new book slipped in once in a while!. I have been getting responses, though, from friends who have read 'Abe" to their children, and so far, the children have reacted positively.

How did you come up with the idea for the character ‘Abe’?

Abe's character was the product of a movie I was watching at the time called Unleashed. In the story, there is an unfortunate young character played by Jet Li, who is taken in by a very kind older man played by Morgan Freeman. Through the course of the story, the older man teaches the younger character how to do things like cooking and shopping for himself, but also teaches him about love, trust, and what it means to be part of a family. I was hit by a need out of nowhere to write "Abe's Lucky Day", which I did in one sitting.


How did you go about finding the illustrator?

Finding my illustrator was quite a project, and one of the reasons that it has taken me approximately 3 years to get 'Abe' published. I had the story, was very excited about it, and actually paid a self-publisher to publish it. Then I found out that I needed illustrations. The publisher referred me to a firm that they had sent many other authors to, and I was hooked up with a gentleman that I knew only as 'KJ'. I sent him a scene description, and he went to work on a sample. Well, when I received the sample scene, I went bananas! I knew then and there that I wanted this gentleman for my illustrations. I asked for a quote, and was completely devastated when I received it. There was no way I could pay that amount. I went everywhere I could think of to ask for loans. I looked into grants. I sold my personal belongings to raise money, but there was still no way. I sadly told KJ that I couldn't do it, and went about looking for someone else. The only problem was that no matter what samples I received, nothing held a candle to KJ's work. Then out of the blue a year later, I got an email from KJ saying that he could do my illustrations for less money, and that he would allow me to pay over time for the 28 illustrations that I needed. I was ecstatic! It was like a dream come true. KJ is now working on the illustrations for my next book, and they are awesome!


Did you know what you wanted Abe to look like, or did you leave that to your illustrator? How much input did you have into the illustrations?

I knew exactly what I wanted Abe to look like right away, along with all of the other characters, the colors I wanted used, and everything about the book. I had spent so much time with 'Abe' that it was all very clear to me what I wanted. I first sent all of my character descriptions to KJ, and then all of the scene descriptions. He would do a sketch of each one, send it to me, and I would give feedback. Each scene then would go back and forth like that until I liked the finished product. It was actually very scary to me because I had never published a book before, and here I was responsible for every aspect of it. All I could do was hope that I was making the right decisions!


When you wrote the story, did you intend it to be a picture book, or were you writing it as a children’s story and were the pictures added later?

I did intend for 'Abe' to be a picture book, so I had to do some research and educate myself on the industry standards, what number of words is considered appropriate for each type of book, how many pages, all of that stuff. I did make some adjustments to make 'Abe' fit the standards for a picture book because i tend to be wordy - always have been so I'm told!- and then the pictures came along much later.


Are you working on any more books featuring Abe?

I am not currently working on any other books featuring Abe. I tend to write on a need-to basis, when I have a thought that I just can't resist and I have to write that particular story. The last story I wrote came to me when I was visiting with my neighbors and I had to excuse myself and run next door to get the story written. I researched for a couple of hours and the story was done in two days total. I do have a character I used in 2 stories and she is a little girl named Grace. I really like her, and she may come back again.

What is the target age-group for the book?

The target age for 'Abe' is technically 5-8 or something like that, but I believe that our children today are much more sophisticated and savvy than children were when I was young. My son as a youngster was able to understand much more, and wanted much more, than books that were targeted for his age group. What I originally intended was that 'Abe's Lucky Day' would be technically written for children of a certain age group, but enjoyable by anyone who picked it up. When I was younger, I was really inspired by Shel Silverstein's The Missing Piece and The Giving Tree. On the outside, they look like they are written for children, but the stories themselves are actually ageless and timeless. That is what I was going for when I wrote this story.

‘Abe’s Lucky Day’ is also available on Kindle. What do you think of ebooks? Do you read them?

I do not currently read ebooks mainly because of the fact that financially, I can't afford to buy the necessary equipment. I am also torn because I can see both sides. Ebooks have their benefits, but I feel in my heart that reading an old-fashioned paper book has a charm that ebooks can't imitate. The feel of the cover, the texture of the paper, the smell of a real, live book...those things add to my enjoyment of reading.

Who are your favourite writers and what is it about their writing that you like?

My favorite writers are fairly diverse, but I have to say that Stephen King is my all-time favorite. I love the way he describes everything to the nth degree...I can see the whole thing like a movie in my head, and I love that! I also really love some authors that I mentioned earlier - Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury are exciting because they make me think about things that i had never imagined before. Shel Silverstein has a way of putting very profound thoughts into just a little bit of text that seems like it is so simple but it's really not.. I also have read quite a few James Patterson books, but then I love the classics, too...


Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?

I don't typically read a book more than once, and the list of the ones that I have re-read is fairly short: The Velveteen Rabbit and The Little Prince

What was the last book you read?

The last book I read was the first book in the Twilight saga. I felt left out at work not being able to talk about it with my friends.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

Right now I seem to be on a kick where I am reading more short stories than anything.

What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on getting the illustrations completed for a book called 'Bizzy Bee and the Flowers'. It is a story I wrote last year, but it is also the story that my son loved the most out of all the others I had written up to that point His reaction to the story was the reason it was chosen to be the next one for publishing . My son is a sophomore journalism major at Ithaca College, and quite a writer himself. He has been with me every step of the way through each and every story I have written, and I listen to his reactions and suggestions before I call a story 'finished'. I recently finished a story called 'Noah and the Sea'. My son says is the best so far, by far, and the reactions that I've gotten from people who have read it are very encouraging. I think that 'Noah' will probably be the third one to be published, but then that depends on what I write between now and then!

Where can people buy your book?

'Abe's Lucky Day' can be purchased through my publisher Outskirts Press, and Amazon.com

Do you have your own website or blog where people can read more about your work?

I currently do not have a a blog - I am just a little behind on the technology thing - I turned 50 last month and you know what they say about old dogs...my son had to help me get going with Facebook...what an ordeal! I wasn't even sure what a 'blog' was until just recently!

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Ha, ha!
Thank you, Jill, for being a fabulous guest!

Remember, if you'd like to enter to win a copy of 'Abe's Lucky Day', leave your comment below, or 'like' this post :)
Good luck!

Today, I'm pleased to introduce you to Jeanetta Brancaccio, an author who I met through Bookpleasures when I reviewed her book.

Jeanetta's book Ann's Amazing Adventure is a beautifully illustrated children's book, with a great story. She has very generously offered to give some copies away to lucky readers of my blog, so leave a comment below or 'like' the post, and you might win a copy! Winners will be picked on 30th June 2012.

Here's my interview with Jeanetta, where you can find out more about the book and the fascinating story behind it:

The story of Ann’s Amazing Adventure started in 1959 when you lost a doll that belonged to your daughter. When did the story first come to you?

It was over 20 years later!!!! My husband, Don, and I were attending an antique show and spotted the doll in one of the booths. I had a flashback and remembered that our daughter, Nancy, had lost one just like it while we were on a road trip when she was four. We purchased the doll and gave it to her. She, of course, did not remember losing her dolly. We presented her with the “lost doll”. She was older and had a daughter of her own but we enjoyed her reaction ……...all smiles.

When I first read the book, I was left thinking that it was a very imaginative tale, and have to admit that to me it seemed a bit far-fetched. When I read about how it was based on something that really happened, it made the book more special to me and reinforced the idea that fact is stranger than fiction. I like the idea that the book will allow children to believe that anything is impossible. I'm interested to know whether the doll you found in the antiques fair was the actual one that you lost, or just one that looked exactly like it.

That would be one chance in a million! It was a popular doll and thousands of them must have been manufactured. In my imagination it was the same doll. One day, an idea for a story came into my mind. Wouldn’t it be fun to write about the doll’s experience during those 20 plus years she went missing?……..what happened to her?.........where was she?..........was she safe?.......hurt?........happy?

I understand that your original story was read to school children in 1988 and they enjoyed it. Did you not think of publishing the book back then?

The story was written in the 80’s and was read to a 3rd grade class in 1988. I had no thought of publishing it. At that time, my life was full with career and family……..a busy household which included six children and running a health food store. It wasn’t until 2007 or so that our youngest daughter asked me about “a story I had written years ago”. That got things going. She read it to her children, did some editing and then things just went forward one step at a time.



The illustrator, Sara Petrous, did a fabulous job with the book. I love the illustrations. How did you find her? Did you have any input into the way the characters look?

Sara’s Story: An ad was placed on Craig’s List. A dozen artists answered the ad, submitted their portfolio’s and were interviewed. Sara was not one of them. Two weeks went by with no decision being made. There wasn’t ONE that was just right and I was about to settle for one artist, who ended up canceling her appointment because of a family problem. The very next day a letter came from Sara.
When I read her letter, I just knew she was the right person. For some reason Sara never saw the ad when it appeared on Craig’s List and when she did see it she thought she’d be too late to be considered. We met, looked over her portfolio and there was no doubt. She was the one! She asked me if I had a visual of what I wanted Ann, my main character, to look like. I said “no, because every time I think of her, I have the image of the famous doll in my mind, the one that was actually lost!” So Ann, from Ann’s Amazing Adventure, is Sara’s creation as are the Teddy Bear and Randy, the dog, and all of the illustrations in the book, without any input from me.

I like the idea of the 'goodies' included on your website where children can print off pictures of the doll from the story. How did you think that up?

The idea for the ‘goodies’ on the web site with coloring pages to download was Sara’s idea and creation. Also the merchandise connected to the book. She found the Zazzle web site for various products. It was “Ann’s Amazing Adventure’s” good fortune for Sara and I to find each other.

What do you hope children will learn from the book?

The most important sentence in the book is “Nothing happens to you it happens for you” and that is what I want children to learn.

What is the target age group for the book?

It was difficult to place it in a specific category because there are too many words & pages to be called a picture book and too many pictures to be called a chapter book. I’ve had positive comments from teenagers AND Grandparents! Most of us can relate to something lost when we were a child. There is a group, though, of children who are too old (age 8 or 9) for picture books, and yet Chapter books don’t hold their interest.

You have had very positive feedback from children about the story and some of those reviews are printed in the book. Do you have a favourite review by a child, or something they've said to you about the book that sticks in your mind?

Yes, the feedback has been very positive. My favorites are from a 90-year old who told me she was “enthralled” and a third grader who said the “story warmed my heart”.

I read in your bio that you collect Pinocchio memorabilia. When did you start your collection, and do you have a favourite item in the collection?



Awww, Pinocchio. The little jumping-jack puppet from Italy was given to me when I was about 12 and it was a favorite. The collection grew and grew over a period of 65 years! It was a story of unconditional love and hope. I think Ann & Pinocchio could be best friends.

I understand that you also write poetry. Do you have any plans to publish your poems? Are you working on any other books?

There are no plans to publish the poems I wrote as an 11 year old and, no, I am not working on another book. The passion I have now is writing family stories to pass on to the next generation which include our six children and 12 nieces/nephews. It’s so amazing that as I approach my eighth decade, I am remembering more and more of our family stories to write about.

Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their books that you like?

It’s impossible for me to choose a favorite author, but I always look forward to reading the next book in the “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series by Alexander McCall Smith. The stories are so positive and uplifting in their simplicity. I love Precious, the main character. Come to think of it, she AND Ann AND Pinocchio would get along just fine. (smiling).

Where's the best place for people to buy your book?

To purchase Ann’s Amazing Adventure, go to the website where it’s available through Pay Pal, check or Amazon.

Thank you, Jeanetta!

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Remember to 'like' this post or leave a comment for Jeanetta below, if you'd like to win a copy of her book! Good luck :)

My guest today, Cinta García de la Rosa, has written a wonderfully original children's book, The Funny Adventures of Little Nani, and just like all the classic and best children's books, this is a collection of stories that can be enjoyed by all ages. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories, and would recommend the book to everyone.

After reading the book, I was keen to invite Cinta here so that I could introduce her to all of you. She has generously agreed to give away a copy of her fabulous book (print or e-book -- winner's choice) to one lucky reader of my blog. To enter to win a copy, all you have to do is leave a comment below, or simply 'like' this blog post. A winner will be picked on the 16th December 2012.


Here's my interview with Cinta:

I absolutely fell in love with The Funny Adventures of Little Nani. What or who inspired the main character, Little Nani?

Little Nani is based on myself. I wrote the first Little Nani story as a challenge, to prove to myself that I could write something funny. I posted that story in my blog, people liked it, some of them asked me to continue the story, and I decided to write the book. One thing led to the other, really. But Little Nani is totally me.

Little Nani is a girl who tries to help people by casting spells but the spells often go wrong with unpredictable results. Although you have a lovely author photo where you are holding a wand, I am assuming that you yourself are not a witch LOL. If you were, and you knew that your spell wouldn't go wrong, what spell would you cast and why?

LOL no, unfortunately I’m not a witch. But if I were, I would certainly cast a spell to provide an endless supply of food and water for every children in the world. There are millions of children who die of starvation every day. I would like it that stopped happening.

That's a great answer, Cinta

What age group would you say Little Nani's adventures are most suitable for?

I think that Little Nani can be enjoyed by people of all ages. But if I have to restrict the age group, I think that it would be quite suitable for children from 3 to 12. However, I insist, people of all ages are enjoying Little Nani’s silly adventures.

I agree; I'm glad I read it!

I like the way you include paragraphs every now and then in the book asking the children who are reading the book to draw a picture of what they imagine certain characters in your book would look like, or what certain scenes would look like. Have you had any feedback from children about this, and have you seen any of the drawings they have done?

A lovely 3-years-old has lots of fun while drawing on my book, and I know because her mother told me. I haven’t seen any of her drawings yet, but I would love to. However, I have seen a drawing from another reader... although this reader is a boy and fully grown-up LOL But I am always happy when I know that children, and adults too, are having fun with my book.

One of the aims of your book seems to be to develop a child's imagination and creative skills with the little exercises asking them to draw pictures. Do you like drawing/painting?

I like drawing, but I am terrible at it. However, as a teacher I think that developing children’s imagination is essential. That’s why I thought it was a good idea to include that space for drawing with the small prompts.

The illustrations in your book are beautiful. How did you go about finding an artist to illustrate the book, and did you have any ideas as to what the characters should look like, or did you leave that up to the artist to decide?

I found my illustrator quite by chance. I posted on Twitter that I was looking for an illustrator for my children’s book and some people contacted me. I didn’t like their style. I am very picky and I had a very clear picture in my mind of what Little Nani had to look like. People think my author picture was taken after Little Nani’s picture was created. Quite the contrary thing. I sent my author picture to the artists telling them to create Little Nani just like me, but with the specific features I told them to add to the character. Then, one day, one of my followers told me that her sister was a very good illustrator. I saw her art and I liked it, then she drew a first draft of Little Nani and I exclaimed, “It is her!” It was amazing. Almudena, my illustrator, had created the very same image I had in my mind. So I gave her the job :D





Your bio says that you write every day, compulsively. Is that true? If so, how many words per day on average do you think you write?

Yes, it is true. I don’t know how many words per day because I write by hand. I only type my stories once they are finished. Writing is something that I need to do. I keep notebooks all over my house. Even if I just write a couple of paragraphs, I need to write every day. Sometimes I write a couple of sentences, and other times I write almost 10 pages. It depends on the inspiration I get at that time or if I don’t get too much distracted by real life. If, for any reason, I cannot manage to write one day, I go to bed feeling quite miserable.

LOL, oh dear! I can relate to the need to write, though

Are you working on any more Little Nani stories?

Yes, right now I am working on the second volume of Little Nani’s adventures. This book will be titled “Little Nani and her Friends”. At the same time, I am also working on a set of short stories featuring Little Nani and some other characters from the first book. These stories will be “choose-your-own-adventure” stories, since I think they will be fun for everybody to read. At least it is being funny to write.

In your book, you have a little girl who likes casting spells, a horse who likes to read, a caffeine-addicted zombie, and a whole host of other lovable and original characters. Are any of the characters based on real people, or are they totally made up?

Some characters are based on friends or situations I have lived. If we look around, we find lots of inspiration for writing in our daily lives. Most of my characters are made up, but a couple are based on real people, especially one of them LOL

What do you hope that children will learn from The Funny Little Adventures of Little Nani?

Well, basically, most of the stories talk about being kind and keeping positive. I hope children can learn that you need to be kind in order to make people be kind to you. Also, I want them to learn that, no matter of how hard we try, sometimes people don’t have the expected result, but we mustn’t feel bad for that. We must stay positive, seeing the bright side of life, and thinking that next time we can do better.

In your bio, it states that you first started out as a writer by writing in Spanish. Did you publish any books in Spanish, and if not, do you intend to do that in the future?

I have never published anything in Spanish except for a couple of articles for a didactic magazine for teachers. And mainly what I wrote in Spanish were journals. I feel much more comfortable writing in English, and I don’t have any intention of publishing books in Spanish in a future. Maybe the translated version of Little Nani, but I don’t think I can write a whole book in Spanish.

I understand that you are currently working on a novelette based on the British Regency period. Can you tell us a bit more about that and when it is likely to be published?

This is a project that has no date of publication yet, since I am focusing more on Little Nani right now. As a result, my novelette is making very slow progresses. It is a story about an heiress in the Regency period, and the conspiracies that start happening around her when some suitors appear. She must struggle with society, since at that time women’s rights weren’t quite developed, and with those suitors, who are not all good. And I cannot tell more :D

Do you have any tips for someone who is thinking of self-publishing his or her own book?

Get a good editor and don’t assume that you can format your book either for paperback or e-book form. If you trust on professionals to do those tasks, your book will have a very professional look and readers will be happy. As Indie authors, that is essential, since if our readers are happy, they will spread the word about our books, and that’s perfect marketing.

Who were your favourite authors when you were growing up, and what was it about their writing that you liked?

It is very difficult to decide who my favourite authors are. The list is quite long. But if I have to choose, I would say Jane Austen,J.R.R. Tolkien, and Gabriel García Márquez. About Jane Austen, I love her subtle irony and her witty remarks; most people think that she wrote girly love stories, but her novels are much more than that. I love Tolkien because he was great in creating new worlds; he helped me quite a lot to open my imagination. Gabriel García Márquez is a fantastic writer, and I love his treatment of magical realism in his books; I strongly recommend everybody to read One Hundred Years of Solitude.

I agree; I loved that book!

Have you read any good books lately that you can tell us a bit about?

I have read lots of good books lately, so it is difficult to choose. If you like poetry, I would recommend From Where I Stand by Robert Zimmermann, an extraordinary and heart-felt poetry collection. If you like plays, I would recommend
Ten Minutes in Heaven, by Ben Ditmars, which is a delightful collection of ten-minute plays about diverse topics. If you like short stories, I strongly recommend
Blissfire, A Story Collection, by D.e.e.L, just because the stories will blow you away with their power and their poetic style. But if you prefer reading novels, I can recommend
Blood Land, by R.S. Guthrie; seriously, this thriller is unputdownable. I couldn’t stop reading it until I finished.


I understand that as well as writing, reading, reviewing, and blogging, you are also a Spanish teacher. Do you have any tips for writers as to how they can balance their day to day work with their writing?

Well, it is all a matter of organisation. While I am at work, I keep a notebook next to me, just in case that I have some idea for my stories. I really cannot think of any useful tip for this. It depends on the organisational skills of every person. I just try to follow a schedule and, in that way, it is easier to do everything I have to do every day. Sorry, it is very difficult for me to answer this question.

I agree, it's a tough thing to balance work life and writing

Where is the best place for readers to find you and connect with you online?

Right now, the best place for readers to find me and connect online is Facebook, both on my personal page and my author page. I am always glad to talk to people there. I also have a blog and two websites, where people can also interact with me thanks to the contact forms and the forums.

FB personal page: https://www.facebook.com/cintaenglish

FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cinta-...

Blog: http://cintascorner.weebly.com/

Author website: http://www.cintagarciadelarosa.com/

Website: http://groovycoolwriters.wix.com/groo...

Where can people buy your book?

People can buy my book both on Amazon and Createspace, and it is available both in paperback and Kindle editions.

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/Funny-Adventure...

Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Funny-Adventu...

Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/3914481

Do you have any other news for your readers?

I designed some pretty wall calendars, featuring the illustrations of the book. I was thinking that maybe I can gift them to people if they buy a paperback copy of The Funny Adventures of Little Nani. I will announce that very soon in my blog, but here you have a heads-up ;)

That sounds like a wonderful idea

Thanks a lot, Maria, for featuring me in your blog. It has been a pleasure. Thanks!

Thanks for answering my questions, Cinta! I wish you every success with your book and future writing

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Remember, if you'd like a chance to win a copy of The Funny Adventures of Little Nani, leave a comment below, or simply 'Like' this blog post. Good luck!