Giveaway & Interview with Joy McKemy

Giveaway has ended! 

Random Number.org chose commenter #2, Robyn Campbell!!!

I'm pleased to introduce Joy McKemy, a remarkable young woman, writer and animator that I met last year. She independently published her first children's book in January this year, with her own illustrations. You can read on to find out about Joy and her desire to educate young readers on political and social issues. 

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Joy McKemy and I am a recent graduate from UNC-Asheville with a bachelor's degree in New Media. I was homeschooled most of my life and have been very fortunate to be home educated as it has allowed me to explore and polish my talents and interests. My passion for drawing and writing stories has always been something I enjoy doing with my free time since I was a teenager. I also enjoy composing my own music on the piano for my stories and one day would love to create my own video game based off a story I wrote. But that's in the future!

When did you write your first book?

I probably wrote my first book when I was fifteen years old. I have written a ton of stories--just never got around to proof-reading and publishing them.

As for this book, I wrote it right after the 2012 election. I had been talking to a friend on a blog about how we, as American people, need to speak out more on issues we disagree with and not let the media decide what we should believe. I am not very good when it comes to debating with others on political issues; however, I realized I could use my talents as an artist to illustrate my point.

Are your characters based on yourself or anyone else you know?

To be honest, I've never met the people, but they are based off famous historical characters that had some sort of influence on the masses during their time.

Which is your own favorite book or character?

This is going to sound a little nerdy, but The Law by Frederic Bastiat. I agree with a lot of the issues and arguments he brings up in his book. Highly recommend it.

How did you come up with such an ingenious idea for a book?

By listening to the news. It really bothered me to hear people talking about how it was unfair that the wealthier American's were not paying more in taxes. To me, the message the media seemed to be portraying was if you're successful and become rich from that success, then you should be punished. I also realize the topic itself is a lot more complex than this, but as a Christian, I believe God blesses those who are faithful and work hard with happiness and, in some cases, wealth. (King Solomon being a wonderful example of God blessing those who are faithful).

Do you do your own illustrating? If so, have you taken at classes or does your talent come naturally?

I do illustrate my own books. I also would say my talent comes both naturally and from art classes. As a homeschooler, I never took any art classes until my last year of high school. So I spent a lot of my time reading tutorials online or checking out every possible art drawing book our local libraries had. Then, while I was in college, I was able to squeeze in a few art electives and learn even more.

What do you hope to accomplish with this story?   

A couple of things. One, I want people to realize that not everything they hear on the news is true. I want people to become more involved and do their own research into topics that are currently being discussed. I also want to encourage other authors and illustrators to publish children books that are more conservative.

What are you working on now? 

That's a secret. ;) Actually, I have found myself drawn towards world currencies and may end up illustrating another book on fiat currencies.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Relaxing on my favorite chair drawing or reading.

Where can readers connect with you?

They can either friend me on Facebook or check out my portfolio website to contact me - http://wuzzlywuzz.com/

Tricked (The Marks Family) (Volume 1) [Paperback]

About the Book

It's Halloween, a time for children to go out and collect candy. When two twin brothers, Frankie and Ronnie Marks, decide to go Trick-or-Treating in their neighborhood, Frankie decides to take the easier, shorter path while Ronnie chooses to go on the longer, harder path. Frankie comes home earlier with a smaller bag than Ronnie, who comes home later with a larger bag. Same proportions of candy are eaten by both twins and, before Frankie knew it, he has eaten all of his candy first! What happens when Carlos, their father, takes Ronnie's candy and redistributes it among the two? How does Ronnie react and what effects does this have on him when Halloween comes around next year?

Purchase:
Amazon

My Review

I am suitably impressed by Joy's artistic ability, as well as her cleverness in explaining a sometimes confusing subject, in a creative way, to children and young readers. The animations will certainly keep your youngster engaged in the book, and they might learn a thing or two about economics. 

Joy has graciously offered to send a copy of her book to one of my blog followers. Just leave an encouraging comment, along with your email. Use this format or something similar to prevent spam - yourname[at]provider[dot]com

Ends Feb 22nd. Continental US ONLY!!!