Apologies for not posting lately. I’ve been hard at work and totally focussed on my first picture book. Nia’s Special Day follows our young hero as she explores her neighborhood and the people in it. She wakes up one morning looking for her dad, Kuumba. He had promised her a special surprise that day but when she gets up he’s already gone. The story follows Nia and her mom as they search the neighborhood for dad while meeting the crew along the way. We get to meet the Everyday Heroes around her and find out more about what they do. This is a book about family, perseverance, and surprise. Will we track down our wandering troubadour? Did he forget his promise to Nia? Well, you’ll have to read along to find out.
Tell me more.
About Nia’s Picture Book
The book will be 32 pages, full color and 8″ x 10″. Available on Amazon in print or ebook. Nia’s Special Day should be sutable for youngsters ages 6-10. I expect it to be out before Kwanzaa though it’s not a Kwanzaa book per se. It continues on the Kinara’s Children: Everyday Heroes goal of highlighting the everyday people in our community. People who do their best to contribute to our collective well being throughout the year. This will be my second book featuring the Kinara’s Children characters. I hope you’ll enjoy these pictures from my picture book as I finalize the art and text. The time frame is still tight and I anticipate some long nights ahead but I’m focused and determined. So wish me luck. More info to come…
Background
A number of years ago, when I first started working on the Kinara’s Children project, I attempted to create a picture book. I made a couple of pages and posted them on line but soon ran into problems.
I didn’t know what I was doing.
Writing or illustrating a picture book seems easy at first glance. Not a lot of words and not a lot of images. I just dove in with no plan or understanding of workflow. I put pictures on line and said “Hey, I’m making a book everybody!” It didn’t take long to realize I’d jumped the gun. The story wasn’t right, the images didn’t fit. So I put the book on the shelf and continued to study and learn.
I decided last year that 2023 would be the year of my picture book and started work around March. Experienced artists tell us that illustrating a picture book should take about 6 months. Writing and illustrating the book while working on a part time basis took a bit longer. My goal is to release it in time for Kwanzaa 2023 and I’ve waited all this time to mention it until I felt I could accomplish the task. As always, I strive to create this art with the quality you’ve come to expect. This book has been reimagined from the ground up and I’m very pleased with the results. I hope you are as well.
Looks fantastic!
Thanks Ivory. Appreciated.