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The Path To A Friend’s Heart
Colin the Crab Finds a Treasure follows a crab who meets a hurt pearl oyster and while helping her heal realizes the value of friendship. What was the inspiration for your story?
After I had written the first book – The Caring Crab – in this series, I couldn’t just leave the characters. They had grown so strong in my mind that they continued their lives almost independently.
I am happy to pass on my real-life experiences through the life circle of Colin the Crab. The diverse character gallery offers a fruitful ground to explore very human relationships, weaknesses, and strengths.
I have chosen two main themes for this book: different perceptions of essential things in life and trust as a prerequisite for friendship.
I found it essential to show that Colin the Crab lived a rich life, although it was seemingly modest. Children get to compare the choices various characters value in life. I hope they realize the importance of friendship by the end of the story, too!
I also wanted to show that it is better to be genuinely yourself than pretend to be something else. When Colin gets lost on this path, the consequences are harmful. Fortunately, Colin learns from his mistakes. Boasting is pointless, and not everyone needs to build muscle at the gym. The path to a friend’s heart goes along other routes.
If you were to write a spin-off about a side character, which would you pick?
Funny coincidence that you ask this! I recently started to consider writing separate books or series about Colin the Crab’s friends.
There are many delicious characters in the series about whom I could easily write separate books or an entire spin-off series. I could look at the world through the eyes of Eddie the Eel, Stella the Starfish, or Ms. Monkfish, for example. Also, the fast-paced life of Norma the Newt’s family with many lively children would be a perfect setting for new adventures. Each spin-off would indeed become interesting in different ways.
With Eddie, who is a technology freak, we would undoubtedly embark on the wildest adventures. He is so passionate about acquiring the fastest, most comprehensive, and most expensive technology and solving everyday problems with them.
The sophisticated and vain Stella would undoubtedly spend most of her efforts to fulfill her desires. That kind of character simply believes herself to be the center of the world. Successes and failures with this delusion would give rise to many juicy conflicts.
There would undoubtedly be many interesting things to tell about old Ms. Monkfish’s past and memories. Her adaptation to modern life and various friends also offers exciting opportunities for stories. And needless to say, Norma the Newt’s bunch of children – with its hustle and bustle – is certainly enough to fill many books.
Thinking about this answer inspires me to consider these spin-off stories seriously. Thanks for that, and let’s get back to it later.
What are your favorite blogs or websites for writers?
I don’t know if I dare to admit that I hardly follow any authors’ blogs or web pages. I am writing all the time myself and work with my own publishing company, so I don’t have too much time and energy for that.
There are some literary communities to which I belong. e.g., The Association of Finnish Nonfiction Writers and Finnish Youth Writers Association. I follow their communication and activities – and participate occasionally. I used to belong to IBBY Finland as a board member and have been the chairman of the board for the Topelius Society of Finland, which recently organized a national poem competition for young writers.
I know this isn’t exactly an answer to your question, but I rather write and act myself instead of reading how others do that. Besides, I have this hybrid role of being a publisher as well. In that respect, as a writer, I am perhaps in a different situation than the others.
I personally have direct contacts with all my target groups – including international publishers, illustrators, and translators. Hopefully, I’ll find more new ways to be in contact with as many readers internationally as possible. Enough goals for a small author/publisher and enough reasons to develop my blogs and websites!
What books did you grow up reading?
I grew up with a library of books, not my own, but the village library across the road. I moved between the shelves there from one age group and theme to another.
I went to the library every evening it was open and borrowed loads of books. I quickly moved from fairy tales and picture books to international favorites in children’s literature. My favorites were all the adventures like The Famous Five and Five Find-Outers by Enid Blyton and many more. Naturally, the romantic books about Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery had to be read later. I also read all the possible Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan books to keep the balance.
The most important books of my childhood and youth also included various non-fiction books. I was a big consumer of them. As schoolbooks sparked my interest in some topics, I got excited to learn more details from the library’s book collections.
In my childhood in the 1960s and 1970s, it was impossible to use the Internet to search for information, but a library was a good source. Of course, the amount of information available has multiplied, but it is essential that the data is structured and there is peace in absorbing it. Books are a great tool in that sense. That’s the reason why I would love to retain something of that explorer vibe that I enjoyed in my childhood library.
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Just as Colin starts to wonder if his own life is a bit too ordinary, a tidal wave tosses Priscilla the Pearl Oyster into his backyard. Colin’s new friend has something very valuable—something that many others want, including the deceitful Larry the Lobster.
The One Dream That I Continue To Have
Azaron follows a young orphan who embarks on a quest to discover who she really is as she’s being hunted by a sadistic queen. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
When COVID started and we were faced with all the lockdowns my D&D (dungeons & dragons) campaigns were temporarily closed. When this happened and I no longer had the outlet for my adventurous/creative side I started having some crazy dreams. Azaron is based on the one dream that I continued to have, it was almost like watching a movie in my sleep. So, I figured I would just start writing based on my most vivid and memorable dreams.
Neera is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Oh geeze, that is a very good question. LOL. I wanted to create a character who I, or others would want to be. Strong, independent, family centered, idealistic and romantic. Oh, and having magic would totally be a bonus.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I have always had a serious interest in herbology and a curiosity for celtic/druidic lore. I chose to use those aspects and blend them with the magical druid spells from D&D to create my character. As I have never had the opportunity to travel the world or outside of Canada for that matter, creating my own fantasy world, and being able to draw it out using inkcarnate.com was something I wanted to explore.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently working one 2 other pieces. The main one being Eofai, Book 2 in this series, continuing on Neera’s adventure in the Fey realm of Eofai. When it will be available I am unsure, writer’s block has sort of taken over my creativity while my family and I deal with the purchase of our new home, and surprise new addition to the family.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Drawn by the mystical energy of a seer’s table, a rune casting begins a young orphan’s quest to discover who she is—and what that means. When the sadistic queen of the Unseelies discovers she is alive—and has come of age—she will stop at nothing to keep Neera from realizing her rightful role as a Lunafell descendant.
Far from home and hunted by Daoine Sídhe, Neera finds love and is torn between the two men who would die for her. A choice has to be made.
Will Neera be ready to face her destiny? Or will it consume her?
Magical, enchanting and full of emotion, this steamy romantic fantasy will leave you spellbound to the very end.
Remember How We Felt When We Were Little
Do You See Me at Home follows a small child that struggles with big feelings and needs the adults in their life to comfort and reassure them things will be ok. What was the inspiration for your story?
This book is one of three belonging to “Do You See Me? Series.” I wrote the books because I believe my experiences as a mother of three can be helpful for young families.
I have always been sensitive to observing everyday situations between young children and their parents. I often notice that adults somehow look past the children even when a little attention is needed.
It is often a matter of small things that grow into big problems unless they are dealt with compassion right away. In many situations, we can choose to behave kindly and smoothly to make everyone do better. I don’t mean that we should accept all requests or whims of the child. On the contrary, we must help children find their place and limits safely and learn to trust that they receive support when needed.
I want to remind the reading adults that you have to listen to your child, even in the middle of a rush. Creating a sense of security is one of the most important things. It is also easier for the child to face strange and scary things in such an atmosphere.
Children must make their voices heard, even when they cannot express themselves adequately. An observant adult can sense what is going on, even without words. We have to empathize and remember how we felt when we were little.
How do you use social media as an author?
I admit that I am a beginner as a social media user. Our publishing company, Wickwick, has a lot of online activity in marketing and sales. For my part, I connect with all my stakeholders by participating in producing the publishing company’s material.
In addition, I have both the Tuula Pere Author and the personal Tuula Pere Facebook pages. My friends and readers there include very different people interested in children’s literature — readers, writers, illustrators, publishers, and many of my dear old supporters. I also use LinkedIn to talk about books and writing internationally. I try to find a suitable way to meet people on each channel. They are different depending on the media and have different expectations.
I’m also quite active in the Publishers without Borders group, an engaging Facebook community born during the pandemic. It’s incredible how fast such networks can spread! There are about 4,500 people from the book industry in this community, and I have already met some at the international book fairs and publishing fellowship programs.
And I recommend my Warm Values Blog to you! I write there on a more general level on topics that I consider essential and exciting – such as Author’s Voice, Parenthood, Society, and Inspiration. My purpose is to get my readers to ponder various societal themes with an empathetic approach. I may reflect on recent events around us, or go back in history, describe observations from my travels, and thoughts behind my books.
In Warm Values Blog, I sometimes open my personal experiences of family life, being a mother and child, or layered memories of my family’s many generations. – My modest and ordinary grandparents would have been amazed reading about how much they have influenced my thinking and writing!
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
When I answer questions like this, I often choose some past writer. My companion would now be Mika Waltari (1908¬–1979), a versatile Finnish writer who was a professional writer for almost every kind of literary assignment. In addition to the smooth pen, he had a broad knowledge base and studies that gave depth to his social reflections.
He was so productive and successful that many people in the book industry and literature field envied him. He seemed to be capable of writing anything and adapting his gifts to very different uses and audiences. He wrote great historical novels, film scripts, crime novels, plays, essays, poems, and rhymed texts for newspaper comics. And was well-paid, too!
I chose to spend my imaginary day with Waltari, as I am a great admirer of his most famous novel worldwide, The Egyptian. But as a writer of many travel stories, he would undoubtedly be an expert as a traveling companion, preferably on a train.
I traveled alone by train around Europe for a month at a young age. I made a lot of observations about different regions, people and their habits and languages, and history, too. There was a lot for a young traveler to ponder and melt together. Young Waltari did the same thing and wrote a novel about that. No doubt, we would have a lot to discuss about our findings on the way – at least for one day together!
Have you ever traveled as research for your book?
I enjoy traveling a lot because it helps me understand life more broadly. The goal of my travels is simply to see and experience, perhaps learn something new and connect it to my previous experiences and knowledge. All this belongs to refining one’s personality.
As I walk around and explore things and meet people, I get new ideas, and old ones develop further. Everything gathers deep in my mind, where it matures – hopefully even into a story worth telling others. I guess I don’t travel to collect material but gain life experience and clarify and refresh my thinking.
In my children’s books, the stories travel around the world. In this way, I want to connect children across all borders – visible or invisible. The ingredients in these stories come from somewhere deeper than my travels. They come from the journeys my brain and heart have made.
But who knows if the more concrete “mental souvenirs” from my journeys could later be used in books for adults? The caches of my memory are already quite packed at this age.
So far, I’ve not written much for adults – mainly non-fiction. But I have published one collection of my short stories for adults in Finnish. And in some of them, I have put a few extraordinary situations and events from my travels abroad.
Maybe it’s soon time to start writing about this lifelong journey for adults. But it takes a new kind of courage!
Author Links: Facebook | Website
Many ordinary situations can be difficult for young people, and that’s when you need a grown-up’s support. With a warm heart and playful mind, families can fin
I Put My Soul And Thought In The Book
Can We Talk? tells your story about moving to Canada, the struggle your family faced from the move, and strained relationships with each other. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I moved to Canada 21 years ago with my husband and our two daughters, just like other immigrants first we faced with “no Canadian experience no job, no job no Canadian experience” for years, we didn’t have any option except downgrade ourselves from senior project manger before immigration to sitting in coop courses and doing voluntary jobs.
In the meanwhile our two daughters went through many challenges as newcomers and new students, we were very fortunate they could adopt and achieve their goals after first few years by hard work and working extra hours.
However our daughters could get back to their positions faster than most of immigrants kids ,but it takes 3 years for me and 6 years for my husband to get back to be hired as Engineer, while we thought our life is stable and our days and nights efforts finally took us to what we deserved, our work environment harassment started , it followed by discriminating, racism, genderism, and a hidden competition between those who were born in Canada against successful immigrants who they assumed are stealing their opportunities.
This injustice, negligence and harassment caused me broken long time marriage, job lost, loosing financial stability, a huge distance between me and my daughters and health problems.
Those incidents were just beginning and followed by discriminating, insult, humiliation and harassment every where from doctors office to banks to police stations to stores and even courts and law offices, those mental, emotional and physical abuse made my husband depressed, my talented educated younger daughter without job for 5 years , my smart educated older daughter working 15-17 hours per day for making basic life alone and impacted on me the way one side of my body completely disabled and I almost died.
The main reason of writing this book is letting world knows why in a country that is called free country and are fighting against discrimination out of Canada borders let this happened inside its territory and my 17 years complaint, asking for stopping this harassment not only did not get anywhere but also by misusing and manipulating languages I was tourcherd to death and have been living under extreme interrogation for finding a mystery connection who they created in their unrealistic, abusive world.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
I am grateful to you and Titan for reviewing my book, since this story is a true story I put my soul and thoughts in the book, going through everything happened to my family and how we went through injustice without doing anything in our fault broke my hear. I lost more than 30 years marriage and a family and home we had built since our early twenty, on top of that losing our respect, our society positions and be treated like a criminal, crazy worthless person by strangers without knowing for which crime we are targeted is something still Canada authorities should answer it.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life?
I grew up in a country that has very different values, I had seen revolution, war and those who lost their life for standing for what is important for them besides my parents raised me with principals encouraging us read books and live free , plus I started reading books since I was a teen , I read Gandhi, Dessire and Napoleon, historical, psychological and political books they all helped me when I was struggling , I am thankful for my background and my life history that made me be alive today.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
Standing up for their rights, do not give up on taking back what you believe belongs to you and it is taken from you.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website
Sam, her husband Shawon and their daughters have faced the trials and challenges of finding their feet in a new country. Sam now has a steady job and their daughters’ educations have gone well. Can their newfound happiness come without a price?
No sooner do they think their troubles are behind them when suddenly their life turns upside down. No matter how hard they try under the influence of the environment they change to a new version of themselves to fight for what is not in their control, and in this road they are led to a separated lifestyle and eventually get distance from each other.
In this true story every member of Sam’s family reacts to trauma in their own way. Sam has been doubting unwanted strange changes related to politics and country but her family accuse her with being paranoid and delusional.
A True Sociopath
Snapshot Into A Killer’s Mind tells the true story of Billy Jay Cader through the eyes of an investigative reporter. What motivated you to write this companion to your thriller series?
I was wanting a new character that would be likeable to the reader in comparison to Billy Jay. A character the reader could make a connection with who was compassionate to Billy Jay because of background misgivings. While Billy Jay does inexcusable things that are horrible and violent, I wanted Amy Jo to coax a small dose of understanding to induce an inner battle of how to deal with and feel the possible why’s and how’s of what makes Billy Jay who he is.
I also liked the stark differences between Amy Jo and Billy Jay, yet they find an intriguing common ground between each other. Amy Jo missing her grandfather so much that she seeks to see similarities in the two.
I thought it would be a unique way to create the setting of reading Amy Jo’s published work as a different twist to the normal way of introducing the next in series. I tried not to repeat too much by having Amy Jo re-write or introduce what had already been hashed out in book 4-The Reclamation-Amy Jo’s introduction into the series. I knew there would be some rehashing since she was writing about the interviews from the previous book. It was a risk I decided to take because I really liked the concept of making this series feel like “real time” by appearing as if Amy Jo wrote book 5.
What excited you about revisiting Billy Jay Cader’s character from this unique perspective?
I liked the idea of it being a fresh and new perspective of telling a story. It also gave me a chance to write in scenes Like Amy Jo seeking out and visiting Billy Jay’s father. That particular chapter was one of my favorites to write. Billy John Cader was such a despicable character when Billy Jay was young. I wanted to show by having Amy Jo visit, that he was the type to never let himself be redeemed. He would be who he was until the day he died, seeing no reason to sorry for any of his actions. A true sociopath.
If Hollywood came knocking, who would you cast as the lead characters?
Wow! This is a very hard question and one that I’m certain every writer plays with in their mind after working on a project so long. I can tell you who I see in my head when I’m writing, but the chance of ever actually getting them is almost laughable.
Here are a few though.
Billy Jay Cader- I see Don Johnson. He played a barn burner once in a tv special that I can’t remember the title. The way he played that part and the constant five o’clock stuble, jeans, and t-shirt fit the image of Billy Jay to me. His voice is kind of gravely too, much like my narrator of the Audible version of the books. Mr. Paul J McSorley, a master at voicing stories. A quick shout out to him as I am also fortunate enough to be a major writing contributor to his YouTube based podcast named Fear From The Heartland, where short macabre horror stories are produced and aired every Wednesday evening around 5 p.m. Central. It’s a sub-channel of Chilling Tales For Dark Nights.
Amy Jo Whitenhour- I would love to see Sandra Bullock play her part. She is who I see when I write Amy Jo’s parts. She is capable of having the right amount of innocence and sex appeal wrapped up in someone I could see living on her grandparents orange tree farm, yet spunky enough to be an investigative reporter with a hard past.
When and where will this book be available?
It is heading into production for Audible in June, and I hope to have it in ebook and print released by Amazon-Kindle and Audible by the end of July or early August. It will be able to be purchased online at these two places and other online sites where books can be ordered.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon | Website | Facebook
Flower Sketches
Alphabet of Flowers is a fun children’s book that teaches young readers about different flowers. What was the inspiration for the idea behind this book?
I love flowers, especially wild ones. I began drawing using wax crayons with our toddler about a year ago. As a painting medium, crayons are readily available and not messy for quick sketching and painting. Sometimes, we draw together, or I do it alone as a relaxing activity during the short breaks between motherhood responsibilities. I shared the flower sketches on my Instagram stories. A Tanzanian author and literacy specialist advised me to write an alphabet book. So, I wrote this book with a Tanzanian child in mind. I was already working on a bilingual book project on a similar topic. It seemed fitting to branch off from that original project and complete the suggested small one first.
My favourite picture from the book is the Poppy. Do you have a favourite flower from this book?
I love all of them and intended to avoid the popular flowers appearing in the A-to-Z lists of flowers. However, letters such as the X were challenging as there is not much variety of commonly known flowers. As I was writing with a Tanzanian child in mind, I focused on what is possibly available in their tropical environments like the African violet, bougainvillea, or okra flowers. Nevertheless, the African violet would be close to my heart because it originates from the Usambaras where I grew up. Unfortunately, found only in East Africa, the African violet is in danger because of its habitat shrinking.
What do you find that children most love about flowers?
From the observation I made with my son, it’s the different colours and shapes. They are also available to touch and smell, which is great for their sensory development. Flowers can also be used as a painting colour. On touching, one has to be well informed to know which are poisonous in case of ingestion.
Do you have plans to write more educational books on flowers or other things in nature?
This book was a smaller version of another bilingual children’s project that I am working on.
Most of my children’s stories use nature as the story background. For example, the Lamellia series as fables also offer a lesson and curiosity on mycology.
Author Links: Facebook | GoodReads | Website | Instagram
Auntie Glo invites you to have fun with this book. You can learn to read or enjoy looking at the pictures, and you can also learn to draw a flower yourself using wax crayons, just as she did.
She Felt Real To Me
Small Town Spirit follows a divorced woman who buys a haunted house, she and the ghost become friends and help solve some mysterious crimes in the town. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
For a number of years I had a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. One of the long-time residents of the area told me about a local woman who was visited by a ghost, a long-dead relative. The ghost answered questions that no one else knew, including who did what to whom. Inspired by that tale, I wrote a short story; then the idea of this book came to me. It was remarkably easy to write as the characters appeared and the story progressed. almost on its own.
What was the inspiration for the relationship that develops between the characters?
I write romances and science fiction. I added a romantic aspect to the story and made that aspect different from most romances, meaning the ghost became a romantic figure as well as the detective.
What was your favorite character to write for and why? Was there a scene you felt captured the character’s essence?
I enjoy the main characters but the one who made me smile is Madame Zelda, the town Seer. She had a lot of facets to her personality and I relate to fun, older women. What captured her essence is when she really could read people just by their expression. She felt real to me. My favorite scene with her is when she showed Jen photos of the family that answered a lot of questions Jen had about the ghost, Miles.
When do you plan to publish and release Small Town Spirit?
The publisher has the manuscript now. I hope to sign a contract soon. If not in a few weeks, I will strongly consider self-publishing.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads | Barnes & Noble
The Story Is My Story
Odyssey’s Child follows a teen who struggles with finding a purpose to live after his mom dies and an old sailor helps him learn about himself and life. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Ethan struggles with finding a reason to live at the start and grows into a stronger person by the end. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
The story is my story. My mother died tragically when I was eleven as in the book, died differently than in the book, though like the book I blamed myself for her death. An uncle with a small boat in the Caribbean took pity on me. The book is the story of the two month, 1,500 mile voyage, for me a voyage of recovery from trauma and of finding myself and my future, just as for Ethan in the book. On the boast were three people as in the book, my uncle, Johnson, a wonderful black sailor, and Oliver in real life, and me. All the incidents in the Caribbean occurred as written. In writing about Ethan I was influenced by The Alchemist, a young man who journeys far as a seeker only to find what he is seeking within himself. I tried to repeat the theme of overcoming tremendous adversity, growing strength and wisdom in the fight, and in the end uplifting the reader to a renewed appreciation of the joy of being alive.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I am a great fan of Life of Pi and decided to take my Caribbean voyage as a thirteen year old and turn it as far as possible into a Life of Pi in the Caribbean. For that I needed the equivalent of a tiger on board and George was created. And why would George, a rich and socially prominent man, stay two months on a boat with a boy he didn’t know? He had to fall sexually in love with him. Then to add tension, a struggle between two men for the soul of the boy, I enlisted Johson as the boy’s protector and Geoge’s rival. Finally I locked the three on board through love and hate in a way that none could escape the voyage, as locked together as the boy with the tiger in the middle of the Pacific. This stage set I watched to see what would happen. The book almost dictated itself.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book, the second of a planned series of three, is The Child of Lot, a murder mystery. Set in the California eugenics movement, carrying the eugenics to its grotesque consequences in Germany, then following lingering tentacles of eugenics wrapping around a New England prep school. A boy, Ethan at an older age, must survive merciless bullying at the school, find out why a man dies trying to ride a horse that couldn’t be ridden, and then survive those trying to kill him to prevent him revealing the murder. The book is an education on eugenics and it’s horrors, an inside look at a very real repressive New England pre school, and a salute to determined courage and the power of love.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
When Ethan Carpenter fails to get help for his mother as she lays dying he is blamed for her death, cast out by a father who hates him, and finds himself adducted to a small sailboat in the Caribbean. The man who holds him descends to the darkest of evil with the boy his prey, as dangerous to Ethan as the tiger in Life of Pi. Like Pi, Ethan must find a way to avoid the man and his evil on an extended voyage, a two month, 1,500 mile sail the length of the Caribbean. But unlike Pi he must fight a second tiger within. Selfblame for his mother’s death has taken him so far into himself that the real world seems an illusion, suicide the only answer. As the evil increases he is pushed toward becoming part of the very evil he is fighting. Can he overcome the man while finding a way out of the darkness that is his life? The boy’s odds dim as the voyage becomes a frightening odyssey with the killer ocean storms, predators of the deep, and fantastical and deadly characters on shore as Homer told it of old.
The boy’s only hope is a black sailor who befriends him and tries to protect him. A knock-down physical and psychological battle rages between the two men with the heart and soul of the boy the prize and murder at play. Even in the violence the sailor’s wisdom and humanity shine through, taking the story to an exploration of life’s deeper meaning. And like The Alchemist, the sailor leads the boy through a series of events, each with a life lesson, in a personal journey toward finding himself and his future, a narrative of inspiration and self-realization. Lush, evocative, and totally human the story reminds one that life is worth living and the search for one’s self is the most important search of all.
LITERARY TITAN 