RoguesAngels: Lets Talk! Going to the Zoo by Lisa Jacovsky

Please welcome Lisa Jacovsky author of Lets Talk! Going to the Zoo

Lisa Jacovsky will be awarding a signed copy of the book and the first book in the series and a coloring book of the illustrations (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Lets Talk! Going to the Zoo

by Lisa Jacovsky

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GENRE: picture book

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BLURB:

Harper and Emma are two best friends who first met at the pool in the summer. Emma has Autism which affected her speech. Harper became determined to find a way to talk with her new friend and learned about Autism. Neither girl would allow anything stand in their way of becoming best friends.

Now, Harper and Emma are excited to go to the zoo for the first time. This is a new adventure for them which they are going on with their daddies. Once they get there, they are amazed at the different animals they see. Then, while admiring them, a group of children come by and begin to laugh and point at Emma. She had been flapping her hands and making noises in excitement watching these new animals. Harper is confused by this but does not allow the bullying to continue. She educates the bullies about Autism and who Emma is. The bullies eventually walk away however, one little boy stayed behind. He apologized for his actions and wants to be friends. The three new friends finish their day at the zoo exploring and meeting new animals making memories with their daddies.

Book genre: children’s book
Keywords: autism, kidlit, children’s book, autismawareness, zoo, animals, zoo animals

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INTERVIEW

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

· To just start writing, hmmmm, honesty because im a book worm and love to read. I get lost in a good book and I always wanted to be like the authors I would read. To be able to write like they do and get lost in my own writing. Its so funny because I wanted to write since I was a kid but never knew what exactly. Having my job I feel that it was meant to be to write this series since the inspiration really came one day I was at work with a client. Being a lover of books I really think that is what inspired me to first start writing.

2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?

· For me I seem to want to write in first person from the point of view of a single character. That is something for my writing, I think is necessary to make the story and get my message across. For childrens books, in general, I think It is just about begin relatable. A child really needs to want to read and look at the illustrations. Being a fun book is great but if the child can relate to the story and characters then that is a book that will stick with them for a life time.

3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

· Coming up with the story for book 2 was not easy. I had decide if I wanted to continue it as a series. Then once I did I had to figure out how to carry these characters. What from my experience with my career and individuals with autism can I use to continue their story and inspiring families? Once I figured that out the story just flowed. I also decided since each book will be a different activity, to use activities that have meaning to me. I am very passionate about animals so it was pretty obvious to do the zoo. I really wanted to showcase more ethnicities and with bullying being something that is relevant almost all the time, It was another obvious choice. I also decided to take some advice and incorporate the dads. From there it was easy because all the animals are some of my favorites. I think the ending, with how to react to the bullies and make it so they understand Emma is not different but fun was the hardest to figure out. Then I realized I can just write in what I would do which is exactly what the dads did in the story. For me, that is relatable and something fun and silly that will not only capture the readers attention but they will remember for the future if they come into contact with bullies.

4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

· For expertise I feel that I bring my background in Applied Behavior Analysis. I was really able to put into the book details from working with other children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. I also was able to use techniques for communication that I have used in the past. For example, the use of the index cards and/or writing on a pad are things I have used in the past successfully with children. I feel that bringing different things like this from experience sets my book apart. Also, that it shows something different to families that may not know of these techniques. Seeing this can give hope to families their child can communicate and socialize as well. I love that I can bring my background and experience into my books to make them relatable to families.

5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

· I plan to open a shelter for animals that is different in my home state. One that has less cages and more open space that is similar to the outdoors for the animals. There is a similar place here and I would love to partner with them in the future to open a second or more location.

6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

· I have a bunch of plans =) I am actually going to start a new series, just a fun silly one about the silly things my cats do. The first book actually has a small message in it which is interesting because it was not on purpose. But I still love that its there. Also, book 3 in the Lets Talk! Series, Lets talk! Learning to bowl, will be coming out April 2022 so stay tuned! There will be 6 books in the series 😉

7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

· This is such a fun question and I have to say Harper, I kind of modeled her after me in a way. The way I grew up, my parents taught myself and my brother to be open to anyone no matter what. Also, to always find a way to make things work. I feel like I put that part of my upbringing and personality into Harper. She is determined to find a way to communicate with her new friend, not allowing a barrier to stop her. I made her strong and determined and those are two of my own personality traits. She also is open to educating others about Autism and that is something I love to do; I actually love talking about my work and about my current and past experiences with clients with Autism. For me I wanted Harper to be inspiring, and besides the few personality traits I put in her, she really does inspire to continue to work on making positive changes to this world.

8. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

· This is a great question because it really took me a long time to decide if I wanted to not only write this book and series but to decide If I wanted to publish it. This is the second book in the Lets Talk! Series and I really struggled to decided if I wanted it to be a series. Then I had to decide on a theme. Its a lot to figure out but ya know my family is so supportive. It really is because of them that I decided to write more books and to publish them. I think I was more excited to publish this book because book 1 was already out and well received. That momentum made me super excited. But also, this book is so different and so special to me. It allowed me to bring in a new character, show different ethnicities and bring in the girls dads rather than always being female centered. I felt like with this book I could really show my writing skills and how creative I can be. I also was nervous because what if people didn’t like the fact I had different ethnicities in the group children that meet with the girls. I was a bit nervous to have people critique that part of my book but I will say I only received one negative comment about it. Which thankfully has been resolved but I really cherished the fact that I could put more into this book in the terms of showing different ethnicities. That is really thanks to my family and support system. My family and this includes my extended family, are so supportive and push me to do anything I decide to do. With their support, I don’t let fear or nerves stop me; I continue to push the barrier and try to make positive changes. We need more of that in this world and I am grateful to have been raised to be that kind of person with the support I have.

9. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

· Best advice: my first book is very female centered and for next books I should look into bringing in the dads. Hands down best advice. I recently went to a virtual book festival (highly recommend by pages promotions!!) and ill never forget some of the discussion we had after I read my book. One of the other authors said she was surprised in a good way to see the dads since she expected the moms. That it is not something done often and it really worked well. This meant so much to me because shes right, the dads are very under represented in childrens books. And for someone like me a female, It is almost expected to write in using female characters. To be able to surprise people in a good way and do something different and have it be appreciated, it really makes this book something special to me.

· Worst advice: good question, I don’t think ive gotten back advice. I will say I have seen on twitter some comments from other authors that say the horrible advice they have gotten. Like don’t make your character autistic or put the word autism in the title. I don’t think that is the right thing. I think if you believe in it and want that as your title or character then its what you are meant to do. People are going to judge books by their covers, their characters skin tone, the illustrations etc. Why not give them something else to judge by sine theyre going to do it anyways. And ps: I have the word autism in my first book and it has won 2 awards 😉

10. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

· For my childrens books I just start writing. I have seen others comment they make outlines and I think that would help a lot with a book for middle grade or young adult or adult. Outlines are awesome but for me they are always difficult to write. If I do decided to do a middle grade book I would definitely use an outline though.

11. How do you maintain your creativity?

Really through my job. My job is so fun and im so lucky to have it, I work with children and families in early intervention. I really pull from those experiences with work when I write. That really helps me be creative. I will say too if I need help with an idea I will go to my aunt that is a retired elementary school teacher. She is amazing and super creative and helpful. Sometimes research helps too. In my job I have to think on my feet and be creative so that definitely helps push me. Being creative is really fun and something I enjoy being able to do through writing or my career.

EXCERPT:

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lisa Jacovsky currently is a Doctoral Level student at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is excited for the possibilities having her Doctoral degree will bring her. She has been in the field of ABA since 2014 where she began her career working with adults in residential group homes. She moved onto working with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2018 and is currently working in Early Intervention. It is her experience with children that inspired her to finally fulfill her dream of writing a book. Lisa began writing short stories when she was seven years old. Writing is a passion for her and one of the many things she enjoys. Lisa lives in New Jersey where she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working on the next stories of the Rascal Cat brothers silly shenanigans.

Buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-Going-Lisa-Jacovsky/dp/0578246880/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3818