On the 11th Day of Christmas…
ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME… 11 hic-hic-hiccups…
10 time travelers, 9 Aliens, 8 conspiracies, 7 super heroes, 6 corrupt files, 5 Demon Spawns! 4 lost souls, 3 werewolves, 2 vampires, and zombies in a story.
I’m secure enough to admit that I really enjoy the classic fairy tales. Disney did a great job of bringing family friendly versions of them to life, and whether dark or happy, the stories are timeless. When my daughter was born I wrote a children’s book for her called A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS. I was heavily inspired by things like Baum’s Oz stories and Carroll’s Wonderland. After finding success with my first children’s book I went back and began rereading some of the ones that inspired me and they are still enjoyable to this day. Depicted here is a rare find called the OZ/Wonderland War. It was a 4 issue mini-series that places both realms in the same reality, and although a little goofy is an enjoyable comic if just to see the characters unite and interact. What is your favorite fairy tale type story?
You can order my children’s books or any of my novels on Amazon.com and Lulu.com in digital and print respectively. Feel free to inbox me (rickpipito@hotmail.com) for personalized copies.
Day 25 – A Little Girl In The Land Of The Hiccups
Day 25 of #scrypthalloween shows my first children’s book A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS. I wrote this story for my daughter, Lana, and it quickly became a reader favorite. With outstanding watercolor artwork by @dpipito it brought my writing into a whole new genre.
Available at lulu.com, Amazon, and B&N in print and digital…
official description: When a little girl finds herself a long way from home, she must help her new Eskimo friends to rid their land of the Hiccups, miniscule little creatures that are more of an annoyance than anything. From award winning author, Rick Pipito, the story is aimed for a young female audience, but can be enjoyed by all. With art by Dan Pipito, this heart warming tale will inspire young readers to never give up hope and put their best thoughts forward.
Day 29 – Looking at a past release
Okay, so I got away easily with this post in doing something similar to yesterday’s. Since time travel is the topic for today I decided to do a little of it myself. Just a year ago I released my first children’s book, A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS.
While the sequel has hit some road bumps, it will be here sooner than we know it. When my daughter was in the womb, I read to her mother’s belly every night. I knew somehow that she’d be a girl, even before we found out by the doctors. As a fan of Baum’s Oz books, and Alice’s adventures in wonderland, I read those to her first. I remember her moving to the sounds of my voice as I told her all about Dorothy’s journey to see a wizard, and her adventures afterwards. By the time she was born she’d already heard four and a half full length novels!
As a writer I came up with an idea for her own children’s book. One of the things she used to do, other than twirl around in circles in the belly, was to send jolts of excitement. These came in the form of hiccups. It dawned on me then. A story about a girl who is lost in a land with some strange creatures by the same name. There would be a certain degree of education in the book, while keeping it fun for kids and have an underlying moral to the story.
While we wait for its sequel A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS, we can always go back and share a fun reading with our little ladies. Here’s the description of A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS: When a little girl finds herself a long way from home, she must help her new Eskimo friends to rid their land of the Hiccups, miniscule little creatures that are more of an annoyance than anything. From award winning author, Rick Pipito, the story is aimed for a young female audience, but can be enjoyed by all. With art by Dan Pipito, this heart warming tale will inspire young readers to never give up hope and put their best thoughts forward.
What are some of your favorite memories of the past? Do you have a favorite children’s book? Make sure to use the hashtag #scrypthalloween when commenting, and you may win a copy of one of my novels. You can find this book and more of mine in print at Lulu.com, and on Amazon in digital.
No one likes a case of the Hiccups. Here’s one of those tiny pesky creatures. Art in the book is by Dan Pipito
Interview: A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS
Here are some of the questions I received after public readings of my first children’s book, A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below and I’ll answer them as well. Enjoy!
Q: This sounds like a cute but interesting name for a children’s book. What gave you this idea?
Rick: When my wife was pregnant with my daughter I’d read every night to her belly. My little girl would always react to hearing my voice and toward the end of each chapter I’d read, she’d predictably respond by hiccupping. It was such a bonding thing for me and the little lady that would be, so I wanted to write her more than just a song. I wanted a children’s book. The title came from that experience.
Q: Does your daughter like to read now?
Rick: Most certainly. Bedtime is her favorite because she knows its story time. Now that she is reading on her own (she’s 6 years old), we can take turns reading to each other, and I love every second of it.
Q: How did she react to finding out you wrote it for her?
Rick: She was overjoyed with emotion. Not only did her daddy write her a story, but her uncle (my brother, Dan Pipito) did the watercolor art for it. It holds a special place in all of our hearts.
Q: How did your son react?
Rick: He loved it too, and of course asked when I was going to write a story for him. His is already written actually, I just need to sit down with my brother and work out a schedule and approach to the art. The goal is to have it released in early 2016.
Q: The title of this book seems to be aimed at a young female audience. I’m assuming the opposite will be the audience for the book you’re writing for your son?
Rick: In reality they can be enjoyed by both boys and girls, but yes that’s the goal. They will exist in the same universe as one another, and the main character for the boy’s book will be the Little Girl’s brother.
Q: What will you call the sequel?
Rick: Based on my son having been a semi-restless child I named it A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS. Now that he’s a little bit older, thankfully he sleeps very well, and I hope this will be something he can read to his children one day.
Q: How is audience reaction to A Little Girl In the Land of The Hiccups thus far?
Rick: Overwhelmingly positive. I was asked to read at a school for a Kindergarten class, and be involved in a Q and A session as inspiration for future writers. For the younger attendees they seemed to love it, and for the older ones (ranging in age from 5th grade to adult) they not only enjoyed it but were ecstatic that I was there. It was a hit during the holiday season and I hope it will be again next year, because it really is a great read for young girls especially.
Q: How many children’s books will you do?
Rick: Definitely a minimum of three. That’s all I have conceptualized at this point but I’m sure there will be more. I have the goal of A LITTLE GIRL… for girls, A LITTLE BOY… for the boys, and a third book in the series that will team the brother and sister up in a new scenario and appease to both sexes.
Q: How does writing a children’s book differ from what you do to write a novel, from concept to final product?
Rick: It’s unique in that there is a lot less time involved on my part. For my novel writing there is research involved, making the characters believable and their situations. When writing the children’s book it was simpler. The idea and character were already set. Putting her in a fantastic situation didn’t need to be entirely believable because of the audience. Kids tend to disassociate themselves from the real world on multiple levels. An active imagination can be very healthy, and I encourage children to have fun with their make believe before they have to go out into the real world and face the difficulties of being an adult. I enjoyed playing into that “make believe” with writing this and at the same time I wanted a moral to the story to be accompanied by a certain degree of education. Making it a fun experience while teaching a lesson is what it is all about in a child’s book.
Q: The style of art selected is authentic and really balances well with the story. Tell us about the artist.
Rick: Dan (Pipito) is my younger brother. He and I have always done well working together especially when it comes to combining my writing with his artistic talents. He’s proficient in many mediums, but watercolor is my favorite of his styles. Dan took my story and brought it to life. He asked for my final approval and I had no issues with what he’d done. My kids love what he did, and I think that says a lot. He managed to captivate not just the adult author’s approval, but also the child reader’s.
Q: Where can anyone get a copy of “A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS”?
Rick: www.lulu.com is selling print copies at reasonable rates, so spread the word.
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