REVIEW
and INTERVIEW
P.I. Penguin
and the Case of the Missing Bottle
(P.I. Penguin Book 1)
and the Case of the Missing Bottle
(P.I. Penguin Book 1)
by Bec
J. Smith
P.I. Penguin and the Case of the Missing Bottle is the first book in a
new children's book series by Bec J. Smith and published by Aulexic, who specialise in books for children with language and literacy
difficulties. The author joins me today for an interview and to share an
excerpt from the book. You can also read my review. Also available: P.I Penguin and the Case of the Lost Little Penguin and P.I. Penguin and the Case of the Bell Tower Bandit.
The P.I. Penguin series is a
collection of titles revolving around private investigator, P.I., and the
mysteries and crimes he solves for his friends. P.I. is an adorable Australian
Little Penguin and the books feature other Australian native animals as well as
local Australian settings and interesting themes. The first book in the series,
P.I. Penguin and the Case of the Missing Bottle, follows P.I.’s
investigation into the disappearance of a favourite bottle for his bottlenose
dolphin friend, Bella.
All of the Aulexic titles are
especially formatted to support readers with language and literacy
difficulties. They use the Dyslexie specialty font designed to ease reading
and comprehension, particularly for people with dyslexia. The P.I. Penguin series also incorporates
rich rhyme, meter, and vocabulary to keep readers engaged and enchanted. The
full-colour illustrations are bright and vibrant, enthralling readers of all
ages. The paperback editions are printed on high quality matte stock with
pastel contrast that reduces glare and promotes a positive reading experience.
The books create fabulous talking points in classrooms and offer parents and
teachers an opportunity to share the joy of reading with the children in their
lives.
Description
In this, the first book of the P.I.
Penguin series, P.I. Penguin is on the hunt for Bella Bottlenose’s missing
bottle. Was it stolen by a nasty bottle thief? Let’s follow the clues to find
out!
Join P.I. Penguin as he solves crimes and mysteries for his animal
friends while trying to discover the truth of the mystery that set him on his
path, that of his missing parents.
Aulexic titles are all
carefully crafted to encourage language and literacy learning. Each story is
rich with rhyme and rhythm, vivid concrete words, vibrant images, and dyslexia-friendly
text and formatting. We focus on creating engaging stories to inspire even the
most resistant readers.
Excerpt
Praise for the Book
"My 5 year old daughter loved this book. The rhymes are great for
early readers who are learning rhyming and letter sounds. She also loved the
illustrations, which are bright and inviting." ~ AvidReader
"The illustrations are bright and cheerful, and my daughter loved
the rhyming prose." ~ Linda Wallace
"I love the rhythm of the sentences, more poetic than prose. And the
rhymes come at the right beat and are almost always natural and perfect." ~ Rob
Natiuk
"This book is targeted for ages four through twelve, though I
believe it most appropriate for ages six through nine. Younger child might
enjoy it as a read aloud or picture book." ~ Barbara
Mojica
"P.I. Penguin is a
wonderful short story that triggers the imagination for children, while
teaching very important life lessons. It incorporates words that will give you
the opportunity to expand your child's vocabulary. The illustrations are great
as well. I can't wait to continue the series to see if P.I. Penguin finds what
he is missing." ~ KT
"This is a very clever story, a delightfully fun book with cute
drawings ..." ~ Israel Drazin
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
P.I. Penguin's parents have been missing for a while, but he has never
stopped looking for them. In the meantime, P.I. Penguin contents himself with
solving his friends' mysteries. Today, Bella the bottlenose dolphin comes to him
with a case involving the disappearance of a piece from her precious bottle
collection. Will P.I. Penguin be able to help out a friend in need?
The book begins with a glossary of tricky words and hints for parents
reading to a child with learning difficulties. The rhyming text - in paragraphs
instead of verse - is a pleasure to read. The story is illustrated throughout
with gorgeous, full-page, colourful illustrations by Adit Galih depicting the cute
sea creatures. I especially love the leafy sea dragons; you can find out more
about these delightful creatures on the publisher's website. While you're
there, sign up for the newsletter
to receive free kids' activities and offers.
While this is a picture book, it is primarily aimed at middle grade children
(ages 6 to 12) with reading or literacy difficulties. The font, paper, and
colours have be especially chosen to promote a positive reading experience. The
mystery of P.I. Penguin's missing parents will be a continuing theme throughout
the series. This is a clever idea to keep the kids coming back to read the further
adventures of P.I. Penguin.
Interview With the Author
I'm joined today by
Rebecca Laffar-Smith, part of the Bec J. Smith writing team, to talk about her P.I. Penguin series. (Because we're both
Aussies, I'm going to stick with Australian spelling today.)
For what age group
do you recommend your book?
6-12 year olds.
What sparked the
idea for this series?
It's amazing what can spring from a simple idea.
Originally, I started P.I. Penguin
as a way to integrate language and story into the homeschool curriculum with my
son, Joshua. Having experienced significant reading failure in traditional
school due to dyslexia and autism, Josh had become a very resistant reader. In
the first years of homeschooling I removed reading from the curriculum
completely and didn't require him to read at all. If he wanted things read to
him he just had to ask. Over time this evolved into his choosing to bring books
to me wanting to enjoy their story, but I needed to develop that sparking
interest into a greater interaction with words, language, and structure so,
using his deep passion for penguins, I introduced brainstorming and story
concept development with him. He embraced the idea, exploring (tentatively at first)
his creativity and imagination. We planned and storyboarded the first P.I. Penguin book together with his
sister, Kaylie, during a visit to Coogee Beach (where the book is set).
When we'd finished planning the story and drawing up the storyboards I sent
those to a professional illustrator, Adit Galih, who came back with the
full-colour illustrations. I set to work on layouts and design then used a POD [print-on-demand]
service to create a "real" book for my son. There is something
magical about being able to hold your creation in your hands and I knew bonding
with his creativity would inspire him to want to repeat the process.
When the proof copies arrived, his hope that other children would love it
as much as he did, and his desire to make more stories for kids like him,
inspired us to take a plunge. Instead of just making a cute little picture book
at home, we launched a publishing house. We transformed the cute little book
into a high quality middle-grade picture book series that is professionally printed
and produced. And, of course, one book would never be enough. We've since
written more books in the series during other trips to fabulous places in
Western Australia.
So, evolving from the simple idea of a DIY book, came Aulexic, a
publishing house specialising in books for children with language and literacy
difficulties like Joshua's. We hope not only to produce our own books, but also
to publish the works of other authors and illustrators and create a thriving
publishing business.
So, which comes first?
The character's story or the idea for the series?
In the P.I. Penguin series the
character definitely came first. But it's not true of all books. We're working
on another series now where the concept has come first and we're having to find
our way into the characters.
With P.I. Penguin, we started with our protagonist, our special
Australian Little Penguin, P.I. in his black jacket and fedora. From that,
evolved the idea of solving mysteries and the other characters in P.I.'s world
that would have problems to solve.
What was the hardest
part to write in these books?
For me, the storyboards are the hardest part. We brainstorm the ideas
together, develop the characters together, and decide what should be on each
page together, but Josh doesn't like to draw (he has fine motor skill
difficulties) so creating a sense of the stories as pictures fell to me. He
could tell me what the picture should look like, but I had to try and get it on
the page.
Now, I've not ever been very good at drawing. Since we've gotten into
children's picture books I've started to learn how to draw and I'm taking
lessons and practising, but I'm still nowhere near talented enough as an artist
to do the illustrations myself. Thankfully, we have a fabulous illustrator.
Adit Galih is very talented. Still, I like to send him storyboards so that he
has an idea of how we see the story on the page.
Hopefully, as I get better at drawing, this part won't continue to be so
difficult in future books. And who knows, maybe, someday I'll illustrate my own
children's books series although we hope Adit will stay with us through all of
the P.I. Penguin books.
How do you hope this
series affects its readers?
The main goal of all our Aulexic books is to foster a love of reading
within children. We want kids to enjoy the rhythmic language, rich story, and
vibrant illustrations so that they come back to our books over and over again.
We want them to be inspired to try reading the words, even if they have
language or literacy difficulties that make reading hard. We've taken special
care to format the books in the most reader-friendly way we know based on
research into Dyslexia and language impairments. We hope our books invite
children to read together with their loved ones, and perhaps even imagine their
own stories and create their own worlds when the book has ended.
How long did it take
you to write the first book, P.I. Penguin and the Case of the Missing Bottle?
It depends which part you think about as the "writing" of the
book. We could say we wrote it in a day, because the majority of the story and
all of the storyboards came together in that one trip to Coogee Beach. After
that, we still had to hone, shape, and edit the words which took about three
more days. The illustrator created the illustrations in about a month. Then I
did the layouts and design. I did that twice because we started with a
different book size format and then had to remake it when we settled on the
right size. Layouts probably took me about a two weeks each then because I was
learning how to do it at the same time.
All up, I guess the book took about three months to create from concept
to publication. But each book since has taken less and less time. Now we could
probably go from concept to publication in a month - although we usually let
the concept percolate a while before we start production.
In fact, P.I. Penguin and the Case
of the Treetop Tagger (Book 4) took two days at King's Park to brainstorm
and outline, three days to storyboard, two weeks to illustrate, four days to
hone words, and three days for layouts and design. That means it took just one month
to produce. It's scheduled for release in April. P.I. Penguin and the Case of the Parkour Prince (Book 5) is
scheduled for August 2016 and we've got a concept and some ideas but haven't
started to outline or storyboard it yet.
What is your writing
routine?
Routine? Um ... Yes, I'll admit that we haven't got much of a routine. I
also write science fiction, fantasy, romance, and nonfiction books, so I try to
write every day. Theoretically, I have a writing block from 9am to 11am every
weekday and a writing session 1pm to 3pm on Sundays. I'm still working at
making that block consistent and regular enough to consider it a
"routine", and just because I have that block doesn't mean I won't be
writing at other times as well or instead of then.
When it comes to the P.I. Penguin
books, we don't really have a routine for writing but we do have a pattern for
getting the book from concept to publication. It usually starts with a day trip
to a tourist landmark in Western Australia. For example, with P.I. Penguin and the Case of the Bell Tower
Bandit, we took a ferry and visited the Perth Bell Tower. During that day
trip we outlined and planned the book while taking photographs, then drew
storyboards on a second visit. Those storyboards, outline, and photographs go
to our illustrator, and when the illustrations come back we hone the words and
do layouts.
It's a routine of sorts, but it's not scheduled to any particular time of
day or even day of the week. We keep things fairly fluid and flexible so that
the writing fits in around life, health, homeschooling, and running a
publishing house.
How did you get your
books published?
After originally printing a copy with a print-on-demand service we
evolved into a professional publishing house so now our books are published
through the Aulexic imprint. We have our paperback copies professionally
printed on an offset-printer which prints them in bulk. As the publisher, I do
the layouts, design, and upload of the ebook versions myself then distribute
those from our Aulexic Direct service on our website, Amazon, and Kobo. We're
hoping to spread to other ebook markets soon too. As an small, independent
publisher I'm also in charge of developing our distribution and marketing, so a
lot of time and work is put into doing that.
What advice do you
have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Write a lot, read a lot, learn a lot, and connect with others in the
industry.
There are no real shortcuts to becoming a successful author so you have
to bring a lot of passion and tenacity to the table. If you opt to go after a
traditional publisher it can be a long haul that takes time and patience.
Alternatively, if you opt to self-publish there is a significant learning curve
that is not for the faint-hearted. Either way, it's important to approach it
with a business mindset because a writer is never just a writer. They are a
self-employed sole trader dealing in intellectual property rights, marketing,
and accounts.
What do you like to
do when you're not writing?
Because my range of writing subject matter is so varied, I spend a LOT of
time writing (and production, marketing, distribution, accounting, and all the
business side of running a publishing house). I also spend a lot of time
reading books and articles and listening to videos and podcasts about writing
and publishing.
When I'm not working, I'm spending time with my children.
We homeschool so some of that time involves learning through life, but we
also play video games (Minecraft, Ark, and Hearthstones are the current
favourites), go on excursions (where we usually get more ideas for stories to
write), read books (because reading is just as important to writers as
writing), watch interesting TV series and movies (usually paranormal, sci-fi,
and crime), and play role-playing games (both tabletop and live action). When
we get out of the house we'll head for the bikes, the rollerskates, or the park
where we do parkour.
What does your
family think of your writing?
It used to be something I did alone but as my daughter, Kaylie, and son,
Joshua, got older it's something we've come to do together which makes it a lot
more fun for everyone. Josh used to get frustrated when I spent too much time
writing because he wanted me to spend more time with him. Now we've found a
really good balance so both kids are really happy. Kaylie spends more time
writing than I do which is really saying something.
Growing up, my brother and sisters thought my writing was an interesting
hobby for me. My parents supported my creative endeavours but I don't know if
people really believed I'd still be passionate or that I'd be making a career
of it and share it with my children.
These days, everyone is very supportive and they love to see our new
books as each one is published.
Fantastic. Please
tell us a bit about your childhood.
I feel like I had a fairly normal childhood, because it felt normal to
me. But, when I step outside of myself and look at the way our family worked
when I was a child, it was a bit odd. You see, my brother was terminally ill.
He had a condition that meant his skin became extremely damaged in the sun and
he developed skin cancers even as an infant. He was older than me, so I lived
my whole life with him. It didn't feel weird to me. Because of his condition,
we spent very little time outside when the sun was up and a lot more time
enjoying the night.
When we did go out he was fully covered, head to toe, including a
full-face-mask helmet that probably freaked people out a lot. But he was my
brother, so it was normal to me. We'd go bike riding, roam the neighbourhood
from Fremantle to Bibra Lake. Our range was pretty extensive, and life was fun
and active.
I wrote a lot even then. In fact, I wrote my first poem when I was six
and, by the time I was twelve, I'd become an international award-winning poet.
As I got older I experimented with longer fiction, including writing a (really
terrible) novel when I was in high school.
Did you like reading
when you were a child?
Absolutely. From the time I was learning to read and write I loved it all
and spent a lot of time doing both.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I don't remember a moment of "realisation". It just always was,
I guess. I was always a writer and I always wanted to make a career from the
words I put on a page.
Despite publications of poetry as a teenager, I first had a real sense of
being a writer when I sold my first article and started my venture as a
freelance writer, editor, and web technician. I freelanced for 12 years but,
although I was writing for a living, it wasn't fulfilling my soul because I
never had time to work on the fiction that my heart craved.
It's only in the past year and a half that I've been the writer I always
wanted to be. Now I can't imagine another path.
Did your childhood
experiences influence your writing?
I think the growing pains of coming into adulthood have influenced it
significantly more than my childhood. My Bipolar broke out when I was fifteen
and I was suicidal and went off the rails, but it wasn't until I was in my
twenties that I came to understand that and received a diagnosis that helped me
make sense of it all. Living with a mental illness definitely shapes me and
influences my writing. In fact, there is a lot of my Bipolar in Tori, the
protagonist of The Flight of Torque, and I think the darkness of the Blood
of the Nagaran series is shaped by my need to explore mental illness and
come to peace with it.
Having said that, there are also aspects of my childhood that I'd like to
come back to in story. Most particularly aspects of my teen years, but I'd also
like to, someday, share the experience of having such a unique brother. I also
imagine my estrangement from my father will probably feature in fiction at some
point. I expect all aspects of life will continue to influence my writing into
the future.
Which writers have
influenced you the most?
The author that always comes to mind first is Traci Harding. I was a teenager when I read her Ancient
Future Trilogy and realised that fiction books were a gateway for gifting
people with extraordinary concepts in a way they won't reject or run from. Her
books incorporated spiritual concepts but, because they were given the mask of
fiction, readers could embrace them without feeling like they were reading a
self-help book. She made me realise that I wanted to use fiction to impart
universal truths and deep concepts too.
Since then, my friend H. Y. Hanna has probably influenced me the most because
she's been a mentor and guide. She leads the way through the industry as an
indie author and I follow in her footsteps, learn from her advice and
experience. I also love to learn from the Self Publishing Podcast guys, Johnny, Sean, and
Dave; and Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn. I'm always connecting with indie authors so
that we can learn and grow together in the industry and I'm discovering that
more and more indies are having success in the children's book field.
Do you hear from
your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I don't hear from readers as much as I'd like. I think every author
wishes they heard more from their readers (and sometimes secretly wonders if
they even have any readers). *chuckles*
When I do hear from readers, it's wonderful to bask in their feedback.
One of the things that inspires me the most is when readers ask about the next
book in a series. Especially when they ask about the book that follows my
supernatural thriller, The Flight of Torque. The Blood
of the Nagaran series is a dark, gritty series that deals with concepts,
emotions, and experiences that can be pretty intense. I get into quite a dark
and intense space when I'm writing the books and it can be hard to push through
that to get them written. That's why feedback from readers matters so much.
Each time someone comments on The Flight of Torque, or asks when book two will be published, I
get fired up and motivated to get it finished.
With the P.I. Penguin series
and Aulexic in general, the feedback has always been very positive and warm
with readers sharing how the books inspired their children. Sometimes teachers
share how the books have been well-received and embraced by students. I love
hearing of a child asking for the book over and over again. It's also great to
hear when a resistant reader has enjoyed the book, or created their own stories
to suit the pictures, or has picked out words to read themselves as they read
together with an able reader. It's wonderful to feel like we're making a
difference.
That's great. What
can we look forward to from you in the future?
When it come to children's books we have plans for more P.I. Penguin books. We have three more
planned for release this year, although we don't yet have our concept for the
book due in December.
We're brainstorming some other book ideas too, one that deals with an
intrepid adventurer who travels through time, another is a series of choose-your-own
adventures on pirate ships.
I've also got a children's picture book in the works that I'm hoping to
traditionally print that gives parents a way to talk to their children about
death and funerals.
When it comes to my adult fiction, there will be two new Blood of the Nagaran novels later in the
year and, if I can maintain momentum, also an accompanying novella.
I've got plans for more books in the two regency romance series I'm
writing under a pen name.
Kaylie (my 15yo daughter) and I are working on a YA fantasy novel which
is a lot of fun to write and is finally giving me the much awaited
"dragons" book I've longed to write all my life.
I have a YA paranormal series on the backburner, not scheduled for
publication yet but something I keep coming back to and continue to evolve and
develop.
And I have a couple of non-fiction books for writers in the works too
that are based on the workshops I give in live events.
Thanks for joining
me today, Rebecca. Sounds you're very busy! Best of luck with the P.I. Penguin
series and your other writing endeavours. Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you so much for reading and following along with all I've shared.
Thanks also for asking awesome questions that really got me thinking about
writing and my process as a whole. It has been quite a journey and I'm thrilled
to be able to share it with others.
I hope you'll love our books. We'd love to hear from you. You're welcome
to send us email to admin@aulexic.com.au or visit our website and leave a comment. Cheers and happy reading.
About the Author
Bec J. Smith is the writing team of science fiction and fantasy novelist,
Rebecca Laffar-Smith and her two children, Kaylie and Joshua. Rebecca
established Aulexic, a small press publishing house specialising
in early readers for children with language and literacy acquisition
difficulties, because she wanted to inspire her own son to love reading. What
better way to do that then to work together to create books he would love and
to share those books with other children just like him!
Colouring
Competition
Kids, enter the author's colouring competition for a chance to win a
P.I. Penguin paperback of your choice (closes 25 March; open internationally but free postage only within
Australia).
Freebies
Links
