Interview with Jen K. Blom, author of 'New Pony Day!'
Jen
K Blom is an international award-winning author living in Berlin, Germany with
her daughter, husband and hairless cat Yoda. Visit www.pony101.de to get all sorts of great
updates and activity sheets featuring Josie, Floki and Pasta!
Her
latest book is the children’s picture book, New
Pony Day!
For More
Information
Welcome to Mayra's Secret Bookcase, Jen! Did you always want to be a writer?
Always did!
Wrote my first poem at 5, and carried on from there. Took a long time to get to
this point but definitely, definitely worth it!
Tell us about your recent release.
What was your inspiration for it?
My recent
release is NEW PONY DAY, a picture book about a little girl and her quest to
find the perfect pony – who was there all along * spoiler!
My daughter is
the inspiration for this series.
The process
began over two years ago with a glimmer of an idea for my daughter (who was
then 3). She adores horses, but had problems understanding certain
things about them. Josie (then Heba) and her pony Floki (then Nosy) popped in
my head, but it took a visit to the Sharjah Children’s Book Festival as a
featured author to make me realize: I could make this book myself. Now, for
her. While she was young. And so it happened!
It took awhile
to decide on the format, whether I would submit to trad pubs or not, but in the
end I had a shiny new book. It was definitely one of the more satisfying
experiences of my life – and not only because I recently read her the final
version with pics and she loved it.
Tell us about your children's books.
The PONY101
series is my first picture book series, and is targeted towards horse-crazy
kids that also want to learn great facts about horses. It fills a great gaping
hole in the marketplace, as well: there is no real series about a horse and a
kid out there – especially not one that covers the theatrical (ALIEN VS PONY)
as well as the more mundane (IT’S GROOMING DAY – coming soon).
I am a hybrid
author, which means I have been published traditionally (POSSUM SUMMER and OUT
OF THE WILD, with an agent for my middle grade books) as well as indie for the
picture books. So far, I’m really enjoying my indie experience.
Do you have a website/blog where
readers may learn more about you and your works?
I do! www.pony101.de is a combined blog/website with
lots of interesting facts, a blog, and activity sheets. I’m working on a
special site there just for kids that read the books, but that might take a bit
to finish. J
What are you working on now?
I am presently working on the second book’s illustrations in the series, ALIEN
VS PONY. We had a vote to see which would come first (I was all for the
grooming one, but was overruled. Because aliens!)
/////////////////////////////
About the Book:
Title: New
Pony Day!
Author: Jen K. Blom
Publisher: Jen K. Blom
Pages: 28
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Today’s
the day Josie gets her new pony – if she can find him, that is! Her cat Pasta’s
along for the ride, too, but there’s no telling if he’ll help or not – he’s a
cat!
For
More Information
- New Pony Day!
is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your
copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this
book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book
Excerpt:
My name is Josie and I'm happy as I can be.
My kitty Pasta and I have a job just our size, you see.
Today’s the day I choose my
pony.
All mine. Only for me me ME!
I’ll know him when I see him!
I KNOW I will. Only…
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