Adam Wallace’s Storytime and Signing at Barnes & Noble in Encinitas, Saturday, Nov. 14th, 11:00 a.m.
This November, Silver Dolphin Books is thrilled to have popular children’s book author Adam Wallace back with us on a U.S. book tour for storytelling and signings of his recently published I Think I Saw Santa Claus. The latest in the I Think I Saw series, this hilarious and heartfelt rhyming read-aloud captures the magic, wonder, and excitement of Christmas Eve just in time for the holiday season. We recently caught up with Adam (a proud Aussie and author of other holiday favorites like Turkey in Disguise) ahead of his journey to discuss his new picture book and find out more about his own holiday traditions. Enjoy!
I Think I Saw Santa Claus follows four children who see Santa in their neighborhood ... only 2 days before Christmas?! Worried something is wrong, the friends investigate to find out why he's not in the North Pole. Hmmmm?
What excited you most when you heard about the concept for I Think I Saw Santa Claus?
Lots of things! This is a super fun series to write, and Santa brings an extra element. Why? Because we ALL want to see Santa!!! So I had a great time thinking up the different ways the kids could know Santa had been places, different signs that he had passed through. And the thought of Santa just hanging out among us is really cool too, so to play with that was awesome.
Did you brainstorm with the illustrator, Srimalie Bassani, on the artwork for the book?
I didn’t, no. Having worked with lots of different illustrators and publishers, there is such variety in the way books are put together. Some illustrators love collaborating with the author and others don’t want to speak to the author at all. In fact, I know of publishers who deliberately keep the author and illustrator apart, because authors can have views on how the book should be illustrated, and it is pretty much always better to let the illustrator let their imagination run wild. Illustrators see things differently. I have, many times, seen illustrations to one of my stories and thought, “That’s amazing … I never would have thought of that!”
My tendency is to write illustration notes only if it might be the punchline to a joke or an important element leading forward or calling back. Otherwise I am very happy to let the illustrator play with the story, and that was the case here. Srimalie did it all and did such an incredible job, not just illustrating the text but all the little extra bits as well.
What is your favorite way to celebrate Christmas and the holidays?
I have family spread far and wide. I do a dinner with my mum’s side of the family, Dad I usually see on Boxing Day. We used to go to the Boxing Day cricket, which is a bit of a tradition here [in Australia], but after getting rained out a few years in a row we gave that up! Now my Christmas Day is spent with my niece. Last year we went driving for a few days as she is preparing to get her driver’s license. On Christmas Day we watch our favorite movie, Hot Rod, which is not Christmassy at all, but we love it!
MORE ABOUT ADAM WALLACE
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became an author.
It was a long journey! I loved writing until my last year of school, then I became an engineer. I analyzed car crashes before moving into playground safety, which was awesome. After I did my teaching degree (but never taught in the classroom aside from my teaching rounds), someone dared me to write a children’s book. I wrote one, and it opened something up in me that I never want to close. That was in 1999 and I have written every day since!
Do you have a favorite place to write?
I will write ANYWHERE! I write at home on my computer, at my kitchen bench, on the train, in a cafe, on my couch, in a park, on a plane, anywhere. Sometimes I have even pulled over to the side of the road when I got an idea and HAD to write it down. But mostly I write at my computer at home. My favourite place to write though, was Mendocino, California, in America!
What is your all-time favorite children’s book that you didn’t write? What authors have influenced you along the way?
Ooooooooh, good question and an easy one to answer. It is Stuck by Oliver Jeffers, which I reckon is the best picture book ever written. As a kid, I loved Dr. Seuss, and Bill Peet, and Roald Dahl, and now, kid’s book authors I love are Andy Griffiths, Oliver Jeffers and Adrian Beck.
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