“Entre Duendes y Ratones” is an enchanting Christmas story for young readers. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

“Entre Duendes Y Ratones” came about in South America, back in 1999. One of my sisters needed to put on a Christmas play with her elementary school students, and she asked me to come up with a storyline. At the time, we printed a few booklets mostly to complement the performance, after which the adventures of my elves and mice were sort of forgotten. But now that, Benjamin, Pablo, and company, have been spruced up and refreshed with new artwork, I’m excited to formally introduce them to a wider new audience.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. What was the art development process like for this picture book?

I was thrilled to connect with CenkiStudios to refresh “Entre Duendes Y Ratones.” They were a pleasure to work with—only a handful of virtual meetings were needed to discuss the scenes in the book I wanted to bring to life, and this very talented and receptive group delivered in no time!

CenkiStudios was founded in November of 2020 by Whimcifer, a digital artist, animator, and voice actor. Under his direction, the team works on an assortment of projects, including books, comics, and graphic novels. Each member of the team specializes in different creative work, such as illustration, graphic design, animation, voice acting, composing music, and 3D modeling. https://www.cenkistudios.com/

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

At the heart of this whimsical story is a desire to highlight the warmth of home and family while restating the true spirit of Christmas.

“Benjamin leaves his workshop at the South Pole to show his coworkers that humanity still believes in Christmas. But his hopes are dashed by the boy, Pablo, who at the age of ten thinks he knows everything. Never had Christmas Eve been in such peril, but thanks to elves and mice, everything turns out fine.”

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

My publication project for 2022 is the translation into Spanish of “Faery Sight” book 1 of my Faerie Legacy Series. Look for it during the Spring Equinox!

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