Morr Meroz’s breakout book ‘Snowlands: A Blood Moon’ recently became a bestseller, and there is no doubt as to why it has been so popular with kids and their elders due to its riveting storyline and imagination capturing illustrations. In this epic read an orphaned white wolf cub called Feba is exiled from her pack. Setting out on her own she finds Usha a lone snow leopard searching for her missing cub and Batu a bumbling wild cat who can’t hold a tune.
This unlikely trio come together to have an adventure, one in which they set out to find the Seeress, a magical being Usha hopes can find her missing son. Each step takes Usha, Feba, and Batu deeper into danger where they encounter other creatures-some helpful, and some deceitful. On this journey to find the missing cub the trio learn what having a family truly means. This book is the must read of this season and the next for kids and their parents.
We were thrilled to sit down with Meroz to learn more about him and his work.
‘Snowlands: A Blood Moon‘ recently became a bestseller. What was that like on a personal and professional level?
I’m mostly happy that the book is slowly finding its audience and is making it through the noise that is self-publishing. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get people to care about a new IP, and getting on the best-seller list is certainly an important milestone.
How does it feel to be an author in the digital age now with technology being so prevalent?
I think it’s important to understand when using technology is important and when it isn’t. The act of writing the book itself, at least for me, isn’t that different from what it was like writing 100 years ago. Technology isn’t helping me figure out characters and plot. And the graphic novel itself was actually drawn traditionally on paper, rather than digitally, which I believe gives it a unique look in today’s digital-looking comic books.
But when it comes to publishing, technology certainly opened up a whole new avenue for independent creators to get their work out there, and even get it funded with platforms like Kickstarter.
‘Snowlands: A Blood Moon‘ packs quite a dynamic animal fantasy book with amazing visuals. How did you come up with this book?
I get so many ideas from watching animal documentaries. That’s also where the first spark for this book came from. It was a documentary about snow leopards in the Himalayas. Snowlands is based on the Himalayas, so watching more documentaries about that region brought more and more ideas and formed an imaginary world that is based on a coherent echo system.
Let’s change it up a bit. If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?
Probably flying. Seems like a lot of fun, plus it saves money on traveling.
