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| Babe To Teens, Past |
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May is that
wonderful month that everyone has been waiting for....school
will be out for the summer. I just finished reading Unicorn Races, and had previously read and reviewed Creatures of the Night, Alexander Asenby's Great Adventure and The Fairy Ball by Stephen J. Brooks. Unicorn Races is pure magic. Linda Crockett's beautiful illustrations complement the imaginative text perfectly, and Purple Sky Publishing presents the book in a lush format with a padded cover that gives the book a wonderful, luxurious feel. I was curious about this author and his exciting children's books. He was kind enough to answer my curiosity.  Bev:
When did you first know that you wanted to write children's
books? Steve:
To be honest, my desire to write children's stories came
as a result of the maturation process that goes along with
becoming a parent, as well as the unusual nature of my career.
I spent fifteen years as a Federal Agent traveling the globe and
working in a variety of roles related to security and anti-terrorism.
In my travels, I witnessed unbelievable living conditions:
families living in extreme poverty, children roaming the streets
begging for money, hatred festered by ignorance. It was
always the children that stood out to me in these harsh environments.
Despite living conditions unseen in the United States, the children
still had that glimmer of hope in their eyes. Among the blank,
lost stares of the adults, the children still ran and played, lost
in some imaginary world seemingly oblivious to their surroundings.
Subsequent
to the events of 9/11 my wife, who also served a Federal Agent in
a similar role to my own, and I decided that one of us needed
to change our careers to take care of our children. I had
always loved to write. Most of my writing was poetry or musings
lost in notebooks long since discarded. My foray into children's
writing started right after 9/11 when I wrote a short poem for my
daughter to quell her bedtime fears when I couldn't be there to
tuck her in at night. This poem was picked up by a small press
in Nebraska and published as a children's bedtime story. Thus
began the journey. I loved doing something to comfort and
inspire children. I was thrilled to assist children in
their imaginative processes. It was a wonderful transformation
for me, to go from bystander and witness to the baleful
side of humanity to actually participating in the creation of
worlds where children could escape the tribulations of their environment.
Bev:
Have any other authors been an inspiration to you?
Steve:
I must admit to having always been a great Tolkien fan.
When you talk about creating magical worlds there was no one
better. It's impossible to read his work without becoming
totally immersed in his creative processes. I always
loved the Narnia series as well.
Bev:
What were your favorite books as a child?
Steve:
As a child I read the usual favorites: Where the Wild
Things Are, The Velveteen Rabbit, anything by Dr.
Seuss. As I got older I remember sneaking my sister's Judy
Blume books out of her room and reading them in earnest. I
thank Mrs. Blume for guiding me through early adolescence.
Bev:
It seems like quite a stretch to go from being a federal
agent to creating enchanting stories like this for small children.
I know that federal agents are regular, everyday people, but, I
guess it is just the idea of them...they really don't
come across as having much magic and poetry in their souls.
Tell me about your road to publishing children's books.
Steve:
The path is as explained above. As to Federal Agent's
lacking "poetry or magic" in their souls, I don't know, there may
be some truth to that. There are of course exceptions
to every scenario. I do know we had our share of individuals
in basic training who definitely fit the stereotypical machismo
persona. I'll simply say that I didn't fit in well with this
group and leave it at that. I also know that much of the training
we went through was aimed at desensitizing the individual to certain
situations - I can assure you I never want to be desensitized. That's
probably about as much explanation as I can get into here.
Bev:
Each of your books is illustrated by a different artist.
Do you have any input on the choice of artist or the art content
of your books? How does that work?
Steve:
My first couple of books, I had no input into the artist.
Subsequent titles are a collaborative effort in which I had input.
Essentially, we look for an artist or illustrator that truly captures
the essence of the book. Each artist has obvious stylistic
differences that show when they represent a story. For example,
we were very much committed to having Linda Crockett illustrate
"Unicorn Races." The idea behind the story was to present
a magical world where anything is possible. We needed an artist
who could represent the illusion of the fantasy. Her use of
bright colors and vivid imagery truly bring the story to life.
We are absolutely thrilled with the final product.
Bev:
Tell us about the process of going from idea to published
book for you.
Steve:
My ideas come from literally getting on the floor and playing
with my daughter. They used to be inspired by similar play
with my son, but, he has since become a teenager and doesn't seem
to have an interest in playing my muse anymore. My daughter
assists me in returning to that magical world we all knew as children.
I loved Bridge to Terabithia because it so wonderfully
represents the reality of growing up. It becomes so much more
difficult to access our imaginative faculties as we mature and lose
ourselves to the responsibilities of adulthood. I run all
my ideas past my daughter. She still resides in the wonderful
world where anything is possible. After payment of consultation
fee's (cookies or candy) to my daughter I work toward story and
character development. What is it I want to do with this story?
How deep or developed do I want to make the character? It's
interesting because one of the initial criticisms of Unicorn
Races from one unnamed critic was that it did not teach a lesson.
One of the things I like are stories where children can simply escape.
I write stories where they can be a child and if we can inter-mix
some subtle messages in there, great, but I don't believe in trying
to be forceful in relaying some moral code to the reader.
For example, in Unicorn Races the main character, Abigail,
has a great and fantastic magical journey to a world where unicorns
race and fairies and elves prepare marvelous feasts. While
this would appear, on the surface, to not contain any messages of
import, we were careful to actually put the character in complete
control of the environment. Through words such as "decreed,"
"declared," and "commanded," Abigail is clearly controlling the
story. The purpose was to show empowerment for little girls.
This clearly isn't the primary purpose of the story, but, provides
a nice subtle backdrop - reinforcing the idea that girls can be
in charge and control.
The
remainder of the process is simply story development, editorial
analysis, story- boarding and waiting, waiting and more waiting.
Bev:
Have you done any other kind of writing besides books for
young children?
Steve:
I have always written poetry and prose for as long as I
can remember. I lived in Spain for a while, fancying myself
a Hemingway, inhabiting coffee shops and tapas bars writing poetry
that would inevitably be decimated by critics. We all have
our own escape mechanisms, our own way of expressing ourselves and
releasing our inner imaginations; mine has always been through paper
and pen. I do currently have two novels I'm working on, but,
continue to concentrate on my children's writing. It provides
me the most satisfaction. There is nothing better than reading
one of my books before a group of children and seeing their eyes
light up as they get lost in my story.
Bev:
What is your least favorite part of being a children's
book author?
Steve:
I enjoy almost all the processes involved in producing
a children's book. If there is one part that is my "least"
favorite it would be the marketing aspect. I would much rather
work directly with the children or be writing.
Bev:
And your favorite thing?
Steve:
Making a difference. Creating worlds where children
are safe to wander and explore.
Bev:
Do you have any advice for kids who love to read, and want
to be a writer some day?
Steve:
Keep a daily journal. Write down your thoughts, fears,
insecurities, and triumphs. It's not only cathartic, but,
it exercises your mind and your imagination. It provides practice
in translating feelings and ideas into words.
Bev:
Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share
with us?
Steve:
Follow your dreams. I know it sounds cliche, but,
it's the phrase with which I begin and end all of my presentations.
While I certainly don't regret my former employment, I do recognize
that it wasn't my calling. While it provided me with a wealth
of experiences that I would not have otherwise had, it did
not provide the sense of fulfillment that is so important in life.
One of the reasons I love writing for, and speaking to, children
is because they are clean slates. They are wonderful bundles
of unrealized potential. Sometimes it seems that in our hurry
to prepare them for life we are taking the life out of them.
I encourage kids to believe in themselves and to truly listen to
their inner calling. There are no "do-overs." How many
of us have found ourselves staring out the window from our cubicles
or offices wishing we were somewhere else - reminiscing of better
times. If nothing else I hope to help foster the imaginative
spirit of children and help them believe that anything is possible.
My
favorite quote is from Henry David Thoreau - "Go confidently in
the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined."
Stephen
J. Brooks
Review by Beverly J. Rowe, MyShelf.com
Contests ------------------------------------------- Contest # 2 WINNER: TBA He
Will Go Fearless by Laurie Lawlor.
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