I was blessed to be allowed to get to know a fellow author by the name of Boyana Atwood, publishing as Highbridge Stories. Her fun and engaging faith based books are sure to please! Boyana is from Europe, born in Serbia and raised in Switzerland. She originally studied law and worked as an Investment Banking Associate before travelling to Texas. In Texas, she attended Christ for the Nations Bible School where she met her husband. As a couple, they journeyed to Mozambique where they were involved in missionary work before deciding to move back to the states to start their family. Currently living in Anchorage, Alaska, they have two children. As with most of us, Covid changed how Boyana's world worked. While she had been doing some project management, Covid meant she became a full time stay at home mother. She began publishing guided journals on the side. This time with her kids lead her to the creative work of writing her own children's stories and last year she began to illustrate books as well. This year she plans to illustrate one of her own stories which is still a work in progress. Maya's Big Feelings was the first book she wrote. It is a fun short story about a girl discovering her feelings as they take her on a roller coaster ride of emotions. With a little help, she learns not to let her feelings take over. She has also been busy creating the following: Maya's Big Adventure, Pray With Me (A Book of Prayers for Small Children), and Exploring Our Space Neighborhood all come from the wonderful writing of Boyana Atwood.
For the Maya books, Boyana worked with illustrator Anastasiya Provozina and says she was wonderful to work with. Anastasiya went above and beyond what Boyana asked of her and was very easy to communicate with. Boyana would love to work with her on more books in the Maya series. Boyana added that she is now exploring the illustrator path herself now and is using an iPad and ProCreate software to create her drawings. I asked her what is next and she said "On March 5th is the office release date of The Creator's Kids, a book I was able to illustrate for the amazing Nicole Helm." Boyana also mentioned she is finalizing the illustration of another book for a similarly amazing author, and is exploring stories of her own that she wants to write. As with most of my author friends, Boyana has several ideas she is working on advancing. Boyana's Christian faith is evident in each page of her books. She has so far only received positive feedback , although she admits to marketing primarily to people with similar views and hasn't gone mainstream with her marketing. I encourage her to do so, as the books are well written and have a wonderful message to share. I asked Boyana to share some fun facts about her and this is what she came up with:
0 Comments
Today I am going to share a bit about There is Only One You by author Melissa Hin. There is Only One You is a celebration of a child's uniqueness with fun, bright illustrations. End pages included added value with questions and activities to guide the teacher or parent in encouraging the conversation about each reader's own unique strengths and assets. A good read for little ones who are feeling a little less than special, or to further encourage your kids that standing out as different is not a bad thing. In addition to being asked to review this book, I was also priveleged to email back and forth with author Melissa Hin and learn a bit more about her! Melissa Hin has been an artist from the day she was born. She can't remember ever NOT creating--its just something she has to do! She has explored many mediums and materials over the course of her artistic career and also has dabbled in a number of varying styles. She likes to deem her art "Contemporary" which allows for both realistic representations and the abstract. Sometimes she likes to mix the two. Most often her subjects are inspired by nature but it is always her desire to lead the viewer on a journey each and every time they experience a work of art. She owns and operates an Art Studio in Long Island, NY, where she paints and teaches. So with all that artistic creativity, is it any wonder Melissa has turned to writing books? I asked her about her inspiration for the book There is Only One You and she responded that every child is unique and special. She wrote the story to encourage young readers to remember that. We are all different and special and Melissa believes we should celebrate that. I wholeheartedly agree! She dedicated this book to her sons Alex, Matt and Zach. She recalls how every night when they were young they would read wonderful stories together. Sometimes they would write their own. On that note, Melissa says she has two additional children's books written and is anxious to bring them alive with her illustrations so she can put them in print. We asked her if she found illustrating her story difficult--as an author and illustrator myself, I sometimes struggle here. Melissa responded confidently that it had always been her passion to illustrate her own stories. She believes a good picture book has a fantastic manuscript in addition to whimsical illustration which will enhance the text as well as highlighting it. She does admit she went through two previously illustrated versions before settling on the one she published. Melissa is quite happy with the results. I believe readers will be as well. If you want to learn more about Melissa and her art, use the buttons below to connect to her websites. Additional contact details are in the image gallery below. Her books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Ask your local bookseller! Thank you Melissa for taking the time to speak with me and for sharing such a wonderful book! I look forward to the next one... Those who are fans of "Geckos in the Garden" will know that I find it difficult to pass up a fun way to practice counting with little ones. Lee Matson is a writer after my own heart having created "Alexa & Pup Go to the Farm". A farm adventure and counting book in one! Bright colourful illustrations and catchy rhymes make this a fun read. There are lots of "noise" words to make reading aloud interactive and full of giggles. A great addition to any early library at home or school. But I was also able to learn a bit more about Lee and how he created this gem! Keep reading below! Lee Matson, renaissance man.
Living outside London, UK, with his partner Katie and children Alexa and Archer, Lee is a Personal Trainer andSenior Wellbeing Advisor. Lee holds a Sport and Exercise Science degree. He used to play semi-pro football (soccer for my fellow North Americans) and still follows the sport. Anything sporty really. During Covid, Lee was placed on furlough and spent all his time with Alexa (Archer appeared later). He notes they spent a lot of time watching TV, playing games, learning words and numbers, and doing lots of reading. After a while, as with most parents, Lee found himself bored with the same books and thought, "why not try something different?" This combined with a work related medical suggesting starting a new hobby to help with mental wellness during lockdown, came together when he thought he could create a book to enjoy with Alexa. The real Alexa reportedly loves the book and knows all of the words off by heart. She was apparently shocked when she realized she was on the front cover, and then more shocked to discover dear old dad also named on the front cover! When the books first arrived, Lee says she walked around with it telling her whole family she was famous. So why this creation? Lee knew that kids like Alexa love bright colours, animals, funny things and weird noises. Taking these ingredients, he mixed up a combination of these elements. I am so glad he did! Onomatopoeia keeps the kids interested and they can do the sounds as well. Lee's favourite bit in the book is when the sheep knit a hat for pup and it is far too long and covers pup. Kids have fun stopping here to find where Pup is hiding. His publisher produced the illustrations, and Lee was pleased with how they turned out. Lee enjoyed working with Austin Macauley Publishing. Lee would love for you to follow him on Instagram as he tries to build his audience. You can find him on instagram @alexa_and_pup where you can see what else he and Alexa and now Archer are getting up to! Thank you, Lee, for the opportunity to read and review your book and help share the word about it! A great first title and I am waiting for more! It's been a couple of weeks but I have another fantastic read for you! This title from author Saloni Surah is for the slightly older reader, say 8 to 12 years old. An early chapter book, "Flora Investigates: the Case of the Missing Gold Eggs" is about a young girl named Flora who sniffs out clues in Florence, Italy. In this case, she will meet wacky characters who are all suspects in the case. There will be a dancing pirate, a flying boat, multiple suspects and Flora's nose for trouble will analyze them all. The illustrations are captivating and I expect we will see more from illustrator Lisa Williams as well. I particularly enjoyed the images that showed Flora's notebook and notes... Let's learn more about the author, shall we? Saloni is a wonderful new voice in early readers.
A coach, with a PhD in HIV and drug use, she began writing while working on her PhD. She has worked with people from all over the world and see firsthand the effects of poverty and illiteracy. This spoke to her and moved her to start writing. While working on her PhD she found the time to manage some creative space to express herself apart from the largely scientific writing necessary to her degree. When asked about her inspiration for this story, she replied,"A gold egg laying chicken has gone missing and Flora has to find out who store her and why. It's a fun book with gold eggs and a flying boat, but it has heart because it's a book about a girl who has a dream and doesn't give up." This is her first published title, but Saloni has written three others and plans to go back and tweak the others. Based in the UK, Saloni's husband is from Florence and the book is loosely based on his friends and family. Her mother-in-law had previously kept chickens, and when Saloni first met her husband, one of these chickens had gone missing. He husband joked that there had been a murder in the back yard. When she travelled to Florence with him for the first time, the story started to brew. She met people who would evolve into the characters of the book although she does say they are "obviously overdone". Who wouldn't want to meet a crazy chicken lady or a dancing pirate with a flying boat? Saloni's publisher, TAUK Publishing, drew in Lisa Williams to illustrate the tale and Saloni is quite pleased with the result, saying Lisa has done a great job. When asked about a sequel, Saloni's response was that her dragons were calling her first but absolutely, yes! You can find this book on Amazon in eBook and paperback editions, as well as on Kindle Unlimited. If you happen to be near New South Wales, look for "Get Lost in Books", an indie bookshop that carries this title. In the UK you may find it on the shelves of "WriteBlend" in Liverpool, "The Book Dragon" in Stockton-on-Tees, and "Rainforest" in Chester. If you are looking for further Middle Grade works, watch for "The Last Fairy Guardian" by Saloni Surah, which is releasing this spring. It's a book about a forbidden friendship between a fairy and a human girl. I, for one, am looking forward to it! For more about Saloni Surah, click on the link button below. |
As I see it..(the Ruth's eye view) Archives
October 2024
Categories |