Tag Archives: summer read

Jul3

Interview with Andrea Witt

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Sometimes you come along and find a great book series you just have to share. “The Woes of a Ginger Named Red” series deals with problems children need to hear about from a diverse voice. Real world problems are all brought to light in this heart-felt series written by Andrea Witt. Ginger is dealing with a seizure disorder, the medications, moving, and adapting to a new home. I was lucky enough to interview Andrea Witt, and asked her about memories from reading as a kid, her favorite authors and how they influenced her, and what writing means to her.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Andrea Witt: I used to be “dragged” to flea markets. I couldn’t stand it until I realized flea markets were full of books. I started collecting change from around the house to use to buy books. I started looking forward to going so I could find new books to read. The books I bought were used and I could get 4 for $1! Other people’s discards were my treasures and I bought many books I would have never had the opportunity to read had I not been “dragged to” those flea markets every weekend!

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Andrea Witt: As a small child, my favorite author was Dr. Seuss. I loved the silliness he added to each story. The rhyming aspect made them fun to read and I used to challenge myself to read them really fast since many of them were like tongue twisters. As I grew a bit older, Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary were among my favorite authors.

3) What is writing to you in one sentence?


Andrea Witt: Writing is the compilation of my thoughts, feelings, memories and imagination combined into a foundation that breeds new thoughts, feelings, memories, and imagination for its readers.

“The Woes of a Ginger Named Red–Book 1: The Move” is told from the perspective of nine-year-old Ginger. She has a mild seizure disorder. Although her seizures don’t happen very often, they are huge to her. Because of the seizures, Ginger is on medications that stunt her growth and make her feel like an outsider. When her mom announces that they’re going to move to a new home in the country, Ginger starts to panic about encountering bullies at her new school. Will Ginger crumble under the pressure of the move, or will she be able to learn to love her new home?

“The Woes of a Ginger Named Red–Book 1: The Move” is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s Books, Books a Million, Target, and many other retailers.

For more information on Andrea Witt, please visit her Amazon Author page here.

Jun10

Interview with Darius Good

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I’ve continued my search for good reads for this summer, and I think I’ve found another fantastic author for you to meet. If you’re looking for a good read-aloud at bedtime, I think I found the book and the author for you.

Darius Good is the author of the children’s book series, The Adventures of RiRi. He’s written a science-themed bedtime story called “The Adventures of RiRi: Stars, Stars” which is the first book in the series. He’s also the author of the book, “Unlocking Godly Wisdom: Solomon’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom”. I had a chance to interview Darius Good about his childhood reading memories, writing routines, inspirations, and what projects he has in store for us.

  • What is your favorite memory reading as a child?

Darius Good: As a child I wasn’t into reading. I did well with numbers and math. I remember my mother taking me to the library and telling me there are so many subjects to choose from. I had seen the cartoon the Hobbit and did not realize it was a book. That book introduced me to the Fantasy genre. That sparked my interest in reading and writing stories.

  • Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Darius Good: J. R. R. Tolkien became my favorite author. His stories weren’t simple; they were extremely complex and detailed. He wrote songs and poetry. He created another world of different types of people, and had maps that accompanied the stories. He also created languages for the different species. And all the characters had a character arch that made it difficult to put his books down. You can still see his influence in many of the current stories that are popular now.

  • Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

Darius Good: I do not have a writing routine. I write when I feel inspired. My mother had me take music lessons at the age of 5 and I learned many different instruments. After graduating college I went into the music industry for several years and did fairly well. When I am in a creative mode, whether it’s creating music, writing a story, or whatever other creative mode I find myself in, I “lock in” until that inspiration leaves.

  • What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Darius Good: I am currently developing my children’s book series, The Adventures of RiRi. It’s a series based loosely on my youngest daughter Riley. The first book “Stars Stars” is a science themed bedtime story. It explores my love for astronomy through the eyes of a toddler. The second book of the series will explore music. I love music so it was inevitable that I would write a music related book. That book is currently being illustrated. I have several stories that explore different themes for the series that I am currently developing.

  • What is writing to you in one sentence?

Darius Good: Writing (books or songs) is powerful because it has the ability to shape and impact lives of those present and generations to come.

“The Adventures of RiRi: Stars, Stars” is a children’s bedtime story series that features the character RiRi. In her first adventure, she can’t fall asleep until she knows the answer to the question, “What happens to the stars during the day?” This series explores different themes such as science, music, and family dynamics.

“The Adventures of RiRi: Stars, Stars” is available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.

For more information on Darius Good, please visit his website.

May6

Interview with James Lamb II

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James Lamb II is the author of the new children’s book, “Jimmy, Jimmy the Jumping Lamb Meets the Hares and the Bears. Shown with his dog, Pacific.

As we start to get near the end of this strange and historical school year, I like to start posting some fabulous end of year, summer reads. I think I’ve found a great book to help keep your child’s love of reading engaged through the summer. “Jimmy, Jimmy the Jumping Lamb Meets the Hares and the Bears” is a story that deals with Jimmy, Jimmy meeting up with new friends, and how they all deal with a bullying situation. It’s a great way to get your child back into the frame of mind of being around and meeting new people, and how maybe everyone might not get along at first.

James Lamb II grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. He has a background in early child development, and has other books in his series that he enjoys voluntarily reading to local schools, day care centers, and libraries. His love for hip-hop and storytelling led him to writing children’s stories. I had a chance to ask James Lamb II about his childhood favorite authors, inspirational influences as a writer, how he came up with his characters, and what other projects he has in store for us.

  • What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

James Lamb II: Dinosaur Books and Shark Books.

  • Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

James Lamb II: Edgar Rice Burroughs and Anthony Edward Pierce. They were science fiction writers that wrote adventure books that I enjoyed reading while growing up.

  • Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

James Lamb II: Yes! I write down my ideas in a commonplace notebook. Then, I review my thoughts. After that, I begin to formulate a plan to write my stories.

  • What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

James Lamb II: Family, my life story, science fiction, animal stories and plays.

  • How do you get ideas for your stories?

James Lamb II: Childhood experience, love for animals and observing childhood behavior.

  • How does hip-hop influence your story telling?

James Lamb II: Rhythm and rhyme. Also, it helped with words coming together to create a story.

  • What was your inspiration for your new story, “Jimmy, Jimmy the Jumping Lamb Meets the Hare and Bears”?

James Lamb II: My experience of being bullied and that bullying has become a prominent problem in this day and age.

  • Why did you start your own publishing company, Ultimate Sky Publishing LLC?

James Lamb II: After publishing my first children’s books with self publishing companies, it was apparent to me, and my illustrator Marlon Chang, that we should start our own book publishing company and eliminate the middle man.

  • What advice would you give to new, aspiring authors?

James Lamb II: Believe in yourself and your ability to write. Research and take some writing courses so you can improve your skills as a writer. Finally, study other authors and they’re writing styles.

  • What is writing to you in one sentence?

James Lamb II: Writing to me is communicating to the world my passion for story telling.

“Jimmy, Jimmy the Jumping Lamb Meets the Hares and Bears” is a book that deals head on with the issue of bullying. Jimmy, Jimmy the Jumping Lamb is heading north. He bumps into the Hares and they form a friendship. But the Hares have a problem, the Bully Bears. Can they work together to face this group of bullies?

“Jimmy, Jimmy the Jumping Lamb Meets the Hares and Bears” is available in the Kindle store at Amazon.com and Apple iTunes/eBooks. Price for the ebook is $6.99.

For more information James Lamb II, please visit his Amazon author’s page here.

Jul13

Interview with Laura St John

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Laura St John is the author of the picture book “Don’t Judge A Bug By Its Cover”.

With all this beautiful summer weather, it makes me tune into all the beautiful nature around us. What better way to connect with that than a picture book that includes bugs and an important message. “Don’t Judge A Bug By Its Cover” is a book that teaches children to accept themselves and others for their differences. Told with the cutest bug characters, the author Laura St John brings to life lovable characters expressing wholesome values and good decision making in her stories. I had a chance to talk to Laura about her childhood reading memories, favorite authors, and her writing routine along with her plans for future projects.

What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

 
Laura St. John: I loved reading poetry. The simplicity of it and the rhyming. My father had written many poems and cards to my mother, and it was really cool to read his words after he had passed away. I made my own little poem booklet as a child out of colored paper, stapled together and still have that today in a box.

I had a tough teacher in middle school who made us read about twenty novels in one school year and write book reports on them. He assigned the classics, To Kill a Mockingbird, Dracula, The Hobbit and we all didn’t like all of that reading. But looking back, it taught us a lot about the world and about descriptive writing. He also made us memorize poems like “Annabel Lee” and recite them in front of the whole class. Don’t think students are doing much of that today.

Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

 
Laura St John: My office is a quiet getaway place with a soft carpet that I can rub my feet into when I write. I prefer to have complete silence to gather my thoughts. My three dogs are usually laying near me when I write since they follow me everywhere. If I feel like writing, then I do. Sometimes you just don’t feel like it which, I guess, many call writer’s block. But if the mood hits then you better start typing or you’ll lose your thoughts. Thank goodness for computers as it is so much easier to type versus writing with a pen.

What subjects would you like to write about in future projects? 


Laura St John: My next book will be about a character that I created called the Alphabet Chef. She has been with me since the late 90’s. So, I am finally going to write a children’s book about her teaching kids about healthy eating habits. I also want to do a series of books with the bugs from my first book “Don’t Judge A Bug By Its Cover”. Maybe I can focus on some other human topics that easily can be expressed with the bugs. My writings are always to help change the world (I hope) in a positive way like in “The Christmas House”. I don’t like writing about dark topics or things that don’t inspire people to think.

Bug Book “Don’t Judge A Bug By Its Cover” is a journey of a ladybug named Lace and a suave bug named Mr. Roach. Every step though the bug world is a step of uncertainty. They have to learn to rely on each other and see the beauty within others to survive their adventure together. This book is a great way to teach the themes of anti-bullying, teamwork, and seeing the beauty within others. It will make a great addition to any child’s or classroom library.

“Don’t Judge A Bug By its Cover” is available at Amazon.com.

For more information on Laura St John, please visit her website at: http://www.laurastjohnenterprises.com.