Tina M. Cho
  • Blog
  • About
  • Books
    • Rice from Heaven
    • Korean Celebrations
    • My Breakfast with Jesus
    • The Ocean Calls
  • School Visits
  • Work for Hire Projects
    • Other Writing Credits
  • Resources for Writers
    • Guest Blog Posts I Wrote
Picture

Meet the Toy Troll a.k.a. Josh Hawkins

11/17/2013

26 Comments

 
Picture
Have you heard of the Toy Troll? I have, and I wish he'd visit my home. 

"If you leave your toys out, the Toy Troll will take them to his troll hole and keep them for himself."--excerpt

The Toy Troll is a debut e-book by a former critique group member of mine, Joshua Hawkins. I just had to interview him on his fabulous new book. Enjoy!

1. How did you get the idea for The Toy Troll? 

The idea came to me when my youngest son was only a few years old. I got a little frustrated when I found myself picking up the same toys I had picked up umpteen times already that day, and my imagination started rolling...How nice would it be if someone other than Mom or Dad could help remind him not to leave his toys lying around? A mischievous little troll popped into my head, and voila! The Toy Troll was born.

2. Can you explain why you decided to self-publish? (Had you submitted The Toy Troll traditionally?) How hard was it to self-publish? How long did it take?

I fought the decision to self-publish for a long time. I've always imagined The Toy Troll in hardcover with the name of a well-known publisher emblazoned on its cover, and I felt that self publishing would be selling myself and the story short (I no longer feel that way, though I'm still hopeful to see the book the way I've always imagined it). After piles of query letters and submissions to traditional publishers proved fruitless, I shelved the story for a few years. I still believed in it, but frankly I was frustrated with the publishing process. Thankfully my wife, in her thoughtful wisdom, asked an artistic friend to illustrate the story as a birthday gift to me. When she showed me the first few finished pages, I knew I had to get it published. Another friend had recently published through Amazon.com, so I looked into it. The process is quite simple, and after a few days of getting to know the system and using a free software program I found online to format the book it was ready to go.

3. You said you're going to self-publish other picture books. Why this route?

I have gobs of good stories like The Toy Troll that are finished and have been through the rounds with traditional publishers but for one reason or another didn't make it into print. After seeing how well The Toy Troll came out, I wanted to give my other works the same opportunity to get out into the world and (insert lame pun here) tell their stories.

4. Do you have a marketing plan?
 
Not really. I mean, I created a website and let all my family and Facebook friends know when the story was released, and I've been telling other people through word of mouth, but beyond that I don't have any specific plan. I know I should, and I plan to get there.

5. What advice do you give writers who want to self-publish?

Go for it! Don't give up on the dream of traditional publishing if you have it, but don't rule out other methods in the mean time. There is something extremely satisfying and motivating in seeing your work "out there," even if only in digital format.

6. What are you currently working on?

A fantastically gripping, certain-to-be-award-winning middle grade novel (my first ever) currently consumes nearly all of my writing time. But I'm also starting negotiations with a great illustrator I know to bring one or two of my other picture book stories to life. 

Thanks, Josh! If you'd like to read The Toy Troll, it's only $.99 on Amazon. My son really enjoyed it.

Picture
Josh discovered the joy of turning daydreams into stories in grade school, and he hasn't stopped since. When he's not busy cooking up books in his troll hole, he enjoys spending time with his Wonder Girl and their three Wonder Children, who provide a never-ending supply of inspiration for his stories. They live near Salt Lake City, Utah. 
joshua-hawkins.com

26 Comments

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture

    Tina M. Cho, children's author

    I'm a children's author and freelance writer for the educational market. Welcome!

    Picture

    Archives

    November 2022
    July 2022
    February 2022
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Click here to read previous posts at my old blog.

    Categories

    All
    Adria Goetz
    Agent Interview
    Asian American Women In Science
    Asian Festival Of Children's Content
    Audio Book
    Author Brand
    Author Email Signature
    Author Life
    Author Platform
    Author Presentation
    Author Signing
    Author Skypes
    Authors On Social Media
    Author Visits
    Award Winning Book
    BIC
    Book Birthday
    Booklist Review
    Book Query
    Book Reviews
    Books About Diversity
    Books About Inclusion
    Book Signing
    Breakfasts Around The World
    Chapter Book Series
    Children's Day
    Choices Christian Bookstore
    Common Core Book Activities
    Common Core Standards And Nonfiction Text
    Cora Cooks Pancit
    Coronavirus Korea
    Creating Extension Activities For Your Book
    Cynthea Liu's Critiques
    Difference Between Picture Books And Novels
    Different Like Me
    Diverse Books
    Diverse Christian Authors
    Diverse Picture Books
    Diversity
    Dorena Williamson
    Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young
    Faith Based Diverse Picture Books
    Faith-based Diverse Picture Books
    F&Gs
    Filipino Picture Book
    Focused Writing
    Focus Words
    Fonts And Clip Art
    Global Picture Books
    Goals
    Guided Reading Levels
    Haenyeo
    Hans Christian Andersen Award
    Harvest House
    How I Got My Agent
    How To Create An Educational Product
    How To Get An Agent
    How To Land An Agent
    How To Write A Lesson Plan For Your Book
    How To Write A Lyrical Picture Book
    How To Write A Picture Book Biography
    How To Write A Rebus
    How To Write For The Christian Market
    How To Write For The Educational Market
    How To Write Picture Book Activities
    Instagram Live
    Interview Joshua Hawkins
    Interview With Evelyn Christensen
    Interview With Hannah Holt
    Interview With Laura Murray
    Interview With Marie Harris
    Interview With Nancy I. Sanders
    Kibooka
    Kindergarten
    Kirkus Reviews
    Kokila
    Korean Celebrations
    Korean Holidays
    Korea's Independence Movement Day
    Landing A Book Contract
    Lexile
    Literary Christmas
    Little Bee
    Little Free Library
    Martin Literary
    Molly Holt
    Mother's Day
    Multicultural Writing
    My Breakfast With Jesus
    Nami Island
    New Year
    Nonfiction Picture Book Online Class
    North Korea
    North Korean Refugees
    Online Learning
    Own Voices
    Paid Critiques
    Pancit
    Parent's Day
    Piboidmo
    Picture Book Agent
    Picture Book Ideas
    Picture Book Island
    Picture Book Look Podcast
    Picture Book Subtitles
    Picture Book Timeline
    Pottery Barn Kids Instagram
    Preorder
    Professional Critiques
    Proverbs 16:3
    Publisher's Weekly Review
    Representation Matters
    Researching A Biography
    Rice Balloon Project
    Rice Form Heaven
    Rice From Heaven
    Rosemary Wells Lecture
    Scholastic Asian Book Award
    School Visits
    Self-publish E-book
    Social Media For Writers
    South Korea
    South Korea's Holidays
    Summer Activities For Writers
    Summer Author Visits
    Teachers Pay Teachers
    The Celebration Place
    The Girl's Guide To Manners
    The Ocean Calls
    Tuttle Publishing
    Twitter For Writers
    Using Twitter To Promote Books
    Virtual Author Visits
    Why Instagram For Writers
    Why Write Children's Books
    Why Writers Should Be On Social Media
    Word For The Year
    World Read Aloud Day
    Writer's Courage
    Writers In Summer
    Writing About Culture
    Writing A Graphic Novel
    Writing An Endorsement For A Book
    Writing A Novel
    Writing A Subtitle
    Writing Back Matter
    Writing Behaviors
    Writing Conference
    Writing Guided Reading Books
    Writing Picture Books
    Writing Priorities
    Writing Tips
    Xochitl Dixon

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • About
  • Books
    • Rice from Heaven
    • Korean Celebrations
    • My Breakfast with Jesus
    • The Ocean Calls
  • School Visits
  • Work for Hire Projects
    • Other Writing Credits
  • Resources for Writers
    • Guest Blog Posts I Wrote