Wow! Last week saw the publication of “The Frog’s Kiss” – co-authored and co-illustrated with my husband Toto Martinez. Loosely inspired by the story of The Frog Prince, it tells the tale of a sad lonely frog in search of something to make his heart skimp a beat.
The book was launched with a fab visit to the gorgeous Halesworth Bookshop in Suffolk, with a frog-themed workshop, stories and art.
This was followed in the afternoon by an appearance at the Linton Children’s Book Festival, where we were joined by Ian Eagleton who was, of course, my collaborator on “Nen and the Lonely Fisherman”.
We had such a fun time, with puppets and storytellings. I did a quick painting of Nen and Toto demonstrated his skills as a costume designer, taking ideas a from the audience for a fantasy prom dress!
The audiences loved it, and we ended with a singalong – to Cher’s “It’s in his Kiss” – what’s else!?
Already the book has gathered some fabulous reviews.
James Roy, for “Just Imagine” wrote:
“It’s a picture book from both their hearts, written and illustrated with the tenderness of its main theme. Love. It’s a retelling of the classic tale with a modern touch. But modern in terms of societal progression. The setting is still very much what you would expect in a fairy tale… This collaboration is a celebration of the authors’ marriage and to everyone who has ever loved… sometimes, it takes a real-life fairy tale to create a book.”
You can real the full article here:
https://justimagine.co.uk/2023/05/11/the-creative-process-and-working-together/
We are both so grateful to Scholastic – our incredible editor Linas, designer Zoe and publicist Kiran, for all their support, and now also for the kind words of those who have bought it. It’s lovely to imagine our little frog hopping into peoples’ hearts and making them all skip a beat!
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