Brenda Roy I moved into the country about 11 years ago and I just spent a lot of time outdoors because I grew up in the country and I missed it.
I was so excited to have my own forest and just enjoy it. It was so peaceful, but it wasn’t quiet, not by a long shot. One night I was sitting out there, and I was listening to what sounded like Rice Krispies and I turned my light on it and it stopped. Then I shut my light off, and it started up again. I uncovered things that were under there … just a lot of critters. (I) thought ‘Oh my God, somebody needs to write about this. Somebody needs to illustrate it.’

SN Did you create this book because you liked to write or because you liked to draw?

BR Children’s books shouldn’t be that hard to write, so then I could illustrate it — that was my thought. It was a lot harder to write it than to illustrate it. But then I got into the writing.

SN What was the hardest part of the writing, illustrating and revising processes?

BR The prose, the rhyming — it was difficult because I was very picky, extremely picky. I hate close rhyme and also, it had to flow. If my tongue got stuck trying to say a word, if it didn’t flow right through, then I had to revamp it.

SN What do you think people like about the book?

BR The kids really just focus on the pictures because they’re realistic. They like detail. They want it to look real and not like some cartoon version of an animal. It’s factual, and all of it is taken from research.

SN Do you hope to write another children’s book one day?

BR I’ve already started. (It’s called) “Day Noises.” It’s about animals during the day. Right now I’m just looking through Web sites to find background pictures and finding a character.

SN On the title page of the book, you give credit to Lora Lantis. What role did she play in the book?

BR That was by far, the most fun part — the fun we had working on the verses together. We just bounced lines off each other … got the gist of it written down. I revamped a lot of it afterwards, but the raccoon and the fox are definitely ours. And the raccoon is my favorite, so she was a great help in that. We work really, really well together.

SN How has the book been received?

BR I went into this Bible store, so I’m standing there in line waiting for the manager, and (other customers) saw the book. I sold three copies. That’s the way it (has) been. I went to the post office to mail a book off, and the postmistress bought one. Then a customer came in, and he bought one.

SN How did writing this book help you with other areas of your life?

BR Mostly it’s a sense of accomplishment. I don’t believe there’s anything I can’t do that anybody else can do.

For more information or to purchase a copy of the book, visit www.authorhouse.com.