Happy Anniversary, Oddie the Ostrich!!
Writing a book is hard. Illustrating is hard. Nothing about creating a book, whether it's for children or adults—it can be challenging!
One year ago, I had an idea for a children's book, called The Oddie the Ostrich Cases. Today, I wanted to take a moment to share what that experience has been like, answer any questions that you may be asking (or not, I'm still answering them), and celebrate the fact that Oddie has been with me a whole year!
They say (I don't know who "they" are, but they say it), "Writing a children's book is hard," While that quote may be somewhat true, to me, it's not as hard as people make it out to be. There is two hard parts to writing children's book, for me:
One, as an adult, you have to think like a child and think about what they would like to see. You have to think what is fun/educational for them. You have to think what will make a child pick up your book, above all the other hundreds of books they may have. I know I am being dramatic by saying "hundreds", in reality they have like ninety-nine.
Two, parents can sometimes think too highly of their child, that it can make it hard to please them. And when talking about "them", I mean the parents. Kids just want an escape, like most of us, they want fun and colorful. In my experience making this book, I had some parents read it to their children (before the release of the book) and tell me the most ridiculous comments about how the book made them feel. Again, talking about the parent, not child. The child loved it, but the parent didn't like certain things. The parents can read too much into a book that is designed to be fun and colorful for children. It is not particularly made for adults.
I think what I got out of the experience with some parents is that, like any books for any age, you will not please everyone. You can only please yourself, artistically and professionally. Professionally, I want kids (and adults) to have an experience when reading The Oddie the Ostrich Cases. Whether is talking about difficult conversations and scenarios, learning big words, or even learning new emotions. I want The Oddie the Ostrich Cases to be a book kids want to reread, over and over again.
Artistically, I want to explore my inner child that I never got to when I was a kid. I want to share stories I wish I had as a kid, as well as introduce a genre that I love so much: mysteries.
It has been a journey creating this book, with full of emotions. I have learned so much over the past year and now can appreciate where that will take me with future Oddie books. It's not easy when you first start. You think it'll be a piece of cake, but I made multiple mistakes and attempts in the beginning, that it started out really rocky. I didn't even know how I was going to write this book. I started the book in this style that had no rhyme or rhythm. It didn't leap off the page. There was something there, but still felt bland. Once I had the rhyme and rhythm going for it, I knew where I was going to take Oddie and his journey.
It took two weeks of writing, three months of illustrating, and five months of learning how to format the book. Learning to format and size the book was the hardest and most frustrating thing about the entire process. Oddie is a product of mine, my first product to the world, and I wanted him to be great. I didn't want people buying my first book and saying, "Meh, it's his first book." I wanted, "Oh, wow, this is his first book?! It's incredible!" If you're wondering, I have gotten the reaction I have wanted and it is great!
I can't believe it has been a complete year of Oddie! I'm pleased to share that this year will mark the second year with the loveable Detective! As of now, I've almost completed the second book, titled The Oddie the Ostrich Cases, Vol. 2; and in the spring, start working on The Oddie the Ostrich Cases, Halloween Edition. While I didn't plan it, Oddie has certainly become a part of my life and I have plans to keep him for a few more years.
Now for questions you may have, or not but I'm giving them to you anyways:
1. What inspired you to make this book?
For most of my adult life, I have wanted to make children's books. I want (and plan) to make fairy tale stories for children. I feel our world has become depressing and hopeless, that I wanted to give children something we have been lacking for a long time, hope. Unfortunately, I never got around to making a fairy tale. I have ideas, but nothing written. Cut to Valentine's Day 2022, my partner got me a gift on the "Day of Love". He adopted me an Ostrich. While I wanted a live, in-person, one; it was an ostrich overseas, not a physical ostrich in my apartment. And then it hit me, my first book should be something I hold near and dear to me. It should be about an Ostrich. I also LOVE murder-mysteries, and while I couldn't write a murder-mystery for children; I could write a mystery book instead. It started to make me think of my own childhood and how there were very little to no good mystery books growing up. So, I decided children need mysteries and ostriches in their life; and a book was created!
2. How much research did you put into the book?
Not much at all. Most of my writings, I tend to just write and not do any research, if I can help it. My creative flow works that way and I don't want to risk hurting it. The only research for this book was to find out if someone else had an Ostrich Detective running around, and to my surprise (maybe not yours), there were none.
3. How do you pronounce "Oddie" and why that name?
Oddie is pronounced, to me, "ODD-e". I chose the name because many people I know think Ostriches are extremely odd. And I wanted his name to be cute with kids, so I added the "ie", like most of us do when we want to add cuteness or silliness to a name.
4. What is important to you when creating this book?
I want to make sure I am creating stories for children that I wish I had as a kid. I want to share my wisdom and insights I have learned over the years. It's important to say, "it's okay", and Oddie is the perfect person to do it! The other thing that is important when creating this book is representation. When I grew up, in the nineties, there weren't that many kids being properly represented. It was mainly about white kids. There are so many groups of kids in the world and we don't celebrate them! I want to share stories of kids of color, not always skinny kids, and kids with special needs. I want to share stories of real kids. I grew up with a hearing loss and needed hearing aids but didn't have stories that told me it was okay to have hearing aids; so, I never wanted them. It took twenty years to accept that it is okay to have such devices because they help you grow. I want these books to be for all, exclusive not inclusive.
5. Where did you publish the book? Did it cost anything?
Today is a great time to be a writer because now there are so many outlets to publish! You can publish on Barnes & Noble or Amazon. You have to find a service that will benefit your work and book. To me, it was Amazon. I originally wanted both, but with how Oddie is designed, Amazon fit my needs/product better! If you have a book, you want published and/or want to be a self-publisher on Amazon like me, go here!! If you want to create private books for yourself, friends, and/or family go to Barnes & Nobles, here. I use both and love them, for different reasons! Self-publishing through Amazon did not cost me a thing. The only with them is they take most of the money when it comes to your book. You get little royalty. But I still love it because it's an outlet for the world to see. I chose Amazon because everyone, in the world, has Amazon.
6. What advice would you give to anyone looking to create a book?
Just do it. You have an idea, write it. Don't expect it to be easy. It's not. It never is. Even with Oddie, I wanted to rip my own hair and sometimes I did. It is a process, so pick a story/project that you don't mind going crazy over for long periods of time. Be your own worst critic and best friend during the whole process. Everyone will have their opinions, but it's not about them. It's about you and the ideas coming out of your own head. Be honest with your writings. It's okay to console yourself when things are not going your way. Finally, don't fall in love with the writing. Fall in love with the process. Sometimes, our writing can be really good... Other times, it can be crap. That is okay. Just breathe and be honest. I write because I love it, even if I'm constantly changing my errors that I have made. I just love the process of creating.
7. Do you plan to make more Oddie books?
DEFINITELY!!! As I previously mentioned, I am almost done with the second book! It will be coming out the end of the month, just in time for me to make a trip the Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Arizona in March! After the festival, I plan to get to work on the third book, planned to come in August! It will be a Halloween-themed book! So, buy the first book now so you can enjoy the Oddie journey with me! Once I release those this year, I plan to take a 3–6-month hiatus from the Oddie series so I can focus on my schooling and other books! Which brings me to my next and final question:
8. Do you plan to make more books, other than Oddie?
Yes, for sure! I'm biting the bullet and will be writing my first full-length novel! It will be a murder mystery! I have been reading too much Agatha Christie, that I think it's time to bring what I have learned from that genre to life for others to enjoy! I will also be writing another novel, a fairy tale, that has been in my head for many years titled, Fairy Tale Horror. I also do have another idea for a children's book about littering. So, my writing schedule is full!
As you can see from this long blog, I love Oddie and have loved him for one full year now! Join me this year in celebrating him by buying the first book, here, and buying the future books soon! I can't wait to release The Oddie the Ostrich Cases, Vol. 2 later this month that I decided to share a page from the book, here:
The Oddie the Ostrich Cases, Vol. 2 will include three more cases to solve: The Case of the Monkey; The Case of Who Dealt It; and The Case of the Cranky Grandma! Oddie will be exploring new lands, with new characters! From the picture above, yes, we will be going to the Circus!
Thank you to all who has taken this journey with me. It is not easy, but with Oddie, he makes it fun! I hope I have helped anyone who plans to write a book on their own, or any parents still deciding if this book is good for their kid or not(It is)!
The Oddie the Ostrich Cases, Vol. 2 is coming VERY soon!!!!
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