Pucasso
What inspired your particular choice of artwork style for this book?
When I started working in the advertising business, felt-tipped markers were the preferred medium for comprehensive renderings and ad concept mock-ups. In the course of doing many, many renderings, I developed a facility for painting with markers, and I felt comfortable using them. At that time, it seemed only natural that I would choose this medium for my storybook.
Today, commercial artists use computer programs for illustrations, so markers have lost their appeal. I plan to illustrate my next children’s book with transparent watercolors.
What is the key lesson that you hope every child will take away from this book?
First and foremost, I would like every reader to appreciate the story as an enjoyable and fun read. Second, on the path to success, you are only limited by your imagination.
Can we expect to see a few more adventures and for this to become a series?
Not at this time. Pucasso is a barnyard cat who dreams of becoming a successful artist He experiences the delight of learning, the joys of creation and the frustration and sadness that comes from rejection. Then, he has a flash of inspiration that changes everything and he achieves the glow of success. Now that he has realized his dream and achieved success why would he give it up to start all over in some other endeavor?
I would rather explore other themes with different characters and tell how they seek, and eventually find, their moment in the spotlight.
How do you approach writing stories for little ones?
I don’t have a set, rigid, tried-and-true approach to writing stories because I believe this would result in repetitive, formulaic story writing. I believe that the seeds for creative story telling must come from unfettered inspiration. When a seed of inspiration comes to me, I let it germinate, grow and blossom until I can conceptualize the beginning, middle, and end of a story. At that point, I’ll start to write the story and hopefully the result will be an imaginative and entertaining tale.
When it comes to writing and illustrating children’s books, I sometimes approach the story in another way. I like to sketch different animals in a variety of situations. Sometimes, unexpectedly, I will see suggestions of a character in one of the sketches and this will lead to a story line.
Visions of Destiny
Is the cover art intended to give off a particular message, perhaps something a little dystopian?
I did not design or illustrate the cover art for this book. I submitted a synopsis of the story to the designers but did not offer suggestions nor discuss my preferences or interpretations. The designers had a free hand to visualize the cover design guided solely by their imagination. So, I really can’t say if my story inspired any message on their part.
How did you decide to set the age of the main character?
There is no “set” age for the protagonist, Henry Gainsvort. The story begins when he is only eight years old and follows him as he grows to be an adult. This evolution shows the main character as he matures and reveals the effect his visions have on him and those around him and how they color his perception of the world that he lives in.
Is there an underlying message you’d like the reader to take with them?
No, I’m not a motivational or inspirational writer. I tell a story of how different characters evolve and interact as the narrative plays out in my imagination. Hopefully the story will engage the reader and he/she will emphasize with one or more of the characters, perhaps feel an emotional bond with them and maybe experience a catharsis.
Some readers may see an underlying message in the subtext of the story while other readers will accept the story at face value.
What’s your secret for tying a lengthy character arc together at the end?
I don’t believe that there are any secrets to good writing. A successful story depends on carefully crafting the storyline and creating well-defined and believable characters that become an integral part of the narrative. As the narrative progresses and approaches the resolution, then, the characters will come together naturally and plausibly without resorting to contrived literary devices.
Werewolf On Madison Avenue
It’s interesting for a horror-style piece to move into the jungle. What was your inspiration for the element?
According to folklore and the traditional legends of lycanthropy, a human being becomes a werewolf when he is bitten by an existing werewolf. Werewolf On Madison Avenue starts with the protagonist Jeff Foxlove, a recent college graduate and an all-American good guy, as he enters the world of advertising centered on Madison Avenue in New York City.
In the story, Foxlove becomes a werewolf when he tangles with another werewolf. Since there are no werewolves in NYC, the plot requires that he go to a remote territory where a werewolf, a creature of the night, might live. In my mind there are only possible areas that are remote enough for a werewolf, the creature of the night, to live and survive. These are the deep, dark forest or the dense, verdant jungle. I chose the jungle because I could populate the nearby town with interesting, colorful characters and it would offer Jeff a picturesque place to go for a vacation.
Do you want the reader to take away a deeper sense of personal perspective after reading your book?
I would like the reader to have a feeling of enjoyment and satisfaction after reading the book. If the tale of a werewolf in the fictional world of commercial advertising stirs deeper meaning in the reader’s conscious then that is an added, albeit unintentional, reward.
Did your own past experiences help direct and shape the arc for the main character?
I worked for many years as a graphic designer and illustrator in the advertising world of NYC. I drew on this background to create the fictional world of advertising in my novel.
Creating the character of Jeff Foxlove turning into a werewolf required more invention because I never met a real-life werewolf. So, I had no direct experiences to draw on when I created the man-beast. The character of Jeff Foxlove transformed into a blood-thirsty werewolf is entirely the product of my imagination.
How would you like the reader to reflect on the all-consuming nature of the curse?
This is a difficult question to answer because werewolves do not exist in the real world. It follows then that since no one can actually experience lycanthropy, then no one living in the real world can fully grasp the destructive and malevolent powers of a werewolf.
I think that the most one can do is consider the question: Is a werewolf a truly evil creature or is it a man-beast following its natural, innate feral instincts?
Echoes Of The Past
How did you find your inspiration for the main character?
The realization of the main character did not come in a single moment of inspiration. Instead, the development of her character was an evolutionary process. As the narrative unfolded in my mind, the abilities, resources, and personality of the character changed and adapted to meet the requirements of the plot.
Are you aiming this story at a particular demographic or type of reader?
No. There are a number of characters, both male and female, that appear throughout this story. As the various characters tell the stories of their past lives, they reveal that in the course of their lives they were guided by individual motivations and they faced different challenges. They explain how they resolved the vicissitudes of their lives in unique personal ways. I think that individual readers will identify and empathize with one or more of the characters.
Do you want them to take away a specific message or viewpoint from the story?
No, the real enjoyment of reading comes when the reader immerses himself/herself in the story and discovers subtle, subjective meanings that resonate within their psyche.
How would the story have differed if you had chosen an older female character?
It would not have happened. The heroine in this story is twenty-two years old and a recent college graduate. She is young enough to be curious about the mysteries in her background. And she is determined to strike out on her own and old enough to make her own decisions. She is intrepid enough to venture to a foreign country to search for the answers to the questions that plague her and at the same time, she is young and oblivious to the dangers that come from traveling alone and completely unaware of how vulnerable she can be in a foreign land.
I think that an older woman would not be so adventurous because she most likely would be settled into a comfortable lifestyle with a steady job and perhaps a family. She would be more willing to accept her background as vague events in the distant past. She would be more aware of her limitations and, therefore, more reluctant to abandon her current situation to go gallivanting off to a foreign land to search for her phantom father.
