Book: Brandon and His Mask
Q1. Hello Ma’am, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
My name is Katherine Morbán-Smith, author of the bilingual children’s book “Brandon and His Mask.” I am an educator and mom to a 2-year-old boy from New York City. Recently, I’ve been enjoying spending all of my time with my family. I also love building my 2-year old’s language in English and Spanish through everyday activities and sensory play.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Brandon and His Mask’?
The process of writing the book was pretty simple. In fact, I would say that it was very fun watching an idea written down in my phone’s “notes” come to life was. I think that the most challenging part came after the book was published- marketing. It is very time-consuming, but I have learned so much from the overall process. Connecting with parents, teachers, and other authors around the world has been my favorite part.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
As a teacher and mother to a little one, I have read many books and look up to lots of authors, from Eric Carle, Roald Dahl to Ezra Jack Keats. There’s so many to mention, but I have to say, however, that I gravitate towards multicultural/bilingual texts. Our most recent favorite book is Junot Diaz’s “Island Born.” He takes such a poetic and colorful approach for the theme of connecting with one’s culture. There is a need for more Latinx authors and for more multicultural/bilingual books, so as a multicultural family, I always try to get my hands on those. It is empowering for little ones to see themselves, their families in characters and stories.
Q4. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?
The best thing a children’s book author can do is dive right in when you feel the inspiration to write. There was a reason that idea or story came to your mind. It could’ve been a memory or something you just experienced that inspired that idea. Don’t wait. Write it down. It will not be perfect right there and then, but you will have more opportunities to come back to it. However, that moment of inspiration and passion may not happen again.
Q5. How long did it take you to write ‘Brandon and His Mask’ book?
The story itself did not take long to write. I wrote both the English and Spanish text of the story in about an hour. Editing, working with the illustrator, formatting, and publishing took about a month and a half to complete.
Q6. On what all platforms readers can find ‘Brandon and His Mask’ book to buy?
The book is available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover formats on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online.
Q7. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Brandon and His Mask’?
The illustrator did such a beautiful job capturing all of the essential elements I wanted on the cover. It was important for the book cover to feature the main character of color, a New York City setting, and the characters’ emotions. Because the illustrator was not familiar with New York City, I provided pictures of a surrounding NYC neighborhood’s skyline, other real-life images of our community, and our family’s photo. It was also crucial that the main character’s emotions were reflected, precisely the feeling of confusion, which is vital to the story’s theme. The illustrator did such a great job executing my vision.
Q8. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
I think that the stories based on real-life experiences will help everyone relate. I tried to focus on my own family’s experience during the Covid-19 pandemic, which allowed my readers to see themselves in the characters’ experience. I believe that no matter what you write, you leave a little bit of yourself to the world to relate to.
Q9. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
The story was inspired by my young son’s experience during the height of the covid-19 pandemic. I was inspired to write the story after one afternoon at the park. Much like everyone else, we did not know much about Covid-19 but tried to take the precautions necessary to stay safe. One of those was keeping a distance from people and other children at the park and wearing masks. My son is a very social boy who loves to play with other children, but we just couldn’t let him get too close to those he saw at the park, even though he wasn’t too happy with the idea. Seeing him upset truly broke my heart but I used that afternoon at the park for inspiration to write “Brandon and His Mask.”
Book Is Available On Amazon
Sassy Reviews 