While in Jefferson, Texas at Kathy Patrick’s Girlfriend Weekend, I met Tim Raglan, one of the most talented children’s book authors and illustrators I’ve ever met. He was kind enough to agree to a short interview, which is the subject of this post. Tim is the incarnation of the true artist. Two interesting points about him: dHe models his animal characters on early movie stars and uses 19th century pens. I obtained one of his books, The Curse of Catunkhamen, to give to my grandson Mason. Here is a summary of that book:
The Curse of Catunkhamun (pronounced “CAT-un-common”) features intrepid
dog detectives Scott and West who battle for the safety of the canine
world against the mad schemes of the dastardly feline genius, Dr. Mew
Man-Chew and his tragic daughter, Princess Mee-Ow. The story begins
with the theft of a giant dog bone made of pure gold — and takes our
heroes halfway around the world to an ancient Egyptian temple — where
they try to stop Man-Chew’s diabolical plot to enslave the entirety of
Dog-dom as his –GASP!– personal pets! The Curse of Catunkhamun will
introduce to its picturebook audience the fun and thrills of the
detective adventure-mystery genre, and is a perfect gateway to the
chapterbooks of the advanced reader. This light-hearted, humorous
tribute to the “pulp” heroes of the dime novel and Saturday afternoon
serials will entertain (unsuspecting!) grown-ups as well as their
offspring. The beautifully illustrated, oversized edition (11 X 15) has
as an added highlight an original puzzle board (based on our tale)
featured on the endpapers of the book.
If you enjoy children’s books, do yourself a favor and check out the bio and website of this award winning author: http://www.timraglin.com/
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. Tell me about your favorite author(s) and book(s).
I enjoy all of the books of Edith Wharton, Scott Fitzgerald, and Dr. Suess.
2. What is the most significant thing as a writer that you learned in
writing this book?
A writer should have economy and purpose.
3. What are your favorite lines in the book?
“West dragged Scott away as he cried, ‘Mee-Ow!! Mee-Ow!!!'”
4. News: Recent or future author events?
I’ll be part of “Wonder-Con,” a small press expo in San Francisco February 22-24.
5. What else do you have in the works?
I have a picture book proposal entitled “Miss Anne and Big Dog” and a sequel to
“Uncle Mugsy” entitled “Yankee Doodle Mugsy”
Book Signing News:
My calendar (see my website <rickeypittman.com>) continues to fill. If this keeps up, I’ll have the busiest year of my life. I added a signing at a Houston Barnes & Noble. and a couple of others I’ll talk about in future posts. Today will be spent preparing for my trip to Alexandria, Louisiana. Tomorrow I’ll have a signing at the Waldenbooks in the mall there, and then Saturday, I’ll be presenting a program at the Midwinter Librarian’s Conference.