Penelope the Pesky Pelican follows a friendly pelican who sometimes does not have her cheerful disposition appreciated and needs encouragement from her best friend. What inspired your story?

It all started as a bit of an inside family joke about a Pelican statue we had at my late grandparents house on the coast. We named her Penelope and would always make up funny little stories and jokes about her. After years of erosion and rust, Penelope eventually succumbed to the elements, but my father wanted something to help her spirit live on in the family. One day he called me out of the blue to express his excitement about the short story he had written, starting off as just a casual way to pass the time and share with family. With my experience in both design and development and having previously worked with many publishers on their book promotions, I knew we had to bring this story to life.

The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Evelina Losich?

Collaborating with Evelina was fantastic. We knew exactly how we wanted the spreads laid out, and worked with her to develop the characters and styles, and provided direction on the layout to create what came to be a very vibrant experience our children love to just look at while being read to.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

The core message of persistent positivity and the significant impact it can have in your life is a virtue my father has always instilled in us from a very young age. We wanted this book to really personify those values and provide a creative outlet for us to share them with the world.

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

This book has really created a “domino effect” with my father and me on our journey into authoring the book, we don’t have anything concrete yet, but we have a number of other concepts in the works that we’re excited to share when the time comes!

Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon