Thanks,
Sharon, for your enthusiastic invitation to post about my Twig Stories series. We have some things in common, I think. It seems we both love classic novels,
intricate illustrations, and exhibit patience with demanding creatures. I’m
glad you gave me some questions to answer because otherwise I tend to take off
on a tangent. So I’ll try to keep on track, or ‘stick with it,’ so to speak
(that’s a Twig joke).
How did Twigs originate, and why did you write them?
My daughter, Ali Jo, was
freaking out because a lot of the wildlife in our Pacific Northwest region
became endangered due to climate change events.
You see, I think her generation
is overly burdened by the expectations from our
generation that they solve all the problems we created. That’s a lot to dump on a 4th
grader.
So to help her and her
friends feel more empowered, we made up stick creatures called Twigs that live
in the huge, old western cedar trees in our backyard. Right off Twigs went
after bark beetles. (They’re destroying entire forests in all the western
states and Canada). We also had two 100 year floods within three years so
naturally Twigs went after goliath beavers to build dams.
Pretty soon Twigs
populated forests on the Olympic peninsula, and even moved into the rainforests
and prairies of British Columbia, Canada.
They got a little out of control, we admit. Now they’re on a shrinking glacier on Echo
Peak. (That’s Mount Rainier, an active volcano just north of Mount St.
Helens). After a while we learned Twigs
only survive if they adapt. So we decided it would be a good idea to share the books’
royalties with nature conservancy nonprofits.
The illustrations are unusual for children’s books. How
did that happen?
David Murray is a
professional Disney and Universal Pictures artist, and brings a lifetime of
skill and creativity to the characters.
He uses a style called ‘pen & ink’ for the inside art, and
photoshops the books covers. His artwork
is unique and amazing. What is even more
surprising is that the more you zoom in on one of his illustrations, the more
clearly you can see the details. Try
zooming in on one. It’s incredible.
Sometimes I have to wait and see what he creates before I can finish a
chapter. He really inspires my daughter
to use photoshop and develop her own illustration skills, too.
Anyway, before I met
David online, I had asked many illustrators for their concept of Leaf, my main
Twig guy, and was really discouraged by what I received, plus the fees and
contract limitations strangled any use of their art beyond the books. After I turned down a publisher’s offer (they
wouldn’t guarantee who the illustrator would be) David and I linked up because
of an email I sent out requesting opinions of publishers. He liked the idea of Twigs, and offered his
concept. It matched perfectly with what I had in mind for Leaf.
Now I simply give
David a description of the scene that I hope he can capture, and he squeezes
the project’s art in between his professional work. We’re on our third book, and I think his
depictions of Twigs just get better and better.
I included some of my favorite sketches so far. David gave me the
rights, too, so Ali Jo can have lots of fun creating puzzles and graphic
designs with his artwork. Kids can print them out from our website, and work
the puzzles there, too.
Who reads them?
The kids who really get a
kick out of the books are usually 4th, 5th and 6th
graders – that would be from 8 to 12 years old, I think. You see, the stories are fantastic adventures
full of action and danger, so they appeal to that independent spirit children
enjoy. Parents tell me they have lots of
fun reading them to even younger children.
That makes sense to me because Ali Jo and I read them aloud to each
other a number of times while writing them.
Adults read them, too, and I’m always thrilled when they say they love
the stories, but really they’re for kids.
Where can you get them?
Nearly any online
bookstore has them in paperback and Kindle. They are distributed
worldwide. Here’s some links to Amazon.com.
There are publisher-direct store links on my website that have good discounts,
too. So be sure to visit www.twigstories.com.
Links:
Leaf & the Rushing Waters:
Leaf & the Sky of Fire:
Jo, I sincerely appreciate you taking time to share your Twig stories with Sharon Stanley Writes. It's always fun to "meet" other writers and pick their brains. I Understand you will have some new Twig stories coming out before long, and hope you will come back and introduce them for us here.
What a lovely interview. Jo, well done for sticking to your guns about finding just the right illustrator. It is so important! And I do love how David has depicted the Twigs! I am not surprised that these stories truly have quite a wide appeal.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sharon and Jo!
Thank you, Joanna. You always have time to encourage me with such good comments. I'm glad you like the series, and Twigs. I'm very lucky David and I stumbled across each other. Twigs could not exist without him, I think. My daughter and I did our best to try and draw them, but we only ended up with stick figures. (Ha, ha, Twig joke!)
DeleteSharon! This is so lovely! I'm so proud you wanted to post about my books, and you made them look so great! Thank you very much. And the Twigs thank you, too!
DeleteAbsolutely terrific interview. Thank you for bringing Jo Marshall to my attention. I enjoyed getting to know her and the Twigs!
ReplyDeleteThank you Donna. So happy you stopped by. I am loving Jo..... She is so clever!
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