
Welcome
to my blog David, I’m so glad you could take time out from your busy writing
schedule to answer some questions for us and maybe get some parents and
grandparents out there purchasing your books for their little ones.
So, tell me
about yourself; married with kids? Grandkids? – Hi Lisa.
Thanks a bunch for having me on your blog today. I’m happily married with two children.
Ruth is eight and Richard is five. I live in London, England. My best season of
the year is Autumn as it’s not too cold and it’s not too hot.

I love your
titles and I believe most kids would too! How did you come up with that idea? –
Thanks
Lisa. That compliment is much appreciated. I try and write books that I would
have loved to read when I was a wee lad. My most popular series – The
Adventures of Billy and Monster – came about on Boxing Day 2012. My family and
I were staying over at my Mum’s place for the holiday. On Boxing Day, I woke up
early and could hear all the wonderful noises you hear at that time of the day.
I tried to get back to sleep but it was an exercise in futility. So I untangle
myself from my very cozy duvet and go downstairs to the kitchen. I get a pen
and pad and challenged myself to come up with something interesting. I came up
with this story about a little boy – Billy – who is an only child and has a
Monster as a friend. They do everything together and love each other. There’s
only one problem. Monster farts a lot and everyone blames Billy for it. The
story shows how children (and adults of course) can behave when they feel
rumblings in their tummy that tend to lead to noisy and nose-tingling fumes.
I saw you have
also done some animal picture books. My grandkids love those. Can you tell me
about them? – My
first animal book is titled ‘I Love Baby Animals.’ The idea came about while I
was washing plates. It’s a simple book that shows animals and their babies. It was
fun doing the research for that book. Like do you know what a baby hedgehog is
called? It’s called a hoglet. I’ve followed that up with 2 other non-fiction
books and my first fiction Animal book is titled ‘Kojo the Sea Dragon Gets
Lost.’ It’s a story about a one-eyed, buck-toothed, multi-tailed sea dragon who
gets lost while playing hide and seek and gets rescued by the entire community
from the South side of the Zakari River.
Do you plan to
stick with children’s books or venture out to older children or even adults? – I plan to write
more children’s books although I have to admit that I have started writing my
first Crime/Mystery book. A whole new ball game to writing children’s books but
I’m loving the challenge.
One more
question: If someone were interested in writing children’s books what would
your advice to them be? – I would say to write a book that you would be
absolutely proud to share with a young audience. If it’s a fiction book, then it
should have a story that incorporates characters and scenarios that children
can identify with and/or be intrigued by. Please make sure that you get a good
illustrator to create images that children find captivating.
Thanks for being
a guest on my blog! It was wonderful having you and I look forward to reading
your books to my own grandkids! I hope to have you back soon!
The Link to order David's books:Amazon Link
To reach David on Facebook: FanPage
To reach David on TwitterTwitter - David Chuka
I hope you leave David a comment. He would love to hear from you and don't forget to check out his wonderful books on Amazon!
Until next Friday, have a great weekend!
Love, Lisa
David
ReplyDeleteI think my son would love this! I love you write books that can tap into a childs love for bodily functions.
Seeing that you still have a day job - is writing children's books a secret identity or are all of your co-workers aware of your books??
Hi Brandie
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. It's much appreciated. I can almost almost guarantee that your son will love the stories about Billy and Monster and there's a nice lesson weaved into each tale.
To be honest, I didn't want anyone to know but my Head of Department knew as he seats next to me and one day while I was away, he told the entire office! They've been very supportive.
Merry Christmas!
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteMy kids are well beyond the age audience for you books but they sound like the type of books they would have enjoyed.
I do have a great nephew and niece who are about the right age though and I will make sure their mom knows about your stories.
I know what it's like to write around the the day job. It's difficult and I applaud your efforts. Best wishes for success with your children's books and in your foray into the mystery realm.
A Merry Christmas to you and yours,
Robin (RG) Calkins
Hi Robin
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments. There's a big fat smile on my face right now :-)
I'm sure your loved ones will love Billy and Monster's adventures.
Have a Merry Christmas!