Today I'm welcoming author,
illustrator, blogger, and freelance writer, Nata Romeo. Nata is talking
about her début picture book,
Alphabet
Wildlife A to Z which
she has written, illustrated and published herself.
Nata
is originally from Toronto, Canada, has lived in Italy for a while
then graduated school from the Art Institute and ended up in
Philadelphia, PA. She's the proud mother of three children whose ages
range, 28, 25 and 8. She works full time as a special needs classroom
assistant for the School District of Philadelphia.
She
says that creativity and inspiration derive from her kids, and also
being among hundreds of elementary students on a daily basis.
Talking
about the inspiration behind creating this book, Nata says that she
has always wanted to be a writer and illustrator for as long as she
could remember. “I love the power of creativity," she says. "The
Sketchbook Project 2014, part of the Brooklyn Art Library inspired me
to write and illustrate this book. This is my third year
participating with them. The original drawings are in that
sketchbook, which is housed in their library. I always wanted to
write an alphabet book!”
Amazingly,
when she fractured her dominant hand earlier this year, she became
aware that she was ambidextrous and never knew it! She says, “Now I
can alternate between the two and have two unique styles of drawings.
Actually, the Lion book art was illustrated with lefty, while the
animals in the book were illustrated with righty. So yeah, no matter
what life throws your way, pick yourself up and find a way to
continue what you love to do!”
Asked
why she
decided
to self-publish her first book with CreateSpace, she explained, “The
beauty of self-publishing with CreateSpace is that you can easily
edit your book. I wanted to have the freedom to make all the
decisions on how the book looks. I have to admit that it was very
stressing along the way. The formatting was always off! Fortunately,
my son the computer genius always comes to my rescue and saves me
from self-destruction! Ha Ha!”
Nata
is currently revising another children’s book about Moon Trees, and
illustrating it as well. She
says her favourite illustration medium
is combining watercolour, and pen and ink. “I love having the
freedom of colours blending into other colours, creating unique
effects. Detailed pen and ink is a form of de-stressing!”
She
has this advice for writers /illustrators. “Read, read, read, what
you want to write. Learn to storyboard/dummies to see if your story
flows. Join SCBWI, go to workshops, and join critique groups. Not
only will your writing improve, but you will meet other talented
writers and illustrators that also share your passion.
“Also,
if you decide to self-publish, please avoid making the mistake I did!
After my book was approved by CreateSpace and up for sale, someone I
look up to and admire messaged me and pointed out that there was a
typo! I thanked her soooooooo much! I immediately fixed the BOO
BOO!”
Blurb - Alphabet Wildlife A
to Z invites young readers into an enchanting world of
animals.
Paperback: 32 pages
ISBN-10: 1496172175
ISBN-13: 978-1496172174
The book is available in print and
kindle format.
Purchase from:
Find out more at her website:
www.nataromeo.com
Email: childrensbook13@aol.com
Or via social media:
And please visit my website at:
www.annevansbooks.co.uk
Thank you Ann for hosting me on your blog! I'm truly honored! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you here, Nata :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's amazing how well you can draw with both hands Nata. I really admire you not giving up. Great advice too.
ReplyDeletethank you Jo! and I admire you as well :)
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