Meet Anna, the Star of "Don't Sneeze at the Wedding," and Her Author!

Anna is excited to be the flower girl at her aunt's wedding, but that morning she wakes up and . . . "AH-CHOO!" "Don't sneeze at the wedding!" everyone warns her, but will their remedies work?

See the book trailer here, and get the book on the Kar-Ben website!

 

In today's guest blog post, author Pamela Mayer talks about what inspired her to write Don't Sneeze at the Wedding and the joy of wedding celebrations:

 

     Tee-Hee! I love to laugh. One of my favorite childhood memories is of sitting in my bedroom with my best friend, the two of us so consumed with giggles that neither of us could talk. Perhaps that is why I always try to see the funny side of life in my books.

Don't Sneeze At the Wedding is a “what-if” story. What if you woke up with a big loud sneeze on the day you are going to be the flower girl at your aunt's wedding? Sneezing is a reflex. No one can help sneezing or anticipate exactly when a sneeze might happen! That's why a sneeze can make us laugh.

 

My husband has photographed weddings for many years. When I've assisted him, I've seen  all of the excitement which happens before the ceremony, with the arrival of hairdressers, florists, and family. I've seen the mishaps too, melted wedding cakes, ripped gowns and absent bridesmaids! It gave me plenty of first hand experience for my story.

 

Of course, weddings rarely go exactly as planned. When my daughter, Rebecca, was married last spring, the ceremony was to be outside, on a terrace overlooking the ocean. The day was so foggy and windy, we thought we would have to move it inside. However, just as the ceremony was due to begin the sun peeked through the clouds and shone brightly. The unexpected can be delightful too.

 

When I wrote Don't Sneeze At the Wedding, I wanted to write about a joyful event in the Jewish Life Cycle. Our history is filled with its share of struggle and difficult times, yet is it filled with joy too. Did you know that it is considered a mitzvah, a good deed, to make the bride and groom happy on their wedding day? Happiness and laughter seem to go together, just as love and marriage do!

Here is a riddle for you – When do you sneeze three times? 

Answer: When you can't help it!

 

A Q&A with Author Pamela Mayer

 

Why did you want to become an author?

I wanted to become an author because I loved to read so much as a child. From the time I read my first book on my own, I was hooked. I was about nine years old when I decided to become an author. Being one of the people who created stories like the ones I loved so well seemed the perfect future to me.

 

Do you have any advice for future authors?

Write the story only you can tell, the tale which is uniquely your own. Remember too that only your very best is good enough for children.

 

What is the most interesting thing you learned in the process of writing your book?

I learned many methods to stop a sneeze from happening!

 

How do you hope your book will impact the Jewish life of a child?

I wanted to write a contemporary story which I hope many children can identify with. I also hope they will learn and appreciate the beautiful customs of a Jewish wedding ceremony.

 

Pamela Mayer was born and raised in San Francisco, California, and her family has lived there since the early 1900s. Writing children's stories is her favorite thing to do. When she's not writing, she works at the public library as a children's librarian. She's a fan of the San Francisco Giants baseball team, the San Francisco Ballet, and any and all circuses. She and her husband have two daughters and a very cute dog named Charlie.

 

 



A Guest Post from Author Jane Sutton (and a book trailer too!)

It's hard to pick the perfect gift, and Esther the Gorilla's choices seem all wrong at first. But it all gets sorted out when she invites her animal friends to a joyful Hanukkah party. For a sneak peek, check out the book trailer!

In today's guest blog post, author Jane Sutton talks about what it was like to have illustrator Andy Rowland bring her book to life:

 

"As a picture book author, when I turn my story over to the illustrator, I feel the way I did when I left my infant with a babysitter for the first time. Would the illustrator treat my story/my baby with care? What if the illustrator was careless and oblivious to the story’s charms? Or spoiled it with busy-ness? Or didn’t “get” the characters’ personalities?

Waiting to see the sketches can feel like sitting through a T-ball game prolonged by a series of rain delays.

But in the case of Esther's Hanukkah Disaster, the illustrator—Andy Rowland—treated my story about the shopping-challenged Esther’ the Gorilla with exquisite TLC. Every picture is adorable, with rich details that are wonderful to explore. To my delight, Andy didn’t just bring out the humor in the text, but added visual humor not in the text. One of Esther’s file folders is labeled “boring paperwork,” and the shopping list on her fridge lists bananas four times. Most important to me was that, like a good caretaker, the illustrator was sensitive to the main character’s emotions. When Esther is sad, she looks really sad. And when she’s happy because her Hanukkah party is so joyful, Andy has her long gorilla arms clapping over her head, an infectiously toothy grin spread across her face.

Yes, my story/my baby was definitely in good hands. I needn’t have worried…well, I guess I did need to, since worrying happens to be in my nature."

 

Q & A with Jane Sutton

Why did you want to become an author?

I've always enjoyed writing. In elementary school, I would turn an assignment to "write a paragraph using all the spelling words" into a three-act play. An essay I wrote in fifth grade is entitled "A Criticism of Humanity on Behalf of Ducks." In college, a sociology professor assigned us to "do something you always wanted to do and keep a journal on it." I wrote a series of children's stories, and that's when I knew I wanted to write children's books.

Do you have any advice for future authors?

Write, write, write. Keep a notebook with you at all times (well, maybe not in the shower) because you never know when you'll get an idea for a story.

Where did you get the inspiration for Esther's Hanukkah Disaster?

I used to tell my children a version of this story, and it gradually evolved into a book.

How do you hope your book will impact the Jewish life of a child?

At first Esther purchases gifts because they appeal to her, not really thinking about the recipient. Her eventual understanding encourages the Jewish value of thinking about others - compassion and empathy. Also, the characters express clearly that the significance of Hanukkah is more important than the gifts. Finally, even though these are anthropomorphic animals, they enjoy rich Jewish traditions.

Anything else you would like to share with readers?

I didn't want to grow up. I figured being a kid was a good deal: I got free food and I didn't have to go to work. When I realized I did have to get older after all, I promised myself that I would always remember what it was like to be a child. Being a children's book author is a way of fulfilling that promise to myself.

Jane Sutton grew up in Roslyn, Long Island, where she began writing stories and poems at a young age. She graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in Comparative Literature. In addition to writing books, Jane is a writing tutor and teaches a community education class for adults about how to write for kids. She, her husband, and grown children live in the Boston area.

You can get a copy of Esther's Hanukkah Disaster here!