I will answer some questions about my newest book, then pass the Q & A on to three fantastic book artists.
1. What is your next big thing?
My new book: Pigs in Pajamas.
2. Where did your idea for the book come from?
I have a penchant for making up silly rhymes and alliterations and somehow I had gotten stuck on the letter P. It became clear that lots of fun things and activities start with the 16th letter of the alphabet!
3. What genre does your book fall under?
Pigs in Pajamas is a picture book, and it might be released as a board book as well in a year or two.
4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
This is pretty silly for a book like this, but here goes:
Penelope - the hostess with the mostest - Juliette Binoche
Pip - (glasses) smart, studious, kind of shy - Matt Damon
Paloma - (pink flower on her head) girly, loves to dress up - Mindy Kaling
Pammy - (purple pj's') plays piano - Holly Hunter (she really does)
Paco - (propeller hat) pretty zany, the life of the party - John Leguizamo
Percy - (pinstripes) - charming, gallant - George Clooney
Pearl - (pink plaid) - the youngest, a bit spacey, adorable - Lena Dunham
5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A Pleasing Piggy tale, with rollicking rhymes and infectious alliterations;
Pertaining
to Penelope Pig’s Pajama Party; with
Plenty of hooPla,
Plus
a Plethora of things (more than 75!) starting with
the letter P, to PinPoint
in the Pictures.
6. Who is publishing your book?
Knopf Books for Young Readers.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
It's hard to say because like most writers I rarely work on one project at a time. But over a number of months I was obsessed with the letter P and noting down ideas day and night - I'd be trying to fall asleep when another P-word would occur to me and I'd have to make a note in my bedside notebook for fear of forgetting by morning. The first few drafts were far too long and complicated, because I was wanting to include every Possible thing!
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The Sheep in a Jeep series.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My love of language and getting kids excited about language.
10. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
When I was working out the technique for the illustrations, I thought it would be neat if the P-things to find in the pictures stood out in some way from the acrylic paintings. I ended up using collaged photos for most of the P- things, which results in a fun effect in that the items really Pop. For the scene below I Prepared Pancakes (from scratch), Pasta Primavera, a bowl of peas, and my friend baked a Pie - and I took Pictures!
Thank you so much for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed hearing about my new book.
The Next Big Thing Blog Tour continues on March 7th with the following book artists - you won't want to miss them!
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| Alicia Padron |
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| Nancy Cote |
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| Dana Sullivan |
