Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Caldric Blackwell, Author of The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf

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Caldric Blackwell is the author of The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up in Northern California, but went to college in Santa Barbara. In college, I studied English and psychology. After writing short stories for a few years, I transitioned to writing children's books. The Enchanted River Race is  my first book. The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf and The Missing Alchemist are my other two books.

Tell us more about your kindle picture book, The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf. 
It's a picture book about a six-year-old werewolf, named Byron, who can't howl. Byron embarks on a mission to learn to howl after being chosen to lead a full-moon ceremony. He learns a lot about howling during his journey, but more importantly, he learns a valuable lesson about believing in himself.

What was the inspiration for this story?

The idea came to me while I was doing research as an undergraduate psychology student. I was working on a project that involved playing games and reading books with toddlers. I saw firsthand how important self-confidence at that stage, and I came up with the idea of writing about a six-year-old werewolf who lacks self-confidence.

What made you decide to use werewolves in the plot?
I wanted to do something imaginative. Having werewolves as the main characters adds a bit of a fantastical element to the story. It allows the reader to escape into the story more than they would if I wrote about a six-year-old boy living in New York. It's important to note that the werewolves in The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf are very friendly! They are not scary whatsoever.
 
What was it like working with illustrator Emma Phillips on the picture book?
The whole process went really smoothly. Emma did a great job of transposing the ideas in my manuscript into beautiful illustrations. We did a lot of emailing back and forth because I was in Louisiana and she was in California while most of the illustrations were being done. She'd send me sketches, and I'd email her back with feedback.

What do you have in mind for your next project?
I'm working on a middle-grade series called the Young Alchemist series. The first book, The Missing Alchemist, is already out. I've really been enjoying the experience because I get to work with a more complex plot than usual due to the older target audience.

Anything else you want to add?
Yes, I'm happy to share that the The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf is a Kindle Unlimited children's book, meaning if you're a subscriber, you can get it free!

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