Thursday, July 8, 2010

Turning a Poem into a Book

When I first created The I Believe Bunny I was excited by the fact that as an author as soon as you've created a character and the world he lives in, the possibility for stories is truly endless. Last Christmas I wrote a Christmas poem for The I Believe Bunny and sent it out to fans and family. At Easter time, I sent out another poem, both illustrated by the amazing Frank Endersby. What I soon learned was that both poems can easily be expanded into full books by giving more detail and "setting the stage" for what happens in each story. I'm planning on creating two new books from these poems with more to come. So far we have The I Believe Bunny and his friends Skunk, Little Mouse, Squirrel and Racoon. Now, I'm looking forward to working with Frank to create Bunny's Mommy and Daddy Bunny, just as soon as we can.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Oklahoma Friendliness


A few months ago I had the honor of visiting a large school in Sperry, Oklahoma and it was a wonderful experience. I'd never been to Oklahoma and was amazed as we drove through the flat farm lands and then suddenly- there was a school! I was touched by the lovely hand made banner they made to welcome me and presented The I Believe Bunny to hundreds of students in grades K-5. The kids sat in bleachers in the gym that reached to the ceiling and at first I wondered how I could reach so many kids at one time, but they were an amazing audience. When I left they gave me a school T shirt, a wonderful thank-you note and this picture and I will cherish it always.