JENNY S. BURKE
  • Home
  • Bio & NewsLetter & Events
  • Blog
  • Snowflakes
  • Jewelry
  • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Store
  • Cyber Festival

Creating WINTER'S CHILD

11/20/2021

4 Comments

 
Picture
Once upon a time, there was a fierce winter. Snow drifts towered above me like white storm waves . . . cold, soft mountains I could tunnel into or slide down.

I was a young child when my family drove from the east coast to northern North Dakota. We gathered with relatives at my grandfather’s farm for Christmas.
 
There were no kids near my age, so I explored this new world on my own. “Winter’s Child”, my new book, has roots in this experience. 
          "She played in deep snowdrifts as tall as her head,
           And flew down the hills on her small wooden sled.
        "HOW CAN ONE CHILD                        She built snow castles with icicle towers.
END THE LONG, FIERCE WINTER?"           She played all alone for hours and hours."

Picture
We built an enormous igloo from blocks of packed snow. A cold snow bench wrapped around the inner wall; snow sconces held candles. I "helped".

​A dozen relatives crowded close on the circular bench while a blanket covered the entrance. Candlelight added flickering shadows.

​Within this primitive cave, I felt connected to generations of family and to our world. 

*Village Huts in WINTER'S CHILD*

Picture
The sea called to me. I grew up and moved to the south to become a marine biologist. But I missed the snow.

One day, I folded a piece of paper and cut out a fanciful snowflake with leaping dolphins. A story grew in my mind.  

I wrote the fairytale but needed more fantasy flakes to complete the book.  
​
*FIRST PAPER FANTASY FLAKE*  (Yes, I'm surprised it survived, too. :-) )

Picture
Years later, I had designed and drawn many pen-and-ink flakes.

Now I realized that this story needed to be in rhyme,
like an ancient tale shared by firelight.

I soon learned that if one line
​can’t properly rhyme with the next line,
you need to start over with a whole new stanza. Yay.
​
*LEAPING WHALE FLAKE*

Picture
​Finally, the long story-poem was finished! I field-tested “Winter’s Child” with children and adults and adjusted a few pages.

What size should the book be?

7.5 inch wide X 9.25 inch high allows for generous margins, with room for illustration and text on each page.
​The 14 point font is easy on the eyes.
​
*SEAL-OF-APPROVAL SNOWFLAKE* (Everyone needs a seal of approval!)

Picture
​Next, the illustrations! A chance to experiment and gnash my teeth in frustration.

The fanciful flakes looked lost on a page;
they needed frames to hold them.
I drew boxes, printed the book,
and studied the empty frame above each poem.

What would capture the essence?
I wanted stylized pix with a feel of
stained glass windows.
​
​ *DOLPHIN & JAGUAR FLAKES*    
         

Picture
I pencil-sketched a picture in each framed box
​and began to draw, but . . .
How do you draw the Wind?

​How do you draw a T. rex cloud ​that's shifting apart?

I removed cloud limbs, made marshmallow teeth, and made the cloud more fluffy in humorous contrast to the dangerous, sharp-edged predator.   

      
 *T. rex CLOUD Falling Apart*

Picture
I drew simple flakes for background snow.
Now the poem and pix were finished.
Even better: the very last word of the poem-story is . . . “end”! :-)

​At last, the cover! Mariah and Wind are playing amongst the bare trees.
One ancient tree wraps around the spine, connecting the covers.

Picture
“Winter’s Child” is an upbeat, original fairytale
​in rhyming verse with fanciful illustrations.

It’s a story of the power of friendships,
which truly do change the world.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as it challenged me
​to properly complete my “once upon a time.” 
   

Thanks to all who helped. Thanks for stopping by!

Find WINTER'S CHILD here:
PAPERBACK: http://www.authl.it/B09K21BLLX?d
KINDLE: http://www.authl.it/B09KZZX9TQ?d   

4 Comments
Barbara Chioffi
11/21/2021 11:53:34 am

I have been consistently impressed with Ms. Burke's stories, and Winter's Child is no exception. This beautiful, fanciful tale, with corresponding illustrations, is uplifting, taking the reader into a work that focuses on solving a problem with mutual friendship and respect. Well done. :)

Reply
Jenny Burke
11/21/2021 01:33:59 pm

Thank you so much!

Reply
Sarah Owen
11/28/2021 10:02:29 am

I love Winter's Child, it's a wonderful tale of friendship and the images are beautifully done. It's so lovely to hear that the story was inspired by an actual experience and memory. It makes it much more special.

Reply
J.S. Burke
11/28/2021 10:36:21 am

Thank you so much! This book was a fun challenge that grew over the years.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Welcome to

       CREATIVE COGITATORS: 
    INSIGHTS FROM                WRITERS

    

    Archives

    December 2021
    November 2021
    June 2021
    December 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.