Lets Talk! Going to the Zoo
by Lisa Jacovsky
GENRE: picture book
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BLURB:
Harper and Emma are two best friends who first met at the pool in the summer. Emma has Autism which affected her speech. Harper became determined to find a way to talk with her new friend and learned about Autism. Neither girl would allow anything stand in their way of becoming best friends.
Now, Harper and Emma are excited to go to the zoo for the first time. This is a new adventure for them which they are going on with their daddies. Once they get there, they are amazed at the different animals they see. Then, while admiring them, a group of children come by and begin to laugh and point at Emma. She had been flapping her hands and making noises in excitement watching these new animals. Harper is confused by this but does not allow the bullying to continue. She educates the bullies about Autism and who Emma is. The bullies eventually walk away however, one little boy stayed behind. He apologized for his actions and wants to be friends. The three new friends finish their day at the zoo exploring and meeting new animals making memories with their daddies.
Book genre: children’s book
Keywords: autism, kidlit, children’s book, autismawareness, zoo, animals, zoo animals
Hello and happy summer. My name is Emily and thank you for giving me some of your time.
Hi thank you for hosting me on your blog!
Was writing your first love?
I think so. I never really thought of it that way but I have been writing short stories since I was a kid. I think the dream of being an author was the first real thing I gravitated towards. I think writing will always be my first love.
Where do you like to write?
I usually write on my couch or at my dining room table. If I get inspiration, which can be anywhere, in my car or at work or at the gym, ill jot notes into my phone. Then put it together on my laptop. Sitting where im comfortable helps me to think and focus better.
Is writing everything you thought it would be?
It really is and more I would have to say. When people what it has been like to publish a book I always say its been a ride. Because it really has been. Writing is one thing and then turning that into something more is a whole other thing. There is also different ways to write like I am a published childrens book author but I also do research and write applied research articles that I hope to be published soon and that is a whole other way to write. I love to write and I think the way I write my children’s books is how more fun than I ever could have imagined. Writing research articles is amazing and dissertation is horrible lol I would rather write ten more books any day=)
Who is/was your favorite character to write about?
Think I have had the most fun writing Emma. Really because she is so similar to clients I have and currently do work with. It is great to kind of get in the head of one of my own clients and try to figure out how to they would react to certain situations and then write it into my book. Developing this characters’s own personality, quirks and reactions has been different and really fun. I have really enjoyed trying to do something different with Emma.
How do you form your story ideas?
It has definitely taken time to figure out the direction of this series. Once I knew two important things about these books, that I wanted each to show the girls doing a different activity and to tackle a social issue, it was a bit easier to figure out the rest. Each book is going to show the girls in an activity tha tis meaningful to me. So choosing the zoo for book two was a no brainer because I am very passionate about animals. The idea for having the girls encounter bullies really came easily and I feel is so relatable to today for anyone really. I also knew I wanted to showcase more in my books in the terms of ethnicities and having a mix of male and female characters. This book allowed me to do that and really grow as an author, showing more of my creativity and background from my career. Once I narrowed those certain things down the ideas for all six books in the series were pretty easy to come up with. Then it became deciding on dialogue and a real story line. That’s the part that can come and go when I have inspiration.
Do you keep notes during the day? (In case something inspires you or, if you had a lively conversation and thought, “Hey that would be great in a book.”)
Oh yes absolutely! I have so many notes in my phone right now of ideas for future books in the series and another series that will be coming out soon. I can get inspired at any point and especially in my career it happens pretty easily. I love that I can write down notes in my phone real quick to look back on later and elaborate on.
Do you write in one sitting or in bursts?
It really depends on the inspiration at the time. For this book, book 2, I wrote half of it and then took a break for like three or four months. Then sat down and finished it one day that I had inspiration. Now the third and fourth book in the series that are coming out soon were a little different. Book 3 I wrote more in spurts and book four is about 75% done so far. So it really depends on my inspiration. Typicallhy ill write for an hour and take a break and then go back to it. But in that hour I can write almost the entire book or blog or whatever I am working on. Sometimes I just block things out and just type and see what is there when I come back to reality. Its pretty interesting lol
What was the last book you read? Did it live up to your expectations?
The last book I read was Blood Communion by Anne Rice and it more than lived up to my expectations. I actually read it in two short 2.5 hour plane rides lol that’s how much I loved it!! She is one of my favorite authors and I love the world of vampires and werewolves she has created. An absolute amazing book I would highly recommend.
What are some of your most difficult parts to write?
For this book I would have to say getting the dialogue right with the bully. That was pretty hard because I want it to be very relatable and im not someone who would engage in that or have seen bullying much. So trying to get it when I usually draw on experience was tough. I think anything that is outside of something I have experienced in the past or in my career can be pretty tough to write about. That is when I do research though and that always helps.
Did this book follow your original plan? Or did it turn into something completely different?
It definitely followed my original plan. I wanted to see the girls going to the zoo and I was given the idea to put the dads in by a publisher. So I think everything I pictured in my head really translated to the page and into the phsyicla book amazingly.
Did your characters ever stop talking to you at any point in your writing?
No lol I feel like they talk to me any time that I get inspired to write more in the series. I am usually thinking of the next books and what I can do with those. What characters can I introduce? What social issue can they face? I usually have a picture in my head of what I want to see in the physical book. I actually was writing more in the fourth book recently and have about 75% of it done. I don’t think our characters ever stop talking to us as authors and writers=)
Was it hard to stay motivated during your writing process? What were some of your go-to strategies to stay on point?
It definitely can be and im not the type of person to force things, I just let it flow when I get inspiration so there can be months where I don’t work on the next book. I use music to motivate me when im writing. For some reason it helps me to focus so much that I block it out and just type lol then I realize I did that when I hear a new song and look at what I wrote lol its pretty interesting=)
Do you have a playlist for this book? Or any song that helped you develop a perticital scene?
I don’t have a particular playlist. When I write I usually listen to the same channel on spotify for some reason that really helps me focus, the Daddy Yankee channel. I love his music and it really helps me to stay focused and motivated.
Lastly, what is one key piece of advice you would give to anyone wishing to go down the writing path?
Be determined and don’t ever give up. Even if it takes you years to publish, It was a year in a half before I decided and actually had the money to self-publish my first book. Also, check out social media, there is a whole writing community out there of amazing supportive authors that will help you with resources and staying motivated. The writing community is so awesome I am so grateful for it. No matter how you publish, how much money you make, or how long it takes you to, you did it, you made a book happen and that is a huge accomplishment. I would always try to remember that =)
Thank you for your time today :)
Thank you for having me!! This was so much fun, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did =)
Lisa Jacovsky currently is a Doctoral Level student at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is excited for the possibilities having her Doctoral degree will bring her. She has been in the field of ABA since 2014 where she began her career working with adults in residential group homes. She moved onto working with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2018 and is currently working in Early Intervention. It is her experience with children that inspired her to finally fulfill her dream of writing a book. Lisa began writing short stories when she was seven years old. Writing is a passion for her and one of the many things she enjoys. Lisa lives in New Jersey where she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working on the next stories of the Rascal Cat brothers silly shenanigans.
Thanks for showcasing my book 📚🤓 -lisa
ReplyDeleteYou're Welcome :)
DeleteSounds like a good book.
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