It’s always a scary moment. I woke up to Don saying, “You’ve got a review today.” And in my head, my mind is going, “Did they like it? Did they? Did they?”Books have a life of their own. From the moment they’re published they will do things you can’t and go places you can’t. As an author, you just have to get over that.
Books are so private in their making and so public in their lives. You make them mostly in the silence of your study or studio. Then you put them out to do anything they will do in the world. And all of a sudden, people who don’t know you from Adam, know all kinds of things about you. I have, in the past, forgotten what I wrote and been deeply unnerved by what they knew about me.
But that’s the wonder of books. We are broader, wider, more public, more real for having written and for reading. Our world is more deeply connected. Doing art is similar. You do it because it’s important, vital, to you. The miracle occurs when it matters to someone else as well. Art changes what we think, and how we perceive. It changes what we perceive. What could be more important than that?
But in the end, it was just you fuddling around in the studio. Private becomes public. But maybe, in a small corner, in a small way, we change the world.
So nothing matters quite so much as whether people get it. Did they like it? Did they?
With One more Once Upon a Time, I wanted to showcase the universality of some great older illustrators. And I had a party with the Photoshop toolbox. It’s unabashed eye candy. But who doesn’t have a hungry eye? A huge part of my happiness is when I find something that makes my eyes feel like they’re there for a reason, to see something of delight.
I also had a personal triumph. I figured out how to publish a color book in Kindle. I’m very pleased to be able to share things in another format.
So this is the very nice thing someone called Pedalpoint said about my book.
Not your run-of-the-mill picture book, Eddy has used her well-known creative eye and flair for color to create a whole new book experience. This collection of digitally created artwork is based on traditional illustrations used in a very nontraditional way. Be prepared for the unexpected. Some images will bring a smile, others will bring a pause to ponder. Each image is titled, then a short sentence follows to guide your thoughts…or not. And that is precisely what I suspect Eddy is encouraging each of us to do: to think, to visualize, to personalize, and look beyond the obvious. The book has few words, but is large in vision.
Thanks! From my point of view, she got it. Pretty much that’s what I had in mind. That and a party plan with eye candy in a candy bowl.
A word about reviews. Even if you don’t like a book, review it. But especially if you do like it. Your word counts! And it helps build interest! As an author I am always grateful for every review.
Check out One More Once Upon a Time. It’s on both Kindle and in print at Amazon.com.
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