Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
Yes I do; and subconsciously must be the reason that I've chosen the vintage-classic direction of my own books and e-books. The book was Disney's Water Babies Circus. I was so magically astounded by the water babies playing on lily pads and waking up as each water lily unfolded their petals to the sun's rays. It was an instant transportation into that world where I felt safe being surrounded by little water friends. My first book Tooey, Freckles & Ming: Their Beginning In Rainbow Land is all about such an experience with the animals and children all in one accord, happy, playing games, swimming with swans and having the ability to rise into the trees and sit with eagles. Even the rainbow food is magic and delicious.
How do you approach cover design?
It's a combination of what Rainbow Land itself is all about and what the main contents of that particular book is. For instance: In Rainbow Land winter never exists; therefore all the innumerable shades and tints of rainbow colors exist in in soft pastels to bright intensity everywhere. There is never a drab or cold landscape except if Wise Owl is in the Reading Room reading a story to the children about a little boy living and surviving in the desert such as the book Tooey, Freckles & Ming Read Short Stories Age 3-6 Volume 1 is about. So, to give the reader an instant story picture of the book contents, I show the rainbow over Castle Caring where each child and creature first arrive when they slide down the rainbow, a fruit tree in full spring blossom and a oversized placement of Wise Owl reading from a story book that's chosen by the children. The book Wise Owl reads from is large enough between his wing-hands that the reader knows instantly what story awaits them inside. All the stories chosen by the children for Wise Owl to read are carefully selected vintage classics that have proven their popularity over the ages both in story content and illustration quality.
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