I want to thank you for being my guest here on Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.
What inspired you to write?
Tom: I started writing just as an outlet to express myself through story telling. Song writing is the same way for me. I enjoy telling a story that takes a person somewhere that they can relate to.
Heather: I enjoy writing as a way to escape to a different place and look at ideas in different ways. It is fun to see where a story can go.
What type of books do you mostly write?
This is our first children’s book that we have written. So, we are enjoying the whole process of seeing a small idea turn into a full colored book that children will find enjoyable to read.
Do your children inspire any of books, characters, or plots?
Tom: Yes they have. Their personalities and their uncanny way of looking at life inspire me every day.Can you share with us a little about your current book?
This is a story about a little girl who wakes up for school one morning and finds that her little brother has been replaced by a monkey in his bed. The story takes you through their day as the little girl tries to explain to everyone about the monkey wearing her brother’s clothes. There is a twist at the end of the story when the truth of the story is revealed.
The world of children’s book publishing is extremely competitive, with many authors hesitating between trying their luck with a traditional publisher or self publishing. What advice would you offer writers who are oscillating between these two publishing venues?
Tom: I don’t know what the right answer is for everyone. I self-published Monkey Made Dream ourselves mainly because it was for fun. I also like to be involved with the whole process of marketing. This is our project, and we want to have a say in how to get this children’s book out to the public.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Tom: Just keep writing every day.
Heather: Enjoy the process!
I thank you for taking the time to share with me and my readers about being an author.
I bought the first season of Sweet Valley High that aired during the early 1990s. The DVD set came out in 2005 and the remaining three seasons have never released yet. I forgot that the series even existed. I remember stumbling upon it on a Saturday afternoon; I think I was in Junior High at the time. I am probably the only straight male who ever read the Sweet Valley High book series. I grew up in a small town with a very small school. There was a very small library at school, and being a booklover, I quickly ran out of books to read and started checking out books for the girls section. I even owned a few SVH and The Baby-sitters Club books at the time. My mom bought them at a garage sale. Now, when I stumble upon either series, I buy them. I look forward to the new Sweet Valley High Confidential coming out at the end of the month. 
episode is based on the book Dangerous Love. The scriptwriters crammed too many ideas into a twenty-minute episode. If you were not familiar with the books, you would be confused. The writing is getting better with each following episodes. The plots are a little silly, and the show has aged over the years. Some of the supporting casts are a little too old to be playing high school students, and there is some bad acting. Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield (played by Cynthia and Brittany Daniel) are the best part of the series. I would like to see a new version of SVH, but this time have it on an hour and drop the comedy from it. 
Volume 2 by Rachel Caine.
