How did the name, Alphabet Puke come
about?
The working title for the book was G
is for Germs and when it was completed I wanted something more memorable. I
thought G is for Germs was dull and didn’t portray the monsters’ silliness and
their medical adventures. I texted my daughter with a couple of title
alternates and asked for ideas. She sent back Alphabet Puke. She said it
made her think of alphabet soup with a twist. The publisher loved it and we
added the Monsters’ Medicine A-Z subtitle for added description. It was
an instant hit with children.
What are your hopes for Alphabet
Puke?
I imagined creating a story that
lessened the stress of illness and medical treatment for children. At first, I
pictured robots as the main characters. I love robots. Then I realized that
monsters would serve the story better. Monsters are often seen as big and scary
by children. I wondered what would scare a monster.
Would they be scared of shots or
getting a nosebleed? What would a monster do if he got laryngitis and lost his
voice? Did monsters get hiccups or diabetes?
Is there some reason why you went
with an A-Z format for the book?
When I first started listing the
various medical problems children have, I soon realized that I would either have
to write a lot about one topic, say allergies, or write a little about a
variety of topics. I tried to imagine what one of my four children might want
to read if ill with a cold or during a hospital stay. Short and distinct
rhyming text, as well as, a format that lent itself to being picked up and put
down many times seemed like it would probably hold the attention of a sick
child much better than an in-depth story. I know when I’m ill I want something
fun and light. I chose the A-Z format to allow for the greatest number of
medical descriptions in the text and allow for more illustration opportunities.
Alphabet Puke was created to
entertain children during scary or confusing health problems and
treatments.
