Tag Archives: canadian childrens book authors

Author Success - In the media, awards, reviews

December Delights: Sparkling Success Stories of Authors Embracing the Magic of the Season

As the holiday season fills the air with joy, we’re excited to share these journeys of inspiring authors and their success stories. Come along on an enchanting ride through our December highlights, where each story sparkles brightly with the magic of success and perseverance.

With a festive spirit, we raise a toast to the incredible accomplishments of our authors this December!

Awards

Tellwell author Keith Hamilton has recently received the Silver Literary Titan Award for his book, Desperation Island.

Grab a copy of Desperation Island here!

Lisa Oatway’s book The Dinosaur Encounter won the 2023 Canadian Book Club Awards in the category of Children/Early Reader!

Grab a copy of The Dinosaur Encounter here!

The author behind the book Shelter, Rebecca Brown, earned a bronze medal in the 2023 Living Now Book Awards in the Health and Wellness Category!

Grab a copy of Shelter here!

Reviews

An incredible review from IndieReader was given to Monique Britten for her book, The Day Before Tomorrow.

A challenging and emotional read in terms of subject matter, Monique Britten’s THE DAY BEFORE TOMORROW is not for the faint of heart—a beautiful narrative that addresses real-world hopes and fears unflinchingly, albeit with a potentially divisive ending.

IndieReader Book Review

A page-turner you don’t want to miss. Get your copy of The Day Before Tomorrow by Monique Britten here!

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Author of the Month

Children’s author and illustrator Fred Smith on creating cool animated videos of his book highlighting the unique father and son bond

Calgary-based children’s author, Fred Smith, is originally from Santa Maria, California, where he served in the United States Marine Corps, rising to the rank of sergeant. As his military career was winding down, he met his wife and moved to Canada to start a family. He retrained as a graphic designer and photographer. His adventures in fatherhood inspired him to write and illustrate his first children’s book, My Daddy’s Legs. Fred Smith is using his artistic talents to create animated videos of his book on his YouTube Channel, Uncle Freddie’s Courtyard.

1. What inspired you to write My Daddy’s Legs?

I was inspired by playing games with my son and it reminded me how I used to play with my grandpa and uncles.

2. Did you have a number of ideas for a children’s book? How did you decide on this one? 

I had one book idea before this; however, it was too ambitious for my skill level because it would have required its own app to be produced.

3. What are you most proud of in your book?

I am most proud of the rhymes and the fact that I illustrated the book myself.

4. How did you learn to illustrate and animate videos?

I got a diploma in graphic design in 2015, so I mastered Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects and Premiere Pro. All of those tools talk to each other and allow me the opportunity to do something different.

5. It’s nice to see more books highlighting the unique relationship between father and son, especially with Father’s Day this month. What was your son’s reaction to the book? Does he love reading the story at bedtime?  

My son was excited to see the book but I don’t think he understands that every kid isn’t featured in a book. He knows that he is the lead character of the story and points out what he’s doing on every page.

6. What do you enjoy most about being a dad?

What I enjoy most about being a dad is seeing the world through the kids’ eyes when they experience something new.

7. What have you been doing to market and promote your book?

To market the book, I created a website as well as a YouTube channel called Uncle Freddie’s Courtyard, and I actively post new and original content on Instagram and my Facebook author page.

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