Children's eBook Review: Momster, Written by Laura Jensen-Kimball, Illustrated by Peter Mahr

Storyline: 5.0 Stars
Illustrations: 5.0 Stars

Cover: 5.0 

Total: 5.0 Stars

Book Review: 
When son doesn't obey after several requests--uh oh, out comes Momster. Only a hug and apology will restore his Mom!

Storyline: This story is a morality tale encouraging children to obey their Mom on the first request. After asking several times, Moms tend to turn into Momsters! Although none of us Moms like to be reminded of the times we get mad at our children, the pattern of a child giving a hug, offering an apology and wanting to do better, is a pattern we want our children to learn. And this story explains and demonstrates the pattern in a funny way.

Illustrations: The illustrations are colorful and professional and add to the drama of the story.
5 stars


Author Laura Jensen-Kimball: 
Laura Jensen-Kimball is a mother of four children, a registered nurse, and author of the children's picture book, Momster. This is her first children's book, although she has six more she is preparing for publication.

Kimball was inspired to write after her youngest child was diagnosed with a speech delay. Books were a common tool used in improving his speech. She creates books with a touch of humor she feels both parent and child will enjoy.

What is the message in this book? Kimball believes the "most important message in Momster is how powerful an apology can be.  After mom morphs into a momster, it is through forgiveness that she alters back into her delightful self.  Through mother’s transformation, a lesson is learned and an alliance is formed.  Any book titled Momster should evoke a little well-placed fear in the heart of the reader."

Illustrator Peter Mahr:

Momster is illustrated by Peter Mahr. Mahr is from Budapest, Hungary and has illustrated many children's books. He uses software from the Adobe suite and also enjoys freehand illustration.

Want to know more? Click here for Kimball's website, or here to see Momster on Amazon.

~Valerie Harmon, Children's Book Reviewer 

Children's eBook review and Author/Illustrator Interview: Aunty Arty and the Disquieting Muses, by Rowena Wiseman, Illustrated by Norelda Joy

Illustrations: 5.0 Stars 
Cover: 5.0 Stars
Storyline: 4.0 Stars
Total: 4.5 Stars

My Review: 

Frieda is a quiet girl in a family of ten who she gets to spend the night with her sister Mona at Aunty Arty's house. Aunty Arty is no ordinary Aunt who would take them to the movies or to eat chocolate. Instead, Aunty Art takes Frieda on an adventure custom made for her curious and accepting nature. Whiny, frustrated Mona spends most of the story as bored and still as a statue. But Frieda ends up meeting unusual characters and saving the day for a new friend. 

Illustrations: Colorful, professional, eye-catching. With a story loosely based on one of Giorgio de Chirico's Metaphysical paintings, the illustrations are modern and unusual in a children's book.

Storyline: While I don't like the favoritism Aunty Arty shows Frieda over Mona, I believe this story to be like the fairy tales that awards gifts to the kindest, gentlest character, who Frieda proves herself to be, and "punishments" to the complaining critical character (like Mona). This story will especially appeal to children who feel forgotten or left out, either with friends or in their family dynamics.

Author Interview with Rowena Wiseman

Valerie Harmon: Why did you write a book based on a painting?
Author Rowena Wiseman: I work at an art gallery and I'm always interested in what the story is in a painting. Often the artist doesn't tell us explicitly, so I thought it would be fun
to make up what could happen if we were to meet some characters in a work of art.

VH: Who is your favorite artist?
RW: So many! At the moment I've been researching street artists for a young adult book that I'm writing, so I like artists like Ghost Patrol from Melbourne or New York conceptual artist Barbara Kruger. I’m a big fan of South African artist William Kentridge. I also adore Chinese contemporary art. Yue Minjun is a massive favourite of mine - with his big smiley faces. I just dare people to look at his work and not feel happy!

Author Rowena Wiseman

VH: How did you connect with your illustrator?
RW: I found Narelda Joy on the Illustrators Australia website. I was really impressed with the level of detail and variety of skill in her work. I contacted her and sent her the manuscript for Aunty Arty. I already had a publisher - Jet Black Publishing. Luckily she liked the story and it’s been full steam ahead since then!

VH: Why do you write?
RW: I've always had a natural compulsion to write. Lately I've been sharing my young adult stories on Wattpad and discovered just how much I love connecting with an audience. It makes my day when someone tells me they can relate to one of my characters.

VH: What advice do you have for authors who'd like to write children's books?
RW: Write what the child in you is curious about.

VH: What would you tell children who read your book?
RW: I'd like them to think about a work of art that they would like to enter! What would their story be?

VH: Do you have any funny stories of how you got to where you are?
RW: The idea for the Aunty Arty series came to me while I was changing my son's nappy. I have no idea what that means ...

VH: What are three favorite books?
RW: The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz.

VH: What are three favorite children's books?
RW: I love, love, love:

Iggy Peck the Architect by Andrea Beaty, such great rhyming text and the illustrations are sublime. It's a book that I genuinely enjoy reading with my kids. 

As a child I loved Enid Blyton. 

Shaun Tan is an amazing storyteller and artist, I have a small collection of his books; The Lost Thing and

The Arrival are my favourites.







VH: Who influences your writing?
RW: I love Tatyana Tolstaya for her creative style of writing, Emile Zola for his insight into human behaviour and Raymond Carver for his well-crafted simplicity.

VH: What do you do if you get writer's block?
RW: I've recently discovered the joy of wholefood cooking. I spend a lot of time on a computer, either at work, or at home in the early mornings or late evenings writing, so I find cooking is a good way to clear my mind! Good thoughts come when I’m least expecting it, like when I’m grating carrots or washing dishes. If I'm at my desk and I've got writer's block, I'll probably start watching some School of Life videos on YouTube. Love this new-age way of exploring meaning in our lives.

For more information on author Rowena Wiseman, check out her author website, Twitter account and Wattpad account, on Facebook, Aunty Arty on Goodreads, and the Aunty Arty website.

Illustrator Interview with Narelda Joy

VH: Narelda, who is your favorite artist?
NJ: Do I have to choose just one artist? There’s Claude Monet, Gustav Kilmt, William Turner, Pierre-August Renoir

VH: How did you get into illustration?
NJ: I have always been artistic and experimented with many creative areas since I was a young girl, however a number of years ago I was feeling unfulfilled in my job, and made the brave decision to leave work and return to full time study. I chose to pursue a career in Design and Illustration and I have never looked back! I have always loved Children’s Books and collect them for my own enjoyment. I can often be found sitting in the children’s section at the local library or bookstore! There is something magical about a book – being transported into another world through words and pictures. It is pure escapism.

VH: What else do you create?
NJ: Apart from my unique textural illustrations and collage, I produce 3D illustrations and bespoke 3D constructions such as scenes, characters, models, theatrical hats and puppets, in textiles, paper and other mediums. I love sculpting anything but I particularly enjoy using textiles. 

VH: What advice do you have for kids who want to be illustrators?
NJ: My advice to aspiring illustrators is to keep practising your art, draw everyday, and pay attention to the wonderful things around you, large and small – inspiration is everywhere. Always carry a sketchbook and camera. Follow your heart and soul and believe in your ability to create. Studying is a great way to meet like minded creative people who will support you on your journey.

VH: What are three favorite books?
NJ: Some of my favorites are:

A Journey of the Imagination by James Christensen,  

Lost and Found by Shaun Tan, 

 

Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book by Brian Froud and Terry Jones

VH: What are three favorite children's books?
NJ: Three favorites are:

 Her Mother’s Face by Roddy Doyle and Freya Blackwood,

                              Remember Me by Margaret Wild and Dee Huxley

 

and The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett

VH: What do you do if you aren't feeling creative?

NJ: If I’m not feeling creative then I know I’m too stressed! The cure for this is to meditate, go for a walk surrounded by beautiful nature, visit the dog park which always makes me smile, go for a drive to somewhere new, look through my favourite books in my bookcase, or talk to a creative friend.

For more information on illustrator Narelda Joy, check out her website. 

~written by Valerie Harmon

Children's eBook Review: A Brand New Day, by A.S. Chung, illustrated by Paula Bossio

Illustrations: 5 Stars 

Cover: 5 Stars
Storyline: 4.5 Stars

Total: 5 Stars

Summary: A little girl enjoys time with both her Dad and her Mom, even though they are divorced and live in different houses. Most importantly, she knows they love her! A cozy, warm picture book.

Illustrations: The illustrations are so adorable, I want to squeeze them. Definitely 5 stars.

Storyline: With all the children in divorced families these days, it is a good theme for those children to remember: focus on the positive, like the girl in this story, and remember that their parents love them even though they live in different homes. The short text is perfect for young children. 4.5 stars

Author A.S. Chung was kind enough to answer some questions:

VH: How do you decide what to write about?
ASC: My writing stems from what I staunchly believe in and from personal experiences. I am all about preaching positive messages and the importance of love and family.

VH: How did you find your illustrator?
ASC: An advertisement in the paper, looking for an illustrator! By gosh we found a gem! Not only is she talented, she has an uncanny knack of interpreting my words beautifully.

VH: Did you create your own publishing company, how and why?ASC: Yes I did! Pigeonhole Books is a project very close to my heart. Dealing with important subjects such as divorce as well as same-sex, blended and multiracial families, I really wanted to have complete control of the book.

As for how, a lot of research and finding the medium that would suit me from a creative and financial
point of view. Print on Demand distribution was perfect for me.

VH: What are your favorite books (children's books and otherwise)?
ASC: I grew up reading Enid Blyton (see Blyton's adventure series collection and a mysteries series collection here). Despite all the revelations about her writing styles in present day, I saw none of her racism and sexism when I was reading them. She always managed to immerse me into a world of pure imagination. It is no wonder that I then progressed onto Roald Dahl (see Dahl's Matilda and James and the Giant Peach here). I love that I am now reading these books to my daughter, allowing me to re-live my childhood!

As an adult, my all-time favourite genre is fantasy. Books that allow me to escape out of the real world as I immerse myself into a makeshift bubble of silence! David Eddings was my first true love (see Eddings' Pawn of Prophecy, first book in the Belgariad series), with Raymond E. Feist not very far behind (see Feist's Shadow of a Dark Queen, first book in the SerpantWar Saga, and Flight of the Nighthawks, first book in the Darkwar Saga).

I read all the classics too. I have a bookshelf about to burst at the seams filled with books of all kinds of genres. I can sometimes have four books on the go, depending on my mood!

VH: What advice do you have for people who want to write children's books?ASC: Just do it! The writing part is easy. If you had the inclination to do in the first place, you have already formulated a manuscript in your head. The hard part is getting it out there, the dos and don’ts and the right and wrong way to go about it. But in the end, just give it a go. If anything, allow it to satisfy your inner desire to put words on paper. It’s incredibly exciting!

VH: What's your favorite part of being a writer?
ASC: My favourite part is seeing my message being interpreted by readers exactly as I had intended. My book is only 800 words. I had to find a way to express my message succinctly.

You can connect with A.S. Chung and see her books on Pigeonhole Publishing, her author website, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Thank you A.S. Chung,

~Valerie Harmon

Making a Book Trailer Part 1: Finding Examples

Before I was a children's book author, I was paid to make videos. This experience came in handy as I make book trailers for my own books.

I believe book trailers are useful marketing tools. There is debate about this, some authors don't think book trailers sell books. Well, since I've seen a lot of AWFUL book trailers, so I agree that weak book trailers don't sell books. But coming from 16 years of working in the field of marketing for this company, I see their usefulness in providing content for your blog and author pages on GoodReads and Amazon (see what I'm talking about here and here) and on your Facebook page (I will blog about how to set those up in later posts). Book trailers pique interest in your titles, and they optimize your name and book titles in search engines (making it easier for people to find you and your books).

But your book trailer has to be watchable!!

You can see terrible book trailers at Book Trailers for Readers. Granted, this site is readers making book trailers, not authors or publishers. But really, I found them painful to watch. And there are a lot of self-made book trailers that follow the same patter as Book Trailers for Readers: they use clip art and bad music. I will post later about various sources of free and cheap music for videos (there are some great sources out there), but for now--avoid clip art. Please. And if you must use it, then make sure it all matches in style. I cringe when I see a video that uses cartoonish clip art mashed with photographs. It doesn't visually fit. And it's a video, so visual is vital.

If you're trying to find some book trailer examples to imitate, you can find some good ones at SchoolTube and Slimekids. You can also look for publisher sites. I saw a fun one for The Cloak Society at Harperkids, although it's more complicated than most of us can do on our own. These book trailer examples are focused on children's books, because that's my area of focus, but you can Google "book trailers" and search with your category or publisher-type and find examples in your category too.

I recognize that I am lucky. I have an illustrator who can create backgrounds and animate my beginning and ending sequences (thank you Carol Stevens!). However, watch a bunch of book trailers and you will see that a lot can be done with text, a cover, and maybe some voice over.

This is my first book trailer, for The Snake Who Wanted To Be A Horse:

This is the book trailer for The Elephant Who Wanted To Be A Bee, (our next book in the WantsToBe series that published TODAY for Kindle):

Remember, if you can't make a book trailer visually appealing, then you should consider not making a book trailer at all. But you can do it!

Tell me how your book trailer experience goes, and feel free to link to your book trailer in the comments below.

Look for future posts on tips to making a good book trailer.

Publication Day For Book One: The Snake Who Wanted To Be A Horse

I am now the author of a published book.

I've dreamed for years about becoming a published author. With six children, and knowing my time to raise them is only a small portion of my life (I plan to live long), I've put my writing on the "takes a decade or two to finish a novel" track. And as my eldest children have entered adolescence, my writing has slowed even more.

I've been fine with the slower writing pace. Motherhood is a choice I've made and never regretted, even when it's been difficult. But that doesn't mean the dream dies. It just waits. Patient. Hopeful. And gaining in experience.

While writing as a teen, I felt my lack of experience as an obstacle to a worthy book. And I was probably right. I had only a tinge of adolescent angst, much less than most teens. With an idyllic childhood and the habits of an optimist, I didn't have enough of a story. And without conflict, there is not story. Nothing is more boring to read about than a happy life. That's why "And they lived happily ever after" is an ending, not a beginning.

So I gained in experience. But by the time I had enough experience, I was out of free time.

But then veteran illustrator Carol Stevens calls me up and invites me to write a children's book with her. And here I am, stunned and thrilled. Dinner is unmade, and it's 6:30pm. And I keep staring at my Amazon author page, my Amazon book page, and my GoodReads author page. I keep reading the wonderful supporting comments from my friends on Facebook who are rooting for my success (and over 90 of them were beta readers for this first book--THANK YOU).

And so, today has made it to "The top ten days of my life." Thank you for sharing it.