The Royal Pup Pack: Party at the Palace

In honor of Prince Louis' first birthday and the impending royal arrival of Baby Sussex, Soefara Jafney and I are pleased to announce our next picture book The Royal Pup Pack: Party at the Palace will be released  in Spring/Summer 2019.

Synopsis:

There’s a joint party at the palace for Prince Louis’ first birthday and to welcome Baby Sussex into the fold. And the pup pack: Lupo, Guy, Oz and Jack are in a regal tizzy. What do they get the tots? Bones? Flea collars? Fur brushes? Will the gift they decide upon be the perfect present or a recipe for a royal pawtastrophe?

A Royal Adventure Giveaway

I'm giving a copy of A Royal Adventure to the first person who can tell me where Kate actually wore the dress pictured in the illustration below (*Hint*: it was on her royal tour in 2014) where Kate actually wore it. You can either email me your answer @dyw.seow@gmail.com  or comment in the section down below.

Book of the Week

A Royal Adventure is Epigram's Book of the Week! Thanks, Epigram Books!

Royal Inspiration Part Deux

In 2011,  I followed the news of The Royal Wedding with great interest. Then when it was announced the Cambridges were coming and to say I was beside myself with excitement would be an understatement of monumental proportions.

So I  set off to Gardens by the Bay in the hopes of meeting the royal couple with my mum and niece at the unearthly hour of 6:45am. We found a spot right against the barricades next to the Adeney family. As we had an extra bouquet of flowers, Mum handed one to Alice to give to the pretty princess.

After waiting for hours in the blazing sun, the royal tram came by and stopped right in front of us. The Duke walked in one direction, while the Duchess came over towards us. First she engaged Alice in conversation before making her was over to my My niece who was trembling with excitement as she handed the Duchess a hand-drawn pencil sketch.  Of the three of us, Mum did the most talking. 

Mum gave her a photo that I had taken of Princess Diana as well a copy of my children’s book Blow A Kiss. I raised my hand like a naughty schoolboy saying, "I took that photo. I wrote that book,'' and then I asked if I could shake her hand, which of course she said I could. With that, she smiled, waved, and moved off to meet the rest of the sweaty, screaming masses of royalists who were melting under the Singapore sun.

The Duchess accepts a copy of Blow A Kiss

A reporter later interviewed my mum about what she discussed and she was quoted in Hello and though she says that she was embarrassed by it, I think she was rather chuffed.

The Duchess holding her copy of my book Blow a Kiss +Raymond Liw

As there were no souvenirs commemorating the royal visit, I decided to write a children's book about it. I tried to self-publish the book before my publisher suggested making it part of my Sam, Sebbie, and Di-Di-Di series of books, and that's what I did. A year and a half after the royal couple's visit, the book was finally published! I dedicated it to Alice and Mikey Adeney and to a little guy named George Alexander Louis.

A few months after it was published, it was announced that the Duchess was expecting her second baby. So I started thinking about a  sequel that would be set in London and would include Prince George, his new sibling, and Lupo.

Thank you, everyone, for your support, and I can't wait for the new book to be out. I will be giving away a copy of the book once it is hot off the press. Check back for details.

Royal Inspiration

Some people may wonder why a Singapore-based author is writing children's books about the royals. I'm a royalist since my paternal grandmother was English, and both my grandfathers and my parents were educated in the United Kingdom. Royals have always fascinated me as I have always thought they stood for something noble, something good, and that has inspired me to write about them.

My first book featuring a royal character was about a fictitious child emperor in The Littlest Emperor. But let me take you back to the beginning of my very first encounter with an actual royal personage.

I was about 7 years old, and I accompanied his parents to watch my Uncle Philip play polo with the Prince of Wales in Singapore. My parents wisely prevented me from speaking to the Prince because all I wanted to ask was what it felt like to fall off a polo pony. 

I had my first glimpse of Princess Diana in 1981, right before she married the Prince of Wales.  I stood outside the gates of Buckingham Palace as she sped off to watch the ladies' finals at Wimbledon. 

It would be eight long years before I was to see her again.  But came within hand-shaking distance of her twice when the royal couple paid an official visit to Hong Kong in 1989. As you can tell from way back then, I did not have what it takes to be a royal press photographer, and I still don't.

 I finally had a chance to exchange a few words with the Princess in 1992 while I was in a college summer program with the University of Portland. Some of my classmates and I brought my visually impaired friend, Shannon, to meet the Princess of Wales at the Royal Opera House.  

We were so thrilled to have met her that we accidentally left Shannon behind at the tube station. After a few panicked minutes, I would say about ten, we found her in the lift, trying to find her way out of it!  To say she was not amused wouldn't be untrue.

Princess Diana shakes my hand. (I found this photo on the internet 23 years after
meeting her)

The next time I met the Princess was when she was attending a luncheon. By the time she departed, the flowers I brought for her were already wilting, yet she walked across the street to meet me. I was so nervous that I curtsied as she took my hand, and that elicited a giggle from the Princess.

A policeman later told me: “She’s not likely to forget you. No bloke has ever curtsied to the Princess.” Not wanting to end his summer program on such an awkward note, I accompanied my classmates to the Princess’s next public event at BAFTA at Piccadilly Circus.

Sure enough, when the Princess emerged, I started babbling like an incoherent baboon. Something along the cringe-worthy lines of  “You're so beautiful. I love you!” OK, I warned you it would be cringe-worthy.

She lowered her head (I was shorter than she was in heels) and gazed at me with those cornflower blue eyes, and smiled. I remember you. You’re so sweet. You gave me flowers last Tuesday.” Took the flowers from my hands and continued to smile sweetly as I stood there with my mouth agape until she departed several minutes later. Now, she didn’t have to say she remembered me, but that was the kind of person she was.

But it was to be another two decades before I even thought about writing about members of the Royal Family.

To be continued....

A Royal Adventure Featured in Epigram's Latest Catalog

Click this Link to Preorder A Royal Adventure

Peruse the Catalog Here

My brilliant publisher Edmund of Epigram Books will be at the Bologna Children's Book Fair and the London Book Fair so if you're there, please look them up.

Teaser Illustrations from A Royal Adventure

First Look at A Royal Adventure and Book Giveaway

A  Royal Adventure image ©Soefara Jafney

Here's a first sneak peek at A Royal Adventure. Can you recognise the dress the Duchess is wearing in this picture? And at which official event she wore it?  

Answer: It's the Erdem floral dress that she wore to the Eden Hall reception in Singapore in 2012. 

I'll be doing a book giveaway as soon as the book is hot off the press. Stay tuned for details. You can pre order the book from Closetful of Books starting next week.

A Royal Adventure featured on Hello Online!

I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank Ms, Chloe Best and Hello online for featuring A Royal Adventure. I am thrilled to bits! Actually that would be an understatement. 


The book is due to hit the printing press in April and will be out in time for Charlotte's first birthday. The book, of course, is dedicated to the Princess in honour of the occasion. I am pledging my advance royalty payment to charity. Again thank you to Ms Best and Hello for everything!

Hello Online 

Children's Mental Health Week: A message from HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

I wish there had something like this in Singapore. When I was a child, a student in schools, there was nothing like that here.  So I hope people in the UK support Place2Be. 

A Royal Adventure

Coming April 2016

Emma's Elephant Story Telling

Welcome HRH Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George and welcome to Princess Cambridge. Here's just a teaser of the upcoming A Day with the Duchess #2: A Royal Adventure.

HRH Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

Book Launch for A Day with the Duchess

A week after we returned, Emma and I had back to back book launches at Books Kinokuniya. We were both very thrilled to say the least.

Erin, Sheri and Ilangoh with the help of our Kino friends promoted A Day with the Duchess via facebook and other social media, hoping to drum up some level of interest. Erin was in constant contact with me whilst I was in London, emailing ideas for activities for the children for the one hour launch.

As for goodies that the kids could take home with them, we had paper dolls of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, a paper hamster on a stick and stickers, lots and lots of stickers!

I invited William, Vicky, Mikey and Alice Adeney whom I met when we were waiting for the Duke and Duchess at the Gardens by the Bay. Incidentally, the book is dedicated to Mikey and Alice and you can see their illustrated likenesses in the book.

At two a small group of children and parents had gathered and we started the reading session of the book kaunch. As Emma has a far nicer reading voice that I do, she graciously agreed to read the story for me.  And it's needless to say that she did a fantastic job!

After the reading we played a game with the kids. They had to guess the whereabouts of  Kate the Hamster and whoever found her would win a prize.

Quick thinking Alice, found her and for her efforts, she won a Kinokuniya voucher, a bespoke sketch of the Duchess of Cambridge signed by Soefara and the opportunity to be an illustrated character in the next Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di book.

Then Soefara did a drawing demonstration and she gave away two of her sketches before it was time for us to sign some books.

With that, our book launch was over and we had half and hour to get ready for Emma's book launch. Thanks to Emma, Soefara, Sheri, Ilangoh, Richelle and Erin for making this happen. Thanks to Mum, Auntie Susanna, Tilly, Kenneth, Simon, The Adeneys, Sarah, Linda, Tracy, Evelyn,  Dave, Jason, Jim, Edmund and everyone for coming out to support us.

Watch out for my next blog post on Emma's book launch. If you missed both our launches and you would like to attend  launches at the Asian Festival of Children's Content Just Click This Link to register.

FIRST PRESS For A Day with the Duchess

The Making of 'A Day with the Duchess'

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's itinerary for the tour to New Zealand and Australia has just been released  and my new book A Day with the Duchess is scheduled to be published this  month! At long last! It's almost been two years in the making. 

When it was announced that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were set to visit Singapore, I wanted to do something that would commemorate their visit and the idea of a book began to percolate in my mind.

But I had trouble formulating a storyline. It was tough to say the least. I wanted something engaging and something that
was not too predictable. But one thing was for sure, I had to meet the Duke and Duchess! So I headed down to Gardens by the Bay with my mum, niece and family friend Chantal to meet them. We weren't able to meet the Duke but we were thrilled when the Duchess walked over to us.  She was so charming and down to earth. She's a really lovely, lovely lady. And even more stunning in person than her photographs.

While waiting for the Duke and Duchess, we met Vicky Adeney, mum of royal fans Alice and Mikey. As we had two bouquets of flowers, my mum gave one to Alice, and when the Duchess saw little Alice, she came right over to speak to her. By the way, A Day with the Duchess is dedicated to Alice and Mikey, who were the inspiration for the story.

The Duchess and my thumb

So at the end of 2012, I came up with  a story and then  planned on self publishing the book in time for the 2013 London Book Fair.  

Now the thing with picture books is that the illustrations have to be spot on. They are what attract the readers and they've got to be just right. So I asked my illustrator to start drafting concept sketches.  We experimented with several styles and we both agreed that none of them were as appealing as they could be. We had never had an issue with coming up with concept sketches before, so this was a baffling experience for us. The process took far longer than we would have liked, and truth be told, it got slightly frustrating. I guess we were both under a lot of pressure.

 

Early concept sketches

A Disney Duchess?

I don't know who this is supposed to be!! lol

An early concept

Then just before the London Book Fair last year - when we were just about to give up -we managed to come up with a cover image that we were relatively satisfied with. We didn't have any other illustrations  other than the cover art, but it would have to do.

Concept cover of the book that might have been...

We showed the cover art to some publishers and distributors, and there were nibbles but they wanted to see the whole mock-up,  not just the cover.  

When I returned home, I decided to submit the story to my editor, Sheri, and after an editorial meeting with the team, they offered me a publishing contract with the caveat that it become part of my Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di series, which was already underway. Since Sam really did meet the Duchess at the Gardens by the Bay, I had no problem editing the story slightly. Sadly that meant parting ways with my longtime collaborator, the talented Enrico.

But when I saw Soefara's concept sketches for the story, I was thrilled! Not only were the sketches beautiful, but she captured the essence of the story. She's a brilliant illustrator and it's hard to believe this is her first series of books.

Soefara's Concept Art

A Day with the Duchess is the fourth book in the series. Now my brilliant illustrator Soefara is putting the finishing touches on the final arwork and I'm beside myself with anticipation. I'm really excited about this book. Hopefully it will be hot off the press in time for the Bologna Children's Book Fair and the London Book Fair.

The London and Bologna Book Fair Catalogue