One of the greatest pleasures of being an author is meeting others in the field. I met Joan Y. Edwards years ago, shortly after moving to North Carolina, at a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference. We both attended to become inspired, motivated and learn from agents, editors, publishers and even other children's authors. There is so much to learn about writing for children.
When we met, Joan had already published a children's book titled, Flip Flap Floodle, about a light-hearted duck who thought the song he could play on his flute would keep him safe from Mr. Fox! You can just imagine how well that worked out.
Writers write for different reasons and although Joan's first love was writing for children, she likes to dabble in other genres such as poetry, screenwriting, scriptwriting, early grade and middle grade fiction and romance.
Joan was one of the first writers I knew who had a Blog. Throughout the years her blog became known for great writing tips, publishing tips, sharing the sucess of other authors, inspirational and motivational ideas and always ended with positive feel-good thoughts. Her blog afforded her the opportunity to try out her many interests, growing an audience that today numbers nearly three-quarters of a million readers!
1. Joan, did the inspiration for this story come from a pesky sibling who badgered you when you were young or stories you heard from your students when you taught?
"Yes, this story came from my pesky siblings. I am sure I was equally pesky. I had 3. An older sister, a younger brother, and a younger sister. In teaching I taught two sets of twins and learned from watching them interact. I also did a lot of babysitting for families where I got to watch sibling rivalry in action."
2. What age child or grade level student do you see enjoying this book?
"I think children in kindergarten through fourth grade will especially enjoy it. Adults enjoy it, too. It is a fun read-aloud for families, librarians, and classroom teachers."
3. Did you write this as a chapter book or an easy reader?
"I wrote it as a chapter book similar to Junie B Jones, but I wanted whole page illustrations in color rather than miniature black and white. I also thought having larger text was a way to leap from picture book to chapter book."
4. If this book were to be traditionally published, you'd have no say in choosing the illustrator or be able to share what you envision. But, since you were self-publishing, you were able to choose your illustrator. Where did you find your illustrator?
"A friend of mine had used illustrators from Fiverr.com marketplace. So, I went to the website and looked up illustrators for children's books. I found 5 that I liked their style and their pricing for one illustration. I carefully checked reviews. I wrote each one to get a quote and to see if they were interested. I chose Ecaterina Leascenco, known as Tincuta on Fiverr, because she resonated most with my inner spirit, the sense of fun she created in her portfolio, and my pocketbook. After our agreement...I sent her the story."
5. What kind of instructions did you give Tincuta?
"I told her I needed an illustration for each chapter and the first chapter illustration would also be used for the cover. I told her 6x9 in size and 300 resolution in jpeg format and in color. She gave me a quote for each illustration....I did each illustration separately. She did sketches in black and white first to see if I liked it. When I was happy with it, she sent me a quote for the next one."
Joan, I have to say I love the bright colors and the detail in the illustrations. They are very eye-catching. Tincuta did a nice job of capturing the essence of the story, especially the monkey! His eyes give him so much personality. Children are going to love looking at the pictures. Who wouldn't want to turn their little brother into a monkey. I know I would have.
"When I was a teenager, I babysat many children. Some of them loved spooky stories. The Golden Arm was a campfire favorite. The children would huddle close and listen...one step, two steps... anticipating the scary part hugging each other more."
"I visited The Apothecary in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where the guide explained that in the 1800's people would come there to get their arms amputated. They would sit you in a chair and lop off your arm! That stuck in my mind that Minerva, poor Minerva, might have had to go through that."
"In life, each of us, at sometime or another, may get carried away with ridiculous dreams, fears, demands, and expectations. It is good when we can see the humor and find a way to accept ourselves and find a way to dig our way out of our problems. A way to survive and be at peace."
Okay Joan, now I understand. This story comes from sitting around a campfire telling scary, often gruesome tales.
7. Once again the illustrations are so intricate and colorful. But, I see you used a different illustrator. How did you find Dazzling Media and how different was it to work with them? Did they read the story? Did you have them do the illustrations one at a time like you did with your other book?
"The Golden Arm needed illustrations that would be supernatural and have exaggerated detail to bring out both the humor and the seriousness of a story that reflects the trouble we get into when we are trying to control ourselves and/or others. So I chose Dazzling Media on Fiverr Marketplace. Their portfolio online showed me that they could definitely dazzle me. I shared the story with them. I told them I wanted one illustration 6x9 inches, 300 resolution color illustrations for each chapter and that I would choose one for the cover, probably one where Minerva proudly walks through town with her Golden Arm. They gave me a quote for the whole project. I believe they did an outstanding job. I wanted the illustrations to be scary, funny, and magical all at the same time. I believe they delivered that."
Thank you so much, Joan, for sharing the process in writing and illustrating your two new books. Your writing journey and desire to help others is unique and commendable. You are a fascinating lady! I learned a great deal and I think my readers did also.
Joan's new books, The Golden Arm and The Day I Turned My Brother Into A Monkey are available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B003KXQ0X0/allbooks
Email: mailto:joanyedwards1@gmail.com
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If you'd like to be interviewed for my blog, contact me at the email below.
Email: Sandra@arliebooks.com
