Super Special Project with Rhino

*****UPDATE: Audio has been redone thanks to my little brother and his recording equipment. Enjoy the new version! :-) ************

I've been teasing over the last few days about a project I'm working on concerning Rhino, Grace, and the rest of the gang from WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? Finally, I'm ready to share.

Back when I first decided to self-publish my book, my husband had talked me into going that route by coming up with a fantastic idea: making the book into a video to share online.

A couple weeks after the book came out, I made an effort to turn it into a video. Sadly, my video making skills and available tools for creating anything remotely worth watching were nonexistent. I shelved the project and hadn't thought much about it since.

That changed this week. I managed to figure out most of what the heck I was doing and can now share the whole gang with everyone. The only issue I had was with the microphone. Sorry, still don't have professional sound equipment, but I'm hoping at some point in the future to redo the voice over to get rid of the background noise. Other than the poor microphone quality, I'm very happy with the end product.

I'd love to hear what you all think! Especially those of you who haven't had the chance to read the book yet.

In celebration, I'm giving you all a bonus Fun Fact: 

My son's name is Wesley Thomas. Since Rhino is based on him, my daughter thought for the longest time that whenever I 'yelled' at her brother, I was saying 'Wesley Rhinoceros' instead. The fact came to light when she was about two and we asked them what their middle names were. She pointed at Wes and stated his was 'Rhinoceros.' That's why the dedication is written the way it is.

Time for Some Fun Facts with Rhino

Good morning, lovelies! With my week-long trek around Massachusetts (and a quick trip up to Maine) behind me, I wanted to give a quick THANK YOU! to everyone who came out and to all the wonderful libraries and businesses that hosted me. I had a great time.

During the week as I talked to people about WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME?, I realized a lot of the same comments and questions come up at each event. My current favorite, even though it makes me cringe a bit, is 'When is the next book coming out?' (All of you writers out there and anyone who's followed me for any length of time will understand the cringing part of this.) The answer to that question is: I don't know, although I hope soon.

For the rest of the questions, I thought I'd put together a Fun Facts sheet about my first book. It covers questions asked as well as some other little fun tidbits about the book. Ready? Here we go.

10 Fun Facts About WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME?

1. This book was inspired by my son. When he was three, his dance teacher asked them all what they were going to be for Halloween that year. All the girls (ie - the rest of the class) all were going as princesses. When it was my son's turn, he proudly told them all he was going as a rhino, which drew some laughs. I went home, told my husband about the incident, and the next thing I knew the first draft was written.
2. I still have the rhino mask that started it all. I should start bringing it with me to my events.
3. Both my children appear in different ways in the book. My son appears not only as Rhino, but his name (Wesley) was inspiration for the town name - Wesalopolous, a nickname he had as a baby. My daughter, Bridget, appears as the second princess with her constant companion, Bunny.
4. In the first draft, there were eleven princesses and their names all started with different letters of the alphabet (Abigail, Bridget, Cindy, etc.). I cut it down to seven princesses and changed all the names to start with 'B', with the exception of Grace.
5. I met Linda, my illustrator, when we were both performers at a Renaissance faire. She is a professional children's book illustrator and gave me several of her books when she learned I was expecting my first child. A few years later when I picked up my own pen again, she was the first person I thought of for illustrations. She very quickly agreed to help me out when I asked her.
6. Which brings me to the bubbles throughout the book. If you look at all the pages, and even on my bookmarks and marketing items, there are bubbles everywhere. This was Linda's idea. If you go to the last page, you'll understand why. (Not giving spoilers away here. ;-) )
7. Linda also made sure a variety of princesses were represented in her illustrations. The only ones I gave input on were Bridget (because she was based on my daughter) and Grace's final appearance (again, spoilers. You'll have to read the book to find out why.)
8. Rhino's first sketch had him in a t-shirt and tye-dyed vest. After some back and forth, we decided Rhino needed to be more formal. The colorful, playful tye-dye was regulated to his tuxedo vest and toned down a smidge.
9. The book took roughly three years from first draft to publication. 
10. This book is self-published. (This has been the biggest surprise for most people.) I wanted to make sure my children were able to enjoy it before they outgrew the picture book age, so the decision came to publish it myself. I'm glad I did since Wesley is already past the stage, even though he'll humor me by listening to all my stories anyway. ;-)

There you have it, ten fun facts about my book. Have a question or comment I didn't address? Ask me in the comments! I'm always happy to chat.

Who Will Dance With Me? - Press Release

Children’s Book asks ‘Who Will Dance With Me?’

Written by Emily McKeon  Illustrated by Linda Clearwater

Pawtucket, Rhode Island –November 2012-  Debut author Emily McKeon and veteran illustrator Linda Clearwater team up to bring a new pre-school fairytale to life.

When the princesses of Wesalopolus have a party, they invite everyone in the kingdom. As each princess chooses a dance partner from the assembled guests, Rhino worries no one will dance with him.

Princess Bridget tells him he can’t leap high enough and Princess Bella thinks she’ll be scratched by his rough skin. Can Princess Grace see past these things and find the perfect dance partner?

A whimsically illustrated book for anyone who’s ever felt different.

Emily McKeon (author) resides in the tiny state of Rhode Island with her husband and two children. When not writing, she enjoys playing clarinet and eating crackers with cheese and jam. A graduate of Rhode Island College with a B.A. in theater and writing, she spun around and landed on the random career of bookkeeper before returning to her love of writing. This is her first book.

Linda Clearwater (illustrator) has been designing and illustrating children’s books for over 20 years She graduated from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and started her career creating feature illustrations for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has designed and illustrated books for numerous publishers, including Reader's Digest Children's Books, Harvest House, and Zonderkidz.

For more information about WHO WILL DANCE WITH ME? please visit thewidewritingworldofEmilyMcKeon.blogspot.com or contact Emily McKeon at 401-499-3813 or ERMcKeon@gmail.com

Welcome!

Glad you all could join me. This blog will be focusing on news surrounding my children's books and Young Adult books. For those of you who have ventured over here from my other blog, Enjoy! For anyone who is new to me and my work, take a look around. New things will be added as they become available. Share with your friends and family. The more the merrier.

~Emily~