Local Author sends message in a bottle…waits for reply?

That’s sounds downcast, doesn’t it? It’s not meant to. Maybe it’s even encouraging to independent artists who forge their way to selling their wares, their art. Before I say too much more about it, let me first thank with heaps of thanks to my friends/family, colleagues and whoever else took the time to purchase and/or…

Cathy Borders: Call the Book Wife

Oscar’s journey from fledgling outline to finished children’s book would not have happened if it were not for the nurturing and all-around finessing of my editor Cathy Borders. Ideas flew out of me, and Cathy managed to organize the chaos into coherent and thoughtful text. She stuck with me through every iteration of the story,…

Pilar the Magnificent

If a picture is worth a thousand words, than illustrations for a children’s book are priceless. I knew Oscar was going to be a hybrid of sorts: chapter book meets picture book with a melding of tradition and animation. The moment I saw Pilar’s work, I knew I had found someone who was not only…

Oscar Loves You

OSCAR has arrived! Pre-order now Barnes & Noble, Amazon, BookBaby Bookshop “An inspiring children’s story about a shopping cart who discovers his true purpose in life. A great read aloud with your child and an excellent classroom read to discuss friendships and celebrating differences.” – Nancy Lupo, BA, MLIS, The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Evaluator’s Committee,…

It’s been a long time…

Well, it’s been over a year since I dropped in with an update. A lot has changed, hasn’t it? Or maybe things are just being illuminated. In either case, the show, and for me that means the children’s book, must go on! The book has been re-imagined with a new title: Oscar! Oscar is our…

The Rough Draft Road

How wonderful it’s been these past few months to take our short film, The Go Cart, from screen to page.  A special shout-out to the superb editing stylings of The Republic of Letters. With a strong, working draft in-hand, our newest adventure is to locate an Illustrator who can take the story to the next…

The Go Cart Rolls On

We did it!  We sent our beloved little shopping cart out into the world!  After a wonderful festival run, where we picked up some pretty nifty awards, we are ready for our next adventure! While screening our film, one common theme emerged from audiences – they related. As parents, they related to the idea of teaching…

The Voice Behind The Curtain: The Go Cart’s Donna Steele.

When our journey began our creative team was not sure if we wanted to provide a voice to the story or if we were simply going to let the images and its interpretation guide the audience.  As we got closer to finishing the animation, we were settled on the idea that we wanted the film…

The Talented Mr. Kattner: The Go Cart’s Music Composer.

James Horner once said,”I think of music as art.” And I believe that sums it all up pretty well. I had the fortunate opportunity to work with an exceptionally talented artist.  He thoughtfully created a musical score that gave a beating heart to the steel frame of a shopping cart and skillfully painted a landscape that held…

Artistry in Motion: The Go Cart’s Animator, Bobby Bennett

There is the old adage of putting the cart before the horse, and it pretty much means that it’s not a logical or fruitful thing to do.  First things first, so to speak.  Well, in this case, it was putting the cart before everything else.  And by cart, I mean the concept, the look, design,…