Why I Write Children's Books.
My new kids' book, Cock-A-Doodle-Doo-Bop, comes out October 13th. People often think I'm joking when I say write books for kids, which always surprises me. For one thing, I have kids, and the reason I started writing books for them is because, when they were little, I would read to them every night and think to myself I could write books as least as terrible as these. So I started trying.
When I first began, I found myself worried that I would be pegged as a "celebrity children's book author," which is only slight less embarrassing than being a "celebrity diet consultant." But fortunately, I am not famous enough to be considered much of a celebrity, so hopefully my books are just considered books. With continued good fortune, I will never be successful enough that it's a problem.
Now that they are older, I no longer read to my kids except for the rare occasion when my daughter, now twelve, requests it. But I still write books for children aged three to nine or so. Why? Because it's fun. Writing books for kids that age is not much different from writing sketch comedy. You think of an absurd premise - a bored girl playing with a potato, all the reasons why a pig parade would be a terrible idea - and you just sit down and write it out. Then, a year later, it's being ignored in bookstores.
My books are not internationally beloved, have never been bestsellers, do not generate ecstatic praise from educators. They sell modestly and I am not making much money, but I keep writing them. Because they make kids laugh. And what's better than that? Nothing. Except money.