Welcome Back!
You like me! You really like me!
Welcome back to Kouao Blogs. Given that you’re back, I guess I must have done something right. Or maybe you just love me that much. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I figured, since we’re still in the introduction phase, I would introduce you to the characters of my first two books: Zoe and Olivia Give Mommy a Day Off and Zoe and Olivia Find Zoe‘s Teddy.
For those who don’t know me, Zoe and Olivia are my real-life daughters. They inspired these two adventures, which follows them doing realistic kid things. It was important for me to stay as close to real life as possible with these characters. I never want my girls to feel like their real selves are not as interesting as their book selves. We keep it 100 over here baby!!
All about Zoe
Zoe is my youngest, who gives the best hugs ever. She is normally extremely quiet, until her favorite tunes come on. She has the biggest smile and loves to sing and dance. She also loves to bake with me. It matters not what we’re cooking. Only that she gets a good bite out of it when it’s ready.
The books that focus on Zoe are geared more towards the younger audience. This allows us to add some catchy rhymes and easy sight words.
All about Olivia
Olivia is my oldest, who thinks she’s the mom to her sister. She loves to run the show her way, so you better fall in line. She also loves to sing, dance, and cook with me. Olivia, on most days, is mommy’s little assistant. With her observation skills, she’s able to pick up on a lot of my tendencies. She always know what I need to get the job done. (Which is why she tries to help me with chores.)
** Read the books and you’ll understand that reference. ;-)
The books that focus on Olivia will target the elementary crowd. This means we get to put some of the bigger sight words in the story. Remember, we want to have fun and learn at the same time.
How do I come up with book ideas?
If you have the privilege of raising or being around children, you know that things can get pretty funny. Most of my ideas come from:
- Real life
- Things my kids find funny
- Zoe and Olivia’s imagination
You would be amazed at the fun and enlightening things that happen in real life. Look around! Smell the flowers! There’s so many amazing things going on all around you. Some days I take the girls to the backyard, just to look at the grass growing. Sounds weird, I know. But it’s necessary for children learning to appreciate life.
My girls have a healthy sense of humor. It doesn’t take much to make them laugh. I use this when bouncing ideas around for my books. At this age, something as simple as the word ‘poop’ gets a good chuckle in my house. Ahhh, such innocence. Such amusement. The ability of children to find the good in everything is so amazing. They make me laugh so much.
Zoe and Olivia are naturally really funny, so it’s not hard to get ideas from them. Kids have really active imaginations. If you watch and listen to them play alone, you’re bound to hear and see some funny things. You’ll also see them imitate what they see in the house. So, you better hope you are a good example.
Want to know how your kids feel about you disciplining them? Just watch them interact with a toy that’s in trouble. Should tell you everything you need to know. Good luck with that.
Conclusion
Now that you know more about Zoe and Olivia, their characters in the book should make more sense. Like I said early, the characters are fairly close (if not exact) to the real people. Eventually, we’ll get a chance to introduce Lily and Jake from “Twinkle, Twinkle Baby Star”. Lily and Jake are not based off my children, but they’re real to someone. Grab a copy and come on back, ya hear.
P.S.: Don’t forget to Read Something New Today!
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