"Today I'm chatting with the wonderful children's author, Yossi Lapid. Welcome, Yossi, I'm so pleased to be spending time with you today. I can't wait to share your story and your adorable books with everyone, so we'll get right to the interview questions.
"Thank you, Deanie, It's a pleasure to be here."
Tell me how you started your writing career.
It depends, I guess, on what we mean by “career.” I started telling and writing stories at a very young age because, in Romania (where I was born) I had no toys and I was “forced” to use my imagination…Then, over four decades of being a college professor, I wrote and published a lot of “academic stuff”. But my career as a children’s books author started only a year and a half ago when I retired from my academic position and decided to try something new.
I'm really glad you wrote your stories, Yossi. They're wonderful.
How did you come up with the ideas for your adorable stories?
First I came up with the two main characters, Snowman Paul and his young friend named Dan. The idea to feature a snowman took root in Canada, where I served for four years as a visiting professor of Political Science at Carlton University in Ottawa. Once I had a clear idea of the key characters I started thinking about how they would behave in certain situations. What if Snowman Paul really wanted to be a Winter Olympics champion but Dan was skeptical about this idea? What if Dan “accidentally” ate his sister’s birthday cake and went to Snowman Paul to get help? How would Snowman Paul help him? What if Snowman Paul wanted to be a musical superstar? and so on.
I'm so glad you are using your many talents by writing for children.
Do you have any projects you’re working on now?
Yes, my fifth volume in this picture book series titled “The Amazing Snowman Duel” is almost finished and will be published soon on Amazon. In the first volume, Dan feels intimidated or bullied by his friend Bill who lives next door but thinks that snowmen are “dumb”. Dan builds a snowman anyway and ends up with a great new friend called Paul.
I asked myself how would Bill respond to this incident and the result was this new volume. The ending is surprising and I really enjoyed writing this story.
I can hardly wait to read it, Yossi.
Have you always wanted to write children's stories?
Yes,I always dreamed about writing children's stories, and at some point, I even considered switching careers, but the responsibility of having a family and three young kids dissuaded me from taking this path. In retrospect, I am quite happy with how things turned out. I had a long and wonderful career as a college professor and now I have a great new challenge for my retirement.
What age/ages are your stories best suited for?
I think children 3 to 8 years old would enjoy and benefit most from this series. The series can be used as bedtime stories and as beginner readers. The stories are written in rhymes and children love rhyme because it helps them remember the story and predict what is coming next .These are winter stories, perfect for snuggle time in bed or in front of a fireplace.
They are fantastic stories, no matter what time you read them.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Aspiring authors should feel encouraged by the fact that this is a golden time for self-publishing. There are unprecedented opportunities which is both a blessing and a potential challenge. The children’s book market is blooming but it is also fully saturated.
All authors are therefore well-advised not to rush or cut corners. More than ever, it is imperative to take your time, do your best and come up with your very best product possible.
That's valuable advice, Yossi. We always want to be careful to present our best work to our readers.
Link to Amazon author page:
"Thank you so much for the interview, Yossi. It was great fun learning about you and your books.
"You're welcome, Deanie. I enjoyed my time with you as well."
copyright 2016 Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
