Josh was kind enough to sit down with Kids Talk Kid Lit for an interview. As always, he was kind, passionate and, of course, funny! I hope you enjoy!
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Hello, Mr. Josh
Funk! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today.
Thanks for having me!
I am so excited that
Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast will be available for everyone
on September 1. Is it hard to believe that this is finally
happening?
Yes. It’s completely
surreal. For the last several years I’ve dreamed
of getting a book published, having something I wrote at the end of the F shelves in libraries and bookstores,
but I never actually imagined that it
would happen.
Where did you get the
idea for the story?
Well, Kurt, it started
like most good stories - with two children fighting. One Saturday morning, I asked my two darling children what they wanted for
breakfast. One said, “Pancakes!” The other said, “French Toast!” “Pancakes!”
“French toast!” “PANCAKES!” “FRENCH TOAST!”
As the bickering
continued, I checked the freezer and saw that - as you probably suspected - all
we had left were waffles … To top it off (literally and figuratively),
the syrup bottle had enough left to fill about 1 square on a waffle grid.
It was on the way to
the diner that I came up with the idea.
You have such a gift
for writing in rhyme. Did you know it was going to be a rhyming book
from the beginning or is that something that happened as the story developed?
Thanks for the
compliment. Like many beginning writers, I started off writing everything in
rhyme. Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast was a rhymer from the start. Only
lately have I started writing a bit more in prose.
I play guitar (or used to), and in college I wrote songs that often had quirky and clever lyrics. I never became a rock star (or haven’t yet), but those same quirky clever lyrical skills came in handy when I refocused on a different audience: kids.
Have you had the
opportunity to read Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast to kids? How did it feel to see their responses to
YOUR book?
I have had a few opportunities to read it to kids, but I have to
admit, I’ve been paying more attention to getting the words right and pages
turned properly than I have to the children’s reactions. At #nErDcampMI’s Nerd
Camp Junior, I had the opportunity to do 3 rotating school visits with
different groups of kids and they all seemed
to like it. I think I’m still a little nervous ‘performing’ in front of folks. I
haven’t yet mastered the ability to assess my surroundings. I’m not a trained
educator (I’m a software engineer by day), so the experience of working with
large groups of children is brand new to me.
Brendan Kearney's
illustrations are so perfect for the text. How did you feel the first
time you saw them? Did you get any sneak peeks?
When my editor at Sterling told
me they were interested in Brendan, I checked out his website and knew he’d be
perfect. A few months later my editor sent me these character sketches:
They were beyond
anything I ever imagined. Literally. I never considered what Lady Pancake’s
hair would look like, or if Sir French Toast would wear a hat.
It’s the strangest
feeling seeing your idea drawn by someone with such talent. Like I said, I’d
dreamed it, but never actually imagined it.
The book trailer for
Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast is so fantastic...and you did it
yourself. Can you tell us about that process?
As I mentioned, I used
to write songs back in my younger days. For the trailer, I used the GarageBand
app on my phone to record the all of the music, and then I used high-resolution
images supplied by Sterling
Let's get to know Josh
Funk a little better. Please finish these sentences...
I love it when... it rains.
If I could... make more hours in the day, I would increase the number to about
27.
The perfect day... would be waking up in my castle on the Italian coast, followed
by [spoiler alert: see below] for breakfast. I’d head to the movies for a
comedy or action flick, burritos for lunch, take the kids swimming in the
afternoon, a trip to the bookstore (mostly to socialize with booksellers), a
date with my wife for dinner, followed by a private performance by City and
Colour while we eat ketchup Doritos.
I wish I hadn't... waited so long before starting to write children’s books. The
kidlit world is so welcoming, all the authors and educators are so friendly.
But I can’t complain (too much). Things seem to be working out just fine.
I can't believe I... am being interviewed. At all. This whole experience is just
silly.
and finally
This morning for
breakfast... Waffles. Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!
Thanks for joining me today, Josh. I can't wait for everyone to experience this great book!
Thank YOU, Kurt! Have
a great school year. And don’t forget the syrup!
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Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast is a
thoroughly delicious picture book about the funniest "food fight!"
ever! Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast have a beautiful friendship—until they
discover that there's ONLY ONE
DROP of maple syrup left. Off they go, racing past the Orange Juice
Fountain, skiing through Sauerkraut
Peak
Josh Funk was born in Boston New England , alongside
his wife, children, and assorted pets & monsters.
Josh is a board member of The Writers' Loft in Sherborn , MA
Find out more information about Josh at www.joshfunkbooks.com and on Twitter @joshfunkbooks.
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