Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Joey Kelly (pen name is Julian Michael Carver). I am 27 years old and currently live in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania with my wife Cloey. I love to write, but my primary passion is video editing and motion graphics/animation. This enables me to do the majority of my artwork, including trailers and videos, by myself to cut back on marketing costs for my books.
Describe the plot of your book, “A Raptor Ate My Homework!,” in a few sentences.
When Andy and Anna, two fourth-grade siblings discover a strange egg in an alley near their home, they decide to smuggle it into their home without their parents knowing. When it hatches into a baby velociraptor in the attic, they must decide on how to make the dinosaur a permanent member of the family, while also overcoming bad grades and issues with the school bully.
Who do you think would most appreciate this book?
The Backpack Dinosaur series is made with children in mind who love movies like A Land Before Time or Jurassic Park. Basically, any kid who loves dinosaurs should give my book series a chance.
What is the target age range of your book?
The age range for The Backpack Dinosaur books would be children in grades 2-5.
Tell us about your protagonists, Andy and Anna.
Andy is very shy and obsessed with dinosaurs. I see a lot of myself as a child in his character and have a lot of fun writing about him. Anna is much more bold and straight-forward. Her personality usually drives the plot lines to action.
The twins discover the egg hatches into a baby velociraptor in their attic. How do they react to this discovery?
Instantly they are met with curiosity and infatuation with the little dinosaur, who soon warms up to their hearts as they struggle to figure out how to convince their parents to keep it. They also learn that having a dinosaur, especially a velociraptor, as a pet can come in handy in various situations that they encounter throughout the series.
Are there any authors who have influenced your writing style?
I loved the writing styles of R.L.Stine (Goosebumps) and Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones (The Bailey School Kids). They really wrote some awesome literature in my childhood. If their book series hadn't come out, I'm sure The Backpack Dinosaur series wouldn't be out. Also, obviously Michael Crichton is a big influence to me. The Lost World is my favorite novel.
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| Author Julian Michael Carver. |
I've been writing since the 7th grade. I self-published a book that year in 2006 through a vanity press (a hard life-lesson that I'll never repeat). Since then I fell away from writing for awhile until 2015 when I decided to start again.
How do you think you've evolved as a writer since when you first started?
When I first started writing, I thought I had to describe everyone and everything in my books with Tolkien-like precision. Now I'm a lot more relaxed and let the reader fill in the blanks in their head however they wish. I'm all about world-building, but sometimes I think a lot of writers go overboard with it.
What are your goals as a writer for the next ten years?
Wow, what a great question! Hopefully to have many more beautifully artful books written and in circulation for The Backpack Dinosaur Series. Maybe a few stand-alone books as well!
How have your readers responded to the book so far?
The series has been met with great reviews. If anyone reading this decides to buy a copy, please review it on Amazon and Goodreads! Also, buyers tend to love the covers! They're very vibrant and made with the 90's paperback look in mind.
How many books do you have planned for The Backpack Dinosaur series? Do you have an anticipated release date for the second book?
I have, in an email draft form, plans for at least 20 potential The Backpack Dinosaur books. My plans are to release at most 2 books a year and at least 1. The second book in the series, Camp Raptor, is a Halloween-themed book in the series and will be released on October 1st of this year. I just released the book cover reveal trailer on YouTube and Twitter the other day!
Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your book?
In a world where children's literature is dominated by dragons, knights, elves, vampires, super-heroes and zombies, my series will finally bring dinosaurs back into kidlit in a positive, fun way. If you want your child to have a safe, easy-to-read story, please pick up a copy of A Raptor Ate My Homework! and consider Camp Raptor when it comes out! It's hard for Indie authors to get noticed today, and with your help, we can make The Backpack Dinosaur a favorite among the new generation! Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed my interview!
More Information
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