Karen, welcome to the blog!

Hey Robert, it’s super cool to be here and be interviewed by you. I have quietly watched your children’s author journey and you are such an inspiration to me. And continue to be.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you for your love and support over the years, Karen. I really appreciate the friendship we've formed along the way. You are not alone on your journey. :-) x
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Feathers is your recently release picture book; a beautiful and gentle story about love and loss, and the power of memory. What can you tell us about this title?
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A feather in many cultures is a spiritual connection. It’s often said that when you find a feather it’s a sign from a loved one no longer with you.  A feather is a symbol of love and protection to many. And when teaching about the wind I would always use feathers and the joy of the chase always remained. There were so many ideas intertwined about feathers but these were the main ones. Love, loss, connection. The whole story is centred around these themes with a boy and a feather. 

What do the themes in the story mean to you?

I think, love can have no end and that through memory we can connect to someone even if they are no longer here.  This story came from my own heart and experiences. As a parent, I wanted to remain connected to my children no matter what happened. When we’re loved we feel protected and treasured and that connection is something we don’t ever want to lose no matter what. Feathers is a reassurance of love when it’s needed most.
 
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What was the most rewarding part of creating this book?
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For me, the book was a healing process and the most rewarding part, is the fact that Feathers can comfort and empower a child when they need it most. Feathers is a conduit for informal dialogue for children on this important topic. 

Favourite part of your new book?
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I adore the night sky double spread of the boy and his mum surrounded by star constellations. The visuals are a perfect match to the text, they dance and play together beautifully and take my breath away. A picture book is very much a dual creation by the writer and illustrator and this spread exemplifies this.

Tell us about the path to publication for ‘Feathers’.

Feathers has been in the making for well over four and a half years. Yet, I am pleased it has happened now and not earlier. Because, I realise as an author I still have so much more to learn. I have a greater appreciation and understanding of the significance of being published.  If Feathers had been rushed it would not have been as stunning a book.  I have learnt patience, acceptance and about the magic of picture books. For me, the goal was always about the book being the best it could be. This overrode anything else. Being published by a small publisher has built my knowledge base as an author because you are involved in every step. I have so much more understanding about picture books and the multiple layers of meaning within them.
 

What were some of your favourite children’s books growing up?
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My primary school had no library and my high school had a very poor library.  But often, I was given books for my birthday. I also discovered the newsagency and saved my pocket money to buy books and magazines. So here are a few, Little Women, Heidi, The Famous Five and Secret Seven. The Diary of Anne Frank, Go Ask Alice and Came Back to Show You I could Fly showed me the power of voice.  I also adored Flowers in the Attic, Bridge to Terabithia and Charlotte’s Web. I’ll stop here before I add anymore.
 

What’s next for you?

I keep chugging along doing the best I can, trying to improve and grow. Picture books are my passion and they keep calling me to play. I am hoping to explore different areas in picture books. Also, I keep being told I should write middle grade novels. But at the moment that is still sitting quietly within me.
 

Do you have an online presence?

I do have an online presence on Facebook and Instagram that is building and growing daily. I am lucky, because with Facebook I was able to host an online launch for Feathers. This pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way. Because there was no possibly of any physical book launch with Covid. A new frontier for me. With Instagram, I write daily quotes for writers and enjoy the work of illustrators. I occasionally jump onto Twitter too. I have been able to connect to all sorts of people who adore children’s books from all over the world and this is wondrous.
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https://www.facebook.com/karenhendrikschildrensauthor
https://www.instagram.com/karen_hendriks_writer/
www.karenhendriks.com
https://twitter.com/karenhendriks1


About Karen:
Karen was a primary school teacher and has always loved using picture books to brighten children’s lives.

A love of story and teaching children has led Karen to becoming a children’s author.  Picture books allow a child to be purely in the moment.  Karen believes a school without picture books is not a school at all.

Karen lives on the south coast of New South Wales with her family and little dog Elmo.  Being by the sea, with sandy toes and close to nature is what makes Karen happy. She rides her pushbike with Elmo in the basket along the beaches.

Karen can be found writing in local coffee shops or even on scraps of paper or typing some random idea into her phone.  She believes kindness is catching just like hugs from picture books.
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With the lightness of a feather in the breeze Karen hopes her stories reach and find you.

Adam, welcome to the blog!

Thanks Robert! Great to be here, and great to chat with you!


You’re a best-selling children’s author and seasoned school presenter, and recently become a mentor to fellow authors with your newly released short courses. What can you tell us about the courses you offer?

I can tell you SO much … but I will try and be brief. Basically, I have set up Kid’s Book Creator Capital (www.thekbcc.com) as a centre where people can come and get truckloads of info on being, well, a kids book creator! To begin with, I want to help people out with the practical side of things. There are heaps of amazing courses and resources out there on actually creating a book, but what then?

So the first courses I have up look at doing school visits, generating an income from your kid’s books, and then, because I love zombies, a course on how zombies can act as an inspiration to us as people and creators (this one is designed to be for adults and kids).

The courses go into heaps of detail. Basically, I have learned so much over the last 20 years doing over 500 school visits, and actually creating a career out of my books (something a lot of people told me would be impossible). I wanted to take all that knowledge, condense it, and pass it on in a few short hours. I want creators to see it is possible, whatever it is for them, and I wanted to shorten the time it will take for them to get that knowledge.
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But the knowledge is just the start. Then it’s up to them to put it into action.

What has been the most rewarding part of creating these courses?

To start with, it was finishing the first one! But also giving back to this awesome community that has given me so much. When I started out, the most amazing people helped me. They passed on advice, supported me, chatted to me about books, everything. And that’s massive. It’s great to learn from people who have been where you are, and who have then got to where you want to be, who have done what you want to do.

You don’t ask someone who’s broke how to make money.

It’s the most incredible community, and to be able to give back to that, to maybe do for others what was done for me, that is a massive thrill.
 

What has been the most challenging?

Trying to cram everything in. My step-dad always told me to under-promise and over deliver, but I want to over-promise and over-deliver (if that’s actually technically possible!)! So the courses cover everything I have done and know. From every way that I have generated income, pros and cons of the different types of publishing, every way I have gotten a school visit, planning actual visits, and more.

Also the subtitling. It was super fun, but I think I went cross-eyed for a few days there!
 

What is your personal favourite thing about visiting kids in schools?

Oh man, there is so much! Seeing kids who thought they couldn’t draw do a drawing and getting SO excited and proud. Having teachers almost bring me to tears when they tell me that a kid who never speaks in class had contributed. Signing autographs. Doing readings. Feeling the energy rise in the room, laughing with the kids, creating with the kids, there’s more, but I’ll stop there. It’s all so amazing.

 
What is your biggest tip for authors wanting to be successful school presenters?

This is a bit of a tricky one, but I will go for this. Be YOU! One of the things that helped me most was seeing other authors present, but that is also very intimidating. I don’t want to do Powerpoint presentations at schools, but I have seen some amazing ones get an incredible response, so thought maybe I should.

Some people speak quietly, some speak loudly, some are funny, some are serious. In the end, watching other authors present is an amazing inspiration, but we shouldn’t compare. The thing kids respond to most is authenticity. You being you. That goes for our creating as well.
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Besides, it’s tiring trying to be someone you’re not. SO if you love jumping around and being crazy, do that. If not, well, don’t. 

Can you share one of your exciting projects that you’re currently working on?

I sure can! It’s a new course haha. I want to do a course on self-publishing, something I have done for 15 years now, and still do every year. In terms of books, I am working on a series of picture books that is, wait for it, 25 books in haha! With what I have started, it will be at 50 books very soon, and I love it, it’s so much fun to write!
 

Please tell us where we can find you online.

Sure! I’m at www.adam-wallace-books.com and all the courses are at www.thekbcc.com

I’m also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/adamwallacebooks, and Twitter @wallysbooks and YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/awallace100
 
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Thank you for visiting today, Adam. I really appreciate you sharing your insight, expertise and experience. All the best with your latest venture.

Thanks SO much for having me, Robert, always a pleasure talking to you!