The joys of indie children’s books: Q & A with Ray Allen Price

Last month, I wrote about the joys of indie children’s books. One of the books we discussed in the WriteOrWrong Virtual Book Club was Build With Bricks by Ray Allen Price. (You can watch our full discussion on Facebook.) Ella Clarke called it, “Very smart, life lesson book by Ray Price! Loved the themes, the play on words, and the weaving of a well known children’s tale. Enjoyed tremendously. Highly recommended!” And in my review, I said:

This clever retelling of “The Three Little Pigs” offers life lessons with contemporary twists and smart humor. Children will relate, and parents will nod in agreement, as piggy Mudball expresses frustration with the parents’ insistence on learning about bricks. Mudball will soon learn why these lessons are so important. The colorful illustrations with humorous little details are worth a second book. Overall, a fun story to share with your children.

I interviewed Ray about his book. Here is what he had to say.

What inspired you to write the book?

My daughter was my biggest inspiration to write Build with Bricks and to become a children’s book author. When she was in kindergarten, I would volunteer to be a parent guest reader for her classroom. I would buy a picture book and some cookies and give them to the classroom. After I did…