Sunday Photo Challenge . Landscape #2

Posted on by orples

To keep things a little mixed up and interesting, I decided to toss in a landscape drawing from my upcoming book “The Orples Make A Tree Home“. Now that Oscar and Olivia are free to roam about the countryside, they are discovering all kinds of new things about the world they live in. In this scene they are in search of food.

Looking for food in the meadow

Earlier today, I sent the PDF files to the publisher for layout approval. I hope to get the prototype back sometime next week so I can thumb through the book and review the potential product prior to its final printing. If necessary, I’ll make any changes that require my attention. If all goes as planned, book 2 of my orples series should be available to the public for sale in the next couple of weeks (depending on what the prototype looks like).

I tried to set the story up so that you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy book two. Through reminiscing, Olivia informs the audience that she was once an orange dreaming of being free. Now of course, her dream has come true and her world has changed. These books are meant to encourage children to think outside of the box and to use their imaginations. I also try to maintain polite conversations among the characters to reinforce the importance of manners. As in true in book one, there are subtle little lessons in friendship lingering between the lines. The above page is a prototype page, so is subject to change. I’ve already deleted the page number and bordered it to fit the publishers guidelines. There may be other changes as well in the final book.

If you haven’t been following my blog and/or want to learn more about orples, by all means, please check out “Orples Overview“. If you start at the beginning and work your way forward, it will make more sense. Comments are welcomed.

25 responses to “Sunday Photo Challenge . Landscape #2”

    • Thank you Judee, thank you for leaving a comment as well. I hope this book will do well, unlike my first book which took place indoors (with the exception of the beginning and the end) of the story, this book takes place outdoors throughout. I tried to add a variety of illustrations to avoid redundancy, although the “Treasure Tree” is a prominent feature in my first 3 books. Hopefully, there will be a book 4 and 5, but they’ve not been conceived yet, so I’ll have to wait to share those unborn ideas once they’ve hatched.

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      • I just think it’s so fantastic that you are doing this – daring to live your dream. Maybe once the second one is out, and it becomes obvioius it’s a series, you’ll make more sales on the first one too. Even in books for grownups, if I know something is a series, I may wait until 3 or 4 books are out to buy, because I hate seeing a good book end, lol.

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        • Thank you Judee. The first book of the series rattled around waiting to be born for 25 years, but now that I have developed characters, the other two books (so far) are unfolding with new adventures rather nicely. Jacob (my grandson) assures me that sequels are the way to go. I hope to circle back on my first book, and switch publishers to try to bring its price down some. Although if you compare the long term purchase to say, a stop at McDonald’s for lunch, it all equals out. There is a lot of competition in the literary world, and price is a selling factor. Right now though, I want to get the next two books out and perhaps a condensed version in rhyme for younger children (ages 3+) to introduce them to the orples. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is the journey, not the destination that counts and that things will unfold in their own time and as they are meant to unfold. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

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    • Thank you for seeking out the title, Ledia. Amazon is the best place to buy it, if that is your intent. Either way, my publishers have set the age group on the first book for the 9-12 age group. I disagree. I think it would be better suited for ages 8-80. “How Orples Came To Be” is entertaining for a child, but there are a lot of messages that adults can identify with as well. It encompasses loneliness, love, friendship, and a tug between moral choices in addition to explaining how oranges developed into orples. I’ve had some good feedback on it to date. I appreciate your interest.

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    • Thanks bunches! In having children and grandchildren of my own, and after having read quite a few children’s books myself, I look back and realize my favorites were the ones that actually taught the kids a little lesson along the way. Too, I liked the books with lots of drawings to follow along with, so tried to include a good number of illustrations in my own books. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

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    • Thank you. You can check out Orples Overviews for more information on my first book (already published) “How Orples Came To Be”. I am hoping to have this next book out within the next two weeks, to be followed shortly thereafter in an e-book format. Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts with me.

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        • Tell your son CreateSpace.Com is the answer to his question. They are directly associated with Amazon. I wish I’d known about them when I published “How Orples Came To Be”. I may backtrack at a later date, and reprint my first book through that link. First, I need to get my next two orples books out. My first book has lots of litte lessons between the lines and a happy ending, despite a sad beginning. Book 3, when it’s time comes, will be “The Orples Learn To Read”. That book is meant to encourage children to read and embrace learning. In the meantime, thanks for the kudos on the video.

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