Feb. 9, 2020: Big Bad Procrastination
Well I've gone and done it again. Left you guys in the dark. My apologies. The truth is that I now have a Facebook page for book news (under the same name: Jacob's Daydreams) and frankly it's much easier to update than this site here. But I am aware that not everyone has Facebook and so I don't want to alienate those poor souls who live in the real world. So! What happened since Nov. 6?
On Tues, Feb 4 the CC press interviewed Dixie and me on our new book as well as the publishing industry and future plans. It seems that many people read it because even up until recently people have come up to me at the store and congratulated me on it. Thanks for the coverage, guys! (And thank you, Dixie, for saving my hide by answering the questions which I didn't know: 90% of them.)
On Tues, Feb 11, I read Big Bad Reunion to kids, most of my family, and some adult friends at the CC library. I was very nervicited to see what kind of reaction I would get and was pleased to see that everyone seemed to love it. I especially had fun trying out new crazy voices for the characters and the kids laughed at them a lot. Also loved the cake mom bought for me from Hy-Vee. Thank you all for attending and buying more copies! And thank you, CC library, for the opportunity! Can't wait to read it again somewhere else.
Lastly, Dixie recently informed me that our third book could be coming soon, which is a relief and a joy after how long we waited for BBR. We were told this one would be our second dragon book which involves vegetables and one dragon's struggle to get a royal brat to eat them. I love the story even more than the first and think you might too.
Stay tuned! And don't forget to check out my Facebook page for faster updates! (Plus more pictures.)
On Tues, Feb 4 the CC press interviewed Dixie and me on our new book as well as the publishing industry and future plans. It seems that many people read it because even up until recently people have come up to me at the store and congratulated me on it. Thanks for the coverage, guys! (And thank you, Dixie, for saving my hide by answering the questions which I didn't know: 90% of them.)
On Tues, Feb 11, I read Big Bad Reunion to kids, most of my family, and some adult friends at the CC library. I was very nervicited to see what kind of reaction I would get and was pleased to see that everyone seemed to love it. I especially had fun trying out new crazy voices for the characters and the kids laughed at them a lot. Also loved the cake mom bought for me from Hy-Vee. Thank you all for attending and buying more copies! And thank you, CC library, for the opportunity! Can't wait to read it again somewhere else.
Lastly, Dixie recently informed me that our third book could be coming soon, which is a relief and a joy after how long we waited for BBR. We were told this one would be our second dragon book which involves vegetables and one dragon's struggle to get a royal brat to eat them. I love the story even more than the first and think you might too.
Stay tuned! And don't forget to check out my Facebook page for faster updates! (Plus more pictures.)
Nov. 6, 2019: 16 Fun Facts for Big Bad Reunion
* We wrote and submitted a book before this one which turned into the sequel to this story. (That’s right, there’s a sequel! Hopefully!) The inspiration for BBR came from a line I wrote in the next book where Papa Bear asks the big bad wolf, “Don’t you have your own Big Bad reunion to attend?” It was also inspired by overhearing a friend who said they felt like an outsider at their family reunions.
* There was going to be a “Big Dad Wolf,” but Dixie worried that parents wouldn’t want a parent to be a negative role model, which was a good point, so after some experimenting we eventually just took him out to be safe.
* Big Bad’s brother was first named Big Chad, then Big Brad (as that’s my Dad’s name and my middle name), and finally Big Rad as Dixie suggested his brother should have more personality. It’s less confusing that way anyway to not have Bad and Brad together.
*I forgot to give Big Mad a proper introduction along with the rest of his relatives until the last minute, which is why his intro isn’t as memorable as theirs. If I could change the story I would have him do something humorous like kick down the front door or stub his toe.
* The wolves were going to have a grill-out before going to Oinkster’s house. In this scene, Big Bad would have come back with only vegetables and gotten the same reactions he did when he said he didn’t feel like eating meat. Sadly, there wasn’t room for this part or I might have kept it. I wanted to have him mention something about going vegetarian.
S* Instead of falling over and laughing at Big Bad’s sudden disinterest in meat, Big Plaid was going to spit out his punch. I changed this because… who carries a cup of punch in their hand very far from the table?
S* Before the wolves blew down Oinkster’s house, the pigs were going to climb on the roof and attack them with something like cake or super soakers. But then we thought even bigger.
* One possible route for the story we considered was only Big Bad was still bad while the rest of his family was good and drove him crazy. Another was that most of them were good and Big Bad was trying to be good, but a few family or friends were pressuring him into being bad again.
* I picked a log cabin for Granny mainly because my dad’s parents lived in a log cabin in Montana for awhile.
S* The boy who cried wolf was going to be in the story as a lookout for Granny and Red Riding Hood, standing on the roof with a telescope. We took him out for two reasons: first, he’s already in the sequel doing something similar, and we didn’t want to repeat that joke of him being honest. Second, we wanted it to be more of a surprise for the readers at just how prepared the residents of the house were for the wolves.
S* I sometimes wonder if a giant slingshot would have been a better choice than a catapult for firing food, as it’s probably easier to aim with a more direct shot, but I also don’t want the wolves to get hit too hard, even if it is just casserole.
S* Instead of Big Mad getting hit with coconut pie, I wish I had made him get hit with something with vegetables and gag. More kids would relate to that and my next dragon story involves vegetables. Maybe one day I'll make that change.
S* When Big Bad fixed Oinkster’s house I considered having the characters from the story “Peter and the Wolf” come to help him as well as give him the invitation to the fairy tale reunion. Dixie and I both agreed that most people probably wouldn’t know that story as well (though I always like to get readers interested in new things). But it was more meaningful for a family member to come see him anyways.
S* One idea I had for an ending were the words “After all… it couldn’t be worse than his own reunions” and request an illustration of the wolves cleaning up and arguing. Dixie thought that would be too negative and she was probably right as usual.
S* If anyone doesn’t like the idea of the big bad wolf going good, just pretend that he’s a relative with the same name. Not really a fact, I know.
* This story is possibly my favorite one we’ve submitted so far.
* There was going to be a “Big Dad Wolf,” but Dixie worried that parents wouldn’t want a parent to be a negative role model, which was a good point, so after some experimenting we eventually just took him out to be safe.
* Big Bad’s brother was first named Big Chad, then Big Brad (as that’s my Dad’s name and my middle name), and finally Big Rad as Dixie suggested his brother should have more personality. It’s less confusing that way anyway to not have Bad and Brad together.
*I forgot to give Big Mad a proper introduction along with the rest of his relatives until the last minute, which is why his intro isn’t as memorable as theirs. If I could change the story I would have him do something humorous like kick down the front door or stub his toe.
* The wolves were going to have a grill-out before going to Oinkster’s house. In this scene, Big Bad would have come back with only vegetables and gotten the same reactions he did when he said he didn’t feel like eating meat. Sadly, there wasn’t room for this part or I might have kept it. I wanted to have him mention something about going vegetarian.
S* Instead of falling over and laughing at Big Bad’s sudden disinterest in meat, Big Plaid was going to spit out his punch. I changed this because… who carries a cup of punch in their hand very far from the table?
S* Before the wolves blew down Oinkster’s house, the pigs were going to climb on the roof and attack them with something like cake or super soakers. But then we thought even bigger.
* One possible route for the story we considered was only Big Bad was still bad while the rest of his family was good and drove him crazy. Another was that most of them were good and Big Bad was trying to be good, but a few family or friends were pressuring him into being bad again.
* I picked a log cabin for Granny mainly because my dad’s parents lived in a log cabin in Montana for awhile.
S* The boy who cried wolf was going to be in the story as a lookout for Granny and Red Riding Hood, standing on the roof with a telescope. We took him out for two reasons: first, he’s already in the sequel doing something similar, and we didn’t want to repeat that joke of him being honest. Second, we wanted it to be more of a surprise for the readers at just how prepared the residents of the house were for the wolves.
S* I sometimes wonder if a giant slingshot would have been a better choice than a catapult for firing food, as it’s probably easier to aim with a more direct shot, but I also don’t want the wolves to get hit too hard, even if it is just casserole.
S* Instead of Big Mad getting hit with coconut pie, I wish I had made him get hit with something with vegetables and gag. More kids would relate to that and my next dragon story involves vegetables. Maybe one day I'll make that change.
S* When Big Bad fixed Oinkster’s house I considered having the characters from the story “Peter and the Wolf” come to help him as well as give him the invitation to the fairy tale reunion. Dixie and I both agreed that most people probably wouldn’t know that story as well (though I always like to get readers interested in new things). But it was more meaningful for a family member to come see him anyways.
S* One idea I had for an ending were the words “After all… it couldn’t be worse than his own reunions” and request an illustration of the wolves cleaning up and arguing. Dixie thought that would be too negative and she was probably right as usual.
S* If anyone doesn’t like the idea of the big bad wolf going good, just pretend that he’s a relative with the same name. Not really a fact, I know.
* This story is possibly my favorite one we’ve submitted so far.
Nov. 6, 2019: The Next One Just Blew In
Looking for a fun Christmas gift for your kids? Our next big bad book is out and available for purchase! Co-authored by award-winning author Dixie Phillips, illustrated by award-winning artist KC Snider, and also written by (one) award-winning goofball yours truly, this new fairy tale spoof is likely to give big laughs to the whole family.
You can order online or else talk to me and I’ll gladly sign it for you. And remember, if you leave an Amazon review for my first story, Dragon Breath, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free copy of this book!
Thank you! Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did writing it.
“Tired of the way he’s always lived, the big bad wolf is ready for a change. His family, on the other hand, is still far from it. Will he handle the pressure? No one should miss this humorous and heartfelt story of what became of the big bad wolf.”
You can order online or else talk to me and I’ll gladly sign it for you. And remember, if you leave an Amazon review for my first story, Dragon Breath, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free copy of this book!
Thank you! Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did writing it.
“Tired of the way he’s always lived, the big bad wolf is ready for a change. His family, on the other hand, is still far from it. Will he handle the pressure? No one should miss this humorous and heartfelt story of what became of the big bad wolf.”
Dec. 5, 2018: Brushing Up on Events (and Puns)
I haven’t updated this for an entire year? What’s wrong with me? I guess I just assume that no one is reading it and it doesn’t matter anyway… or that most everyone I know already sees my Facebook posts about my book-related adventures… or that I don’t have anything to talk about. But none of those are valid excuses and I’ll try harder to be diligent. Better to make it a habit now while I’m less busy.
Anyway, you haven’t missed too much so it won’t take too long to catch you up to speed.
On Feb. 6 I read my book to children at my local library. It was my first time reading it to my youngest intended target audience, and though it was a little scary (and challenging with all the squirming kids) I think they enjoyed it and I got more experience talking to a younger audience and speaking in character voices. Afterwards I handed out boxes of lemon drop candy but then my team (Mom, Dad, Dixie) and I agreed it might be better to give tooth brushes from that point on.
Anyway, you haven’t missed too much so it won’t take too long to catch you up to speed.
On Feb. 6 I read my book to children at my local library. It was my first time reading it to my youngest intended target audience, and though it was a little scary (and challenging with all the squirming kids) I think they enjoyed it and I got more experience talking to a younger audience and speaking in character voices. Afterwards I handed out boxes of lemon drop candy but then my team (Mom, Dad, Dixie) and I agreed it might be better to give tooth brushes from that point on.
In July, after Dixie had submitted Dragon Breath to the Purple Dragonfly book contest, it placed 1st in the humor category! This will be a great boost to the worth of our book. I'm grateful that we're off to such a good start.
On Dec. 2 (Nope. Nothing else really happened from then until now.) I was invited to hold another book signing at the Plainfield Public Library for their “Christmas on Main Street” open house. This time I came more prepared than before with 50 tooth brushes from Central Park Dentistry to take home, a book rack from my mom, and two plush dragon toys—one I got on amazon and the other my mom found at Trinkets and Togs in Waverly. The library, intentionally or not, had a clever set up with free snacks in one room and then my booth with the free tooth brushes in another. Mom came along and helped a lot with making change and greeting people. I met plenty of friendly people that night and sold 14 books. I’ve actually sold over 100 now!
Dec. 5: I read my book to the students at the Janesville Public School. A coworker in the bakery, Jo Miller, who is also a student teacher, heard that I had written this book and invited me to come read it to her third grade class. This was unquestionably my best public reading experience so far. The children behaved like angels, paid attention, laughed at the story, complimented me a lot, and asked some terrific follow-up questions. (The teachers were, of course, well-behaved as well.) Afterwards Mom and I walked around the school with Jo and relived memories of her dad’s coaching career at the school.
Looking to the future…
There hasn’t been any word from the illustrator on when she can work on the sequel, but I still need to get a new picture taken of myself for the back of the book, take one last look at the story, and even just come up with a satisfactory title! I’m eager for it, yet not exactly ready. But I know K.C. Snider will give us something dynamite and I can’t wait to see her bring the story to life. I’m setting up on a Facebook business page for my book to spread the word farther and simplify the buying process for autographed books. Perhaps most exciting… Dixie and I are crafting a third dragon book! This one will focus on another health topic, feature even more fun new creatures, and star a character you probably wouldn’t expect. It’s yet to be seen if Guardian Angel Publishing will accept it but I’m hoping they’ll love it as much as we do. If we don't see our four non-dragon books materialize for awhile (that’s right, four!) at least in the meantime I’m still gleaning quite a lot about this whole business and enjoying the ride. Until next time… brush on! |
Jan. 3, 2018: Going Public! Newspaper, First Reading, and Signing
In the past two months of 2017 I had some exciting opportunities for much more public exposure to my book.
On November 30th my town paper ran an article about our book... on the front page!
On November 30th my town paper ran an article about our book... on the front page!
On December 9th a church in my town, First Baptist, invited me to read the book to a group of ladies for a special event. I was able to project the pages of the book on a screen and got some good practice making goofy voices for the characters. It was a lot of fun.
And on December 16th the Rockford Library invited me to come sell and sign books. We brought a special cake, lemon drops, lemonade, toy dinosaurs (thanks Mom and Dad!), and Dixie's many books. Also great practice for book signing. Sadly no children came to hear me read to them but the turnout was good. I may get another opportunity to read to kids next month at my own library. To more events and hopefully another book in 2018!
Dragon Breath: Fun Facts
After each book we publish I plan to share some interesting facts about the process of writing it. Here's a few for our first!
* This story was not Dixie’s and my first to write and submit. That would go to a creative allegory that we worked on for a month but was not accepted. It’s my hope that we can still publish it one day.
* The whole concept for this one came from Dixie, but the clothespins on the noses was my idea. (Not to brag)
* The dragon I envisioned was going to be completely green and twice as big as shown. But everyone loves him and I've learned to as well. Purple is one of my favorite colors.
* If you look closely you may notice a particular character that closely resembles another character in another fairy tale story. A Disney movie to be precise.
* The name Dragon Breath is also the name of a book series. Oops!
* I picked the name Everfresh before I realized it was also the name of a brand of juice. Oops again!
* One day when I came to Dixie’s office to work on this story near the end of it, she offered me a lemon drop, completely forgetting they were in the story. I laughed and so did she when I reminded her.
* The resolution of the story was inspired by my grandfather taking his teeth out and telling me that happened because he didn’t brush his teeth, and the same thing would happen to me if I didn’t either. What you tell your grandkids will stick with them!
At least three more books to come!
Hint for the next one: Familiar characters, brand new ending.
* This story was not Dixie’s and my first to write and submit. That would go to a creative allegory that we worked on for a month but was not accepted. It’s my hope that we can still publish it one day.
* The whole concept for this one came from Dixie, but the clothespins on the noses was my idea. (Not to brag)
* The dragon I envisioned was going to be completely green and twice as big as shown. But everyone loves him and I've learned to as well. Purple is one of my favorite colors.
* If you look closely you may notice a particular character that closely resembles another character in another fairy tale story. A Disney movie to be precise.
* The name Dragon Breath is also the name of a book series. Oops!
* I picked the name Everfresh before I realized it was also the name of a brand of juice. Oops again!
* One day when I came to Dixie’s office to work on this story near the end of it, she offered me a lemon drop, completely forgetting they were in the story. I laughed and so did she when I reminded her.
* The resolution of the story was inspired by my grandfather taking his teeth out and telling me that happened because he didn’t brush his teeth, and the same thing would happen to me if I didn’t either. What you tell your grandkids will stick with them!
At least three more books to come!
Hint for the next one: Familiar characters, brand new ending.
Sep. 25, 2017: First book has landed!
"Who dares to impair our glorious air?!"
None other than a mischevious dragon, that's who!
When the lemon-scented kingdom of Everfresh earns a visit from a malodorous monster they face a real assault to their delicate senses. Whoever can save them? Will they ever smell the same again?
Conceived of by award-winning children’s author Dixie Phillips, given wings by her and first time co-author Jacob Gibson, and brought to life by award-winning illustrator K.C. Snider, Dragon's Breath is an unusual fairy tail about good hygiene and personal responsibility that will leave kids laughing even as they reach for their toothbrushes.
Now available on Amazon from Guardian Angel Publishing. You may also buy autographed copies directly from me.
Toothbrush not included.
(Sorry that I’m so late on posting this! Been quite hectic lately.)
None other than a mischevious dragon, that's who!
When the lemon-scented kingdom of Everfresh earns a visit from a malodorous monster they face a real assault to their delicate senses. Whoever can save them? Will they ever smell the same again?
Conceived of by award-winning children’s author Dixie Phillips, given wings by her and first time co-author Jacob Gibson, and brought to life by award-winning illustrator K.C. Snider, Dragon's Breath is an unusual fairy tail about good hygiene and personal responsibility that will leave kids laughing even as they reach for their toothbrushes.
Now available on Amazon from Guardian Angel Publishing. You may also buy autographed copies directly from me.
Toothbrush not included.
(Sorry that I’m so late on posting this! Been quite hectic lately.)
April 26, 2017: First book flying on the horizon!
Wow! It really has been a long time since my first update. Sorry about that. I just didn't have much to talk about besides my new book contracts (2 more since last time!) as I waited for preparations for my first book. But now I finally have some big news to share. As you already know from the title, our first children's book will likely come out soon! When? Likely some time this year.
Dragon Breath (not to be confused with any of the other books bearing the same name) is the goofy tale of a kingdom obsessed with smelling clean that gets a very unwelcome guest: a dragon with terrible mouth odor. What are the defenseless citizens to do to battle this serious assault on their sensitive snouts? You'll find out eventually. If you want to give your kids a fun reminder of the importance of brushing their teeth, or you're simply a kid at heart, or you'll read anything with a dragon in it (even one that doesn't breathe fire) this is the book for you. Conceived of by the prolific author Dixie Phillips, fleshed out by her and yours truly, illustrated by the very talented K.C. Snider, and published by Guardian Angel Publishing, get ready for the book that you just might see in your dentist's waiting room in the coming years. And like I said earlier, there are at least 3 more books to come! What they're about I'll leave as a secret for now but I may drop a hint or two as their release dates draw closer. Dixie and I have even more stories to share after that but some may come through different publishers. Expect more updates soon! (That won't take nearly 2 years to see) |
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Aug 7, 2015: What's going on
People have been asking me and my mom about my books. Such as "when and where can I get them?"
I wish I had the answer to when they will be available to buy, but the best I can tell you at the moment is about a year after our publisher approves the manuscript. (And writing an acceptable manuscript with my co-author, Dixie Phillips, can take a couple of months by itself) I wish this wasn't the case but what can you do? Everything takes time. The good news is that Dixie and I are going to write as fast as we can to get them out around the same time.
But where can you get the books? Hopefully from this site. And hopefully from Amazon. Sorry that I don't have more info at the time. I'll share more when I know more.
For future updates, I plan to drop hints about the content of upcoming books. Once the book is out, I may share some interesting facts about what went into making it and ideas that weren't used. You'd be surprised at how much stuff you have to leave out.
Thanks for stopping by! God bless.
News: 2 book contracts signed.
First hint: good hygiene saves the world.
I wish I had the answer to when they will be available to buy, but the best I can tell you at the moment is about a year after our publisher approves the manuscript. (And writing an acceptable manuscript with my co-author, Dixie Phillips, can take a couple of months by itself) I wish this wasn't the case but what can you do? Everything takes time. The good news is that Dixie and I are going to write as fast as we can to get them out around the same time.
But where can you get the books? Hopefully from this site. And hopefully from Amazon. Sorry that I don't have more info at the time. I'll share more when I know more.
For future updates, I plan to drop hints about the content of upcoming books. Once the book is out, I may share some interesting facts about what went into making it and ideas that weren't used. You'd be surprised at how much stuff you have to leave out.
Thanks for stopping by! God bless.
News: 2 book contracts signed.
First hint: good hygiene saves the world.