This is another article we had planned for Sprouts Magazine. I thought it would show you how getting out there, talking to people, and doing school visits can lead to more buzz about you and your books. Melissa is the co-chair of the PTO’s Visiting Authors Committee in Long Hill Township.
Last March, she hosted a visit to the Gillette School from Mike Rex. He received rave reviews, including one from a child who said, “He is SO awesome.” Melissa agreed, and thought it would be SO awesome to interview Mike and find out more about his creative journey.
So, if you network and get a school visit, make sure you are awsome. Always be prepared to inspire, entertain, and provide the children a valuable experience. If you do, you will find yourself in articles that other people will read. Some of those people maybe teachers or on the PTO Visiting Authors Committee and contact you; helping you keep the buzz going.
Melissa Eisen Azarian is a freelance writer and co-chair of her PTO’s Visiting Authors Committee. Her first children’s book, The Amistad Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie, was released by Enslow Publishers in 2009. [email protected]
Michael Rex is the author/illustrator of Goodnight Goon, which reached #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. He has written and illustrated over twenty books. He grew up in Chatham, New Jersey and is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts. Recently, he moved to Leonia, New Jersey, where he is busy working on Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian! In January, Putnam released the first two books in this new graphic novel series for elementary readers.
Here is the Interview:
Your mom is the Administrative Director at a library. How much did her working at a library influence your career choice?
I was there often as a kid and she brought home lots of books for me. However, I remember more art books than novels. Collections of cartoons, “How To” books and books on movie making.
She could buy books at a good discount, so she bought me “How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way” when it first came out. I was never a big superhero guy, but I did learn many basic drawing techniques from that book.
What other factors influenced your decision to become an author/illustrator for children?
After graduating from SVA, I was interested in cartooning, and I was working as a video editor and I was always drawing. My work was getting silly, and kind of cute. It dawned on me that children’s illustration might work for me. I began to spend time at libraries in Manhattan and in bookstores. What grabbed me was that there was no one style that was popular. Every book looked different. Each book had its own feel. It seemed to be a genre, or format, that let an artist use their visual style to support, and add to a story.
What were your biggest obstacles, either academically or professionally?
Biggest hurdle academically? That’s easy. I hated school. Hated it every day from fifth grade to eleventh. In twelfth grade I went to Morris County Vo-Tech half a day to study commercial art. I loved it.
I hated school because I was very unorganized a