A
lot of friends and family have recently asked me why I wrote Jake and the Buggy
Melee. I guess they found it odd that a career
Business IT guy, who has dabbled in some technology publications and short
stories over the years found his way into writing children’s books. They’ve
also wanted to know how long I’ve been writing, what else I’ve been working on,
etc. Fair questions, so I thought
I'd provide some answers. But first, if
you haven’t read Jake, you may want to pick up a copy to see what you
think. It’s a wonderful read for parents
and kids and it’s illustrated by award-winning artist, Valerie Bouthyette.
1. Why did you write a children's book instead of a technology
or business book?
I
actually wrote Jake several years ago when my oldest daughter was 4 and my
youngest was a newborn. I wanted to
write something that would make them happy, knowing it was from their Dad. I also
wanted to write a book that would be fun for teachers and parents to read to
kids. I always read stories to my girls
at bedtime and found that many of them were just not fun or interesting for the
kids or me. I realized that there was a
gap to be filled so I began to consider writing a story myself, just to see how
I could do. My wife is a teacher and she
encouraged me as well, with a few conditions.
She wanted the story to be challenging in terms of vocabulary and values
and wanted it to rhyme. NOT easy but I
did it!
2. How did you choose the title Jake and the Buggy
Melee?
Jake
was a 40 lb. housecat that we had for many years who recently passed. He was a gentle giant who was a very special
pet and really did like to battle with bugs.
He was also very affectionate with my daughters and my wife and I, so it
was an easy move to write a story around him.
I also wanted to have an unusual
title that I thought may better stand out with kids and adults.
3. What did you want the book to express or what values were
you hoping share?
Oh
wow…several. I won’t reveal all of the
values we embedded but the main focus was on teamwork, bullying and
compassion. My wife and I talk with my
daughters about all of these values quite frequently and they relay stories to
me from their experiences in school. That
made me think that I needed to really work these into my story. Again, Jake was a good role model so it
wasn’t too difficult to do this!
But,
I wanted to tell a story and have it be amusing, the lessons were a bonus!
4. What’s next?
Any more books on the way?
I
have several writing projects in process.
I co-wrote a screenplay this year and had a blast doing so. I learned a
lot, was very humbled but it was still a great experience, I hope to see that
go somewhere. I recently completed a short story about my father, Don Green,
who passed away a few years ago. Very
hard to write something like that but it needed to be done. I also have about 3 children’s books in the
works, one which is…well, getting close to ready I would say! And finally, I’m always working on a few
short stories and book concepts. In
short, I’m always writing something. My
oldest daughter inspires me for this, she is a prolific writer who is always
journaling and writing her stories. She is amazing!Jake and the Buggy Melee is available in print and digital formats.
Amazon
Kindle
Nook
