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“Dollar Bin Bandits” Podcast Interview!
Not long ago, I was a guest on the “Dollar Bin Bandits” podcast, where Oren Phillips interviewed me about what it’s like writing comics, children’s books, games, & TV shows. You can check out the interview NOW, on YouTube and all podcast platforms (like this one).
How did I get my start in the comic book industry? What’s my writing process like? Watch or listen to the interview and find out. (You can watch a video version of it on YouTube or listen to it on Apple Podcasts.)
Flaco Flies Free!
For some time now, I’ve been writing children’s stories for a company called Chapter One. (I talked about it in a few previous blog posts. You can read one of them HERE.) And you can find my stories on the Chapter One website, in the Global Free Library section, which is an online collection of stories and materials that celebrate the world’s diversity.
In my latest Chapter One story, I paid tribute to a great New Yorker. Who is this icon of the Big Apple? Is it James Baldwin? Stephen Sondheim? Whoopi Goldberg? Martin Scorsese? Nope! None of the above. Give up? It’s Flaco the Owl. The story I wrote is called “Flaco Flies Free,” and it was illustrated by the incredible Arantza Valdivia. You can read it right HERE.
And if you scroll down on that page, you can also see a few of the other Chapter One stories I’ve written.
Here’s the official description of “Flaco Flies Free,” from the Chapter One site:
“The story of Flaco the owl, who fled his enclosure in the Central Park Zoo and was determined to survive on his own. In doing so, Flaco has behaved like a classic New Yorker and attracted legions of fans.”
I’ve also made short videos for all of the Chapter One stories I’ve written. In these videos, I explain what inspired me to write the story in question. You can see the “Flaco Flies Free” video once you scroll down after reading the story of the same name. But you can also see the “Flaco” video right here:
And while you’re on the Chapter One site, feel free to also check out the landing page for the Global Free Library.
“96 Facts” News – Holiday Edition
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been working on a series of middle grade celebrity biographies for about a year now. It’s called the “96 Facts” series, and the first two titles in that series, 96 Facts About Taylor Swift and 96 Facts About Timothée Chalamet, are out now from Penguin Random House. Both books are illustrated by the amazing Risa Rodil.
Here’s a TikTok from Penguin Random House’s Penguin Teen imprint about 96 Facts About Taylor Swift:
@penguin_teen 96 Facts About Taylor Swift – you mean my new favorite book! #taylorswift #swifttok #swifties #timotheechalamet
Also, since it’s the holiday season, a few folks have been recommending 96 Facts About Taylor Swift as a potential gift item. For instance:
The book is #14 on a list of “30 Must-Have Gifts for Taylor Swift Fans” put together by Country Living.
Here’s a video from Christie at the One Blessed Mess YouTube channel. 96 Facts About Taylor Swift is among the “New Stocking Stuffers” she recommends (at the 3:30 mark):
Here’s a video from the Makenzie Cowan YouTube channel called “Let’s Go Christmas Shopping For My Internet BFF!” 96 Facts About Taylor Swift is mentioned (and shown) at the 5:25 mark:
And if you’d like to find out more about my other Penguin Random House projects, take a look at the “Arie Kaplan” page on the PRH site.