Author Bio:
I am an award-winning author who began writing children’s stories as a single father, when my two daughters were very young. My love of being a dad inspired me to share my creativity through the magic of storytelling. My first published book, “Santa’s Zany, Wacky, Just Not Right Night Before Christmas”, was released in 2014 and won The Gold Medal Moonbeam award, as well as being a USA Best Book finalist, in 2015.
I went on to write “When Grandpa Gets Going”, a celebration of family and my tribute to Grandpas, which was published by Black Rose Writing in 2018.
In 2019 my third book, “Peek and Boo are Looking for You”, was also published by Black Rose Writing, which introduces young readers to all the fun of Halloween, without being too scary.
I enjoy spending time sharing my stories with children in both schools and hospitals, and I have devoted a great deal of time doing author talks in community centers, middle schools, and conventions. I continue to write stories that I hope to share with the world in the future. I live in Littleton, Colorado with my wife and two dogs.
What inspires you to write?
I had never set out to be a children's book author. When I was in high school I somehow developed a knack for writing in rhyme. I began writing poetry and moved into song writing, where I transformed many of my poems into songs, while at the same time trying to learn how to play keyboards. These songs and the rhymes that they included, became a sort of therapy for me.
Shortly thereafter, I became a single father of two daughters. Songs and poems both seemed to play a role in the way I parented my kids. As my daughters got older they insisted on hearing new stories because they were getting tired of the same old ones in the books we had. I told them that if we wanted to hear new stories, we were probably going to have to "Write them ourselves." So we did, and what followed next was years of family bonding, creating stories that were fun and unique. If it hadn't been for those two, I may never have discovered the power of these stories. Even though they are both grown, my inspiration for each and every story I tell can be traced back to a single father, who loved sharing ideas with his daughters, and discovered a magic that few have experienced.
Tell us about your writing process.
As I explain in my author talks, everyone will have a different approach to the writing process. But I will tell them, that no matter what path you take, it is important that you keep all of the scribblings and notes and edits that you make during the course of your writings. All of those changes, edits and re-writes that you will make are the evolution of your project. You will, one day, want to see exactly how you got here, so please, don't throw them away.
For me, making time to write has always been a challenge. I have never been able to schedule a time or day that I would be able to sit and create. For me, the urge to get something to come out usually presses me at more inconvenient times, like when I'm at work in the middle of something important, or at 2:00 am when I'm most comfortable in bed. And I never know just what I'm supposed to write, or how long I will need to sit there. I just listen to my inner self, sit down, and wait for the inspiration to come. It might be a few minutes, and it might take a few hours, but so far this process hasn't failed me.
And then there's the challenge of writing in rhyme. At first people would tell me that I shouldn't write in rhyme. They said that it was not a professional way to write, and that by doing so, I limit my ability to tell a story due to the number of words I am able to rhyme with. But for me, writing in rhyme opened up a much larger imagination. One that seemed much more simple and natural to me. In fact, in many of my stories, I have no idea where the story line is going to go. The magic that rhyming creates leads me to ideas I had no intentions of going to, creating stories that, at times have surprised even me.
Once my story is written, I block certain stanzas that I feel will correspond with a picture that I have in my head. Since I'm not much better than a stick figure drawer, I rely heavily on my illustrator to communicate with me, and help me bring the idea or picture I have in my head, to the page. The relationship with your illustrator is crucial. This project is my baby, and I want it to be everything I think it can be. And although the process is full of many ups and downs, in the end, when you open that box of newly printed books, and hold one in your hands, you will experience a moment that will surely fit into the category of "Best Of", in your lifetime.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Being a children's book author, the characters have much smaller time frames to develop like they would if I was writing a novel. I have the greatest respect for those who write novels. I just don't think I have it in me to focus on a subject and story line long enough to write one. In my book world, I see the potential of some of my characters becoming household names one day. Perhaps a made for TV children's holiday special. Maybe even the big screen. In any case, my conversations with my characters are limited to me asking them if I'm doing enough to make them appealing? Does the story fit their adventure? Am I giving them enough to hold the attention of their audience? And finally, will they be remembered? Will the rhyming help keep these new friends fresh in the minds of the readers? Only history will judge that.
Who are your favorite authors?
Honestly, I was never a big reader in school or thereafter. Reading became a way to help me fall asleep, rather than a way to pass the time. As simple as it may sound in my case, Theodore Geisel stood above all the rest when it came to grabbing my attention. Dr. Seuss stories were by far my favorite, with "Green Eggs and Ham" being the first book I ever learned to read.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
In 2001 I co-wrote my first story with a friend. I was fortunate enough to catch the attention of an agent back then, who liked it enough and wanted to help me pursue publication. After several years, a number of stories and some close calls with large publishing houses, the market began to slow down and publishers began to cut back, leaving my story in a 'Hold" pile indefinitely. In 2007 my agent had to retire due to health issues, and at that time I began to feel like I may never become a published author.
In 2013 my friend and I decided that our story was just too good to let sit on the shelf forever. We both had a desire to share it with the world. So we tried again and had success having our book, "Santa's Zany, Wacky, Just Not Right Night Before Christmas" published in 2014. From there I used a platform called, "Authors.Me" to help locate and match my stories to publishing companies looking for what I had to offer. in 2017 Black Rose Writing accepted my second book, and from there I was able to grow this dream. Nothing happened quickly. And it's important to realize that time can be a fickle thing. Just remember, it may only take forever to become an overnight success.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
We are all aware of the changes that are occurring in the book industry. The decline of brick and mortar buildings, library usage, and overall paper bound books are in many ways a sad thing to see. I love to have an actual book in my hands. I love the smell of a book store. Those feelings play a big part of my memories as a child. I only hope that those who change the future of publishing, have enough memories of what it used to be, and that it will play a part in their decision-making.
What genres do you write?
Children's books
What formats are your books in?
Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Follow David Radman On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Facebook
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
