Amy Crowe is very humbled that her second children's book published by Dog Ear Publishing has earned an award from the company. "Caught in a Cycle" received the Dog Ear Publishing Award of Literary Excellence.
"It's a great feeling to know that someone read my work and felt it worthy of this award," she said. "To receive it twice is extremely incredible, and I feel grateful to be chosen."
Crowe's first children's book, "Changed by a Catch," earned the Dog Ear Publishing Award of Literary Excellence in 2015. The company's editorial team determines award winners, with the managing editor, editorial services manager and the publisher reviewing the team's recommendations.
She believes "Caught in a Cycle" won the award "because it captivates the younger audience but still gets a valuable message across to the reader. The editor said, 'JJ is a young boy who wants to do the right thing but can't seem to get it right. His web of his lies leads to stinky consequences. JJ is not perfect, and his adventures will have a lot of appeal for children'."
In the latest book, JJ tangles with a bully and tells a lie that spreads. The bully challenges JJ to a fight. JJ pretends to be sick to get out of the fight, and things begin to cycle even further out of control as the small lie leads to other lies. A disastrous field trip is the final straw. In the end, JJ realizes that lying is never worth it, no matter what the reason.
Crowe feels very blessed to be able to do something she loves and to share her books with children everywhere. "I want to make a difference in how they view not only obedience to their parents and other adult figures in their lives but also lying and bullying. Both are prevalent in our society today, affecting even the younger children," she said.
To help impart her lesson, the book incorporates scripture, which is important to Crowe. "As Christians, we are called to lift each other up, and there are so many verses in the Bible that give you encouragement, comfort and hope as well as direction when you need it. If I can point children to scriptures that they can turn to for guidance, then I feel like I have done so much more than just provide an entertaining story," she said.
She said writing this second book was a littler easier than the first because she learned what editors were looking for and edited her work as she wrote to save time later. What was more difficult, however, was illustrating the book in addition to writing it.
"My husband bought me the exact same Intuos Pro drawing tablet that my first illustrator had used as well as Adobe Illustrator to coordinate with it. My job was to learn how to use all the software and draw and redraw and draw again until I had the illustrations exactly like I wanted them," she said.
"I basically drew my illustration and my drawing pad projected it onto my laptop screen, so I could see it and edit it until I was happy with it. I am my own worst nightmare when it comes to illustrating myself because I am such a perfectionist that I would redo an illustration 100 times just to get it exactly perfect."
In one aspect, though, illustrating the book was less difficult. "One major difference other than learning something completely new was that it was easier for me to draw what was already in my head for each scene, rather than try to explain exactly what I wanted drawn to another illustrator," Crowe said.
The mother of three admits that she's told her fair share of lies over the years but usually ends up telling on herself because she doesn't like to lie. "My children have great experience with the cycle of lies, and I hope that one day they will learn as my character JJ did, that it's always better to tell the truth!"
To promote "Caught in a Cycle," Crowe plans to go into schools as well as explore opportunities with book distributors at large conferences so more people see her books.
Crowe, a writer and illustrator, has a degree in marketing from Jacksonville (Ala.) State University and worked in that field. She has published articles in alumni magazines and newspapers. Her three children – two daughters and a son – inspire her stories, which are based on real-life situations faced by children and parents.
For additional information, please visit www.changedbyacatch.com
Caught in a Cycle
Amy B. Crowe
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4575-5152-9 48 pages $9.99 US
Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.
Dog Ear Publishing partners with authors to shape content that resonates with readers as diverse as the books we publish. Our mission is to leverage expertise, technology and relationships to form a meaningful and lasting bond between creators, content and culture as a whole. Dog Ear Publishing is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and can be contacted by phone at (317) 228-3656 or through our website, www.dogearpublishing.net.
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