Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

Congratulations to Caroline Kerfoot on the release of Safety First!

According to your website, your dog Foxy inspired your first book, Hi, I'm Fox! when a chance encounter with a turtle sparked your idea. Tell us about the inspiration for your second book in the Adventures of Fox series.

The initial inspiration for Safety First! arrived through our rescue dog Foxy, who struggles to swim without a life jacket. It made me think about how important water safety is for children and that it could be super helpful to have a picture book story that addresses this. On an emotional level, anyone who reads the books as a series may notice that the wild fox character -who was initially mean to Fox in the first book- is the one that jumps in to rescue her. I liked adding this to the story, as I believe forgiveness is paramount for us all (I also love to have a good twist when it comes to what the reader may pre-conceive a character's character might be). I think there are many times in all our lives when people have pleasantly surprised us with their kindness and good deeds!

You've written and illustrated your own books. What is your creative process for writing and illustrating?

I put a good deal of thought into both the writing and illustration before I put any marks on paper. I let the initial concept marinate for about half a year before I sit down to write – however, I produced the first draft in one sitting! Edits continue right up to the day that I submit the document to the printer. Thankfully, I found a fantastic and very patient printer right here in Michigan. It’s been wonderful to form a strong relationship with them and to help support the local economy through my little books.

On the illustration side, I spent the most time developing the look of Fox’s character. I began sketching with pencil and paper, then moved to my iPad for further refinement, detail, and color. I purposely chose to go with detailed illustrations for the characters with less emphasis on the environments as I wanted the reader to pay more attention to the character's dialogue, body language, etc. The character interactions shown visually along with the text were very important to the story, so I didn’t want the readers to be distracted by highly decorated backgrounds.

What was the most difficult part of writing and illustrating the book?

The biggest challenge is time. There are so many moving parts of producing a book – from concept to book production to marketing and live events! I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I have loved every moment. Additionally, the community that is involved with children’s literature is amazing! I’ve met so many wonderful people throughout this journey.

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

Within the last year, I’ve been both humbled and honored to be interviewed by local media outlets as well as discovered by librarians and educators through the first book – which has led to many live events (story times and school visits) as well as great book festivals in and around Metro Detroit. Since Safety First! will be released in June, I’ll have it with me for in-person signings at the Farmington BookFest on June 3rd and the Detroit BookFest on July 16th! I generally promote digitally via social media and it will initially be available exclusively through my website, https://www.adventuresoffox.com/

What's next for you?

I plan on continuing to write the Adventures of Fox picture book series for many years to come! It’s my goal to produce one book per year, and I already have the next two stories in mind. Creating picture books and finding such a wonderful community of people has been an absolute joy that I look forward to learning and growing with well into the future.

A little bit about the book . . .

Safety First! is a rhyming children’s picture book teaching the importance of water safety through a lovable dog named ‘Fox’ and is the second book in the series, Adventures of Fox. Fox gets herself into a pickle when she tries to swim like her turtle friend without her life jacket. The current carries her to a tiny piece of land that fits only her (and one plant) when lo and behold, the wild fox -who was mean to her in the first book- jumps into the water and pulls her back to safety by his long, bushy tail! Once back on shore, she promises her worried friends that she won’t swim again without a life jacket and until she’s had swim lessons.

Publisher: Self-Published under Fox & Cline, LLC

A little bit about the author . . .

I have a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art as well as a MA in Management from the Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, in Porto Portugal. I’ve had the privilege to live and work as a creative professional in Austria, Germany, Portugal, England, and New York City. In 2017, I happily returned to Michigan to be with my family and marry my favorite person in the world, my husband John. We reside in West Bloomfield with our two little rescue dogs, Foxy & Mick, who fill our days with joy and laughter.

Website: https://www.adventuresoffox.com/

Instagram @adventuresoffoxbooks

Facebook @adventuresoffoxbooks

YouTube Channel @adventuresoffox