2020 Picture Book Previews Part Six

This one’s a pretty long list. Take your time and enjoy!

 

2020 Picture Book Previews Part Five

We’re just getting started!

COVER REVEAL and Interview: Fox & Rabbit by Beth Ferry

Today, Beth Ferry is here to share the cover of the first book of her new graphic novel series, Fox & Rabbit, illustrated by Gergely Dudas.

Hi Beth! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Thanks for having me, Dylan!

Tell us a little bit about Fox & Rabbit, your new graphic novel series!

The story of Fox & Rabbit was inspired by the fun and happy art of Gergely Dudas who is a young, talented artist from Budapest.  Fox and Rabbit are two friends who embark on a series of simple, but funny adventures, inspired by the childhood experiences of my children. They go to the fair, to the beach, to the farm, etc. and learn a lot about themselves and each other during their adventures. We hope young readers will relate to Fox and Rabbit and will be able to see themselves and their hopes and fears in either or both of the characters. The first book releases in April 2020 and is published by Abrams.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process.

I write every day, usually in the morning in my pajamas with a lovely cup of coffee. I often go to bed thinking about a particular idea I have for a new story or a problem I’m having with a current story, so when I wake up, I’m excited to tackle it.

Have you always been into writing?

Yes! It’s always been a creative outlet for me. I often wonder about how and why different people express their creativity. I have to come to the realization that it’s not always a choice – certain things just speak to us differently than other things.  I have always just marveled at the power of words. I am enchanted by words and by sentences and by stories. It seemed only natural for me to try to write.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?

It is impossible not be excited upon seeing the art! I love the first sketches, the first hints of color and the glorious final art. Seeing a story brought to life by the artist is an indescribable joy to me and definitely the most exciting part of the job.

What inspires your creativity?

Words! I am a big wordie (which I believe I have mentioned  🙂 ) and my biggest inspiration usually comes from them. I love all the aspects of words – how they taste, how they sound, what they look like, what they mean, where they come from. I love word play and the power that resides in words. It’s funny but when I read a really great sentence, I first want to read it aloud to someone and then I immediately want to stop reading and start writing, in the vain hope that some of that eloquence will rub off on me!

What is one thing that readers don’t know about you, that only you could tell us?

We own over 100 beach towels and have long ago given up using regular bath towels. When we have guests, I have to scramble to find a towel that is not a beach towel for them to use.

If you weren’t writing books, what do you think you’d be doing?

Great question. In my ideal world, I would be planning elaborate, insane, intricate birthday parties for kids. Or raising tortoises. Or training bulldogs – just kidding – they’re pretty hard to train! Being an author has been a dream of mine for almost my whole life, so I am grateful that I don’t have to be doing anything else.

What can readers expect from you in the future?

There are currently three books in the Fox & Rabbit series and hopefully more. Early graphic novels are new to me and I love how fast and fun they are, so I’m hoping to write more. I also have a number of picture books coming out including The Scarecrow, Caveboy Crush, and Swashby and the Sea which has been five years in the making. It is always so gratifying to see your book out in the world, especially if you’ve waited a long time for it to publish.

Anything else you’d like to share with me?

Your Picture Book Preview posts are such much fun . . . and I assume, so much work! But it’s such a pleasure to scroll through colorful and lovely picture book covers.  It’s also awesome and inspiring to see how many picture books are being published each year. Thank you for putting those together and sharing the joy that is picture books.

And thank you for having me on your blog and for sharing the cover of Fox & Rabbit!

Now, here it is, with some interior images, too!