WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Krystal Diane, Children’s Author

Krystal Diane, Author
BABY BEAR BLUE'S NEW SISTER!

Krystal Diane brings us her first children’s book, BABY BEAR BLUE’S NEW SISTER!,  which she wrote to prepare her niece for her new baby brother.  Reviewers enjoyed the “very cute story” and say the “precious theme of welcoming a new sibling in a darling rhyming dialogue is very appealing.” Although she uses bears as her characters, she says that she wrote it to be realistic with a clear message.

Diane plans to write more Baby Bear Blue books. This is her first published work but she has been writing since she was ten with a life-long dream of publishing books. She lives in Florida with her husband and baby son and is finishing her college degree in Marketing.

Q: What inspired you to write BABY BEAR BLUE’S NEW SISTER!? Have you experienced introducing a new baby to an older sibling?

Krystal Diane: I was inspired to write BABY BEAR BLUE’S NEW SISTER! by my niece. She was expecting a baby brother, and I thought it would be helpful to write a story that would prepare her on what was to come. I think it is always a sticky situation for the parents, and they are not sure how the little one will react to this new baby on the way. I just wanted to make it a little bit easier for them to explain to their children and know what they have to expect.  The reason I wrote it from a boy’s point of view is because I have a son of my own, and wanted to make it personal for him when we have a new one on the way in the future.

Q: How do you engage 3-5 year olds? Does using a bear as the protagonist help?

Krystal Diane: I do hope the illustrations done by Da’an Yayha will be inspiration enough for them to want to read. Also, I found that bears are very popular among children for children’s stories that are #1 sellers, so I wanted to mirror that.

Q: I notice that you rhymed your story, and many of the reviewers enjoyed the rhyme. Does that make toddlers want to hear the story? Will most “readers” of this book listen to it being read to them? So would the rhyming make it more interesting to them as they hear the story?

Krystal Diane: Yes, I wrote it in rhyme form to attract the young readers’ attention a little bit better. When I read to my son, I much enjoy the rhyming stories a little bit better than anything else, especially for the 3-5 age range. I believe it makes it that much more interesting. Most of my target age group will be read to, and it will be the mothers who will purchase the story. I aimed it toward them, and hopefully they will want to read this to their children when expecting a new baby, boy or girl.

Q: How helpful are the illustrations for this age group? Did you write the story first and then the art followed?

Krystal Diane: For this age group, illustrations are an absolute must! I believe it keeps them engaged in what’s going on in the story, as well as help them envision what is happening. For this book, I wrote the story first, and then had it illustrated. Da’an Yayha really captured perfectly what I had in mind for this book, and I am very happy with what she did for my very first children’s book!

Q:  One of your reviewers said that the book is entertaining but also has “a good moral” by showing “what older siblings should do for their younger ones.” Did you intend for your book to be a teaching one? Or were you just writing it to entertain?

Krystal Diane: I was certainly writing to entertain, but the most important thing to me was that it had a lesson involved as well. I have always believed that every story should have a moral to teach kids. They should not even realize they are learning, but enjoy what they are reading or listening to. This was definitely on my mind as I wrote the book.

Q: What do you believe are the most important elements of a children’s story?

Krystal Diane: For me, what I was aiming at to be important in the story is to show young children that when there is a new baby on the way, it can be exciting, even for them! I wanted to show them that they can be of great help to their parents when the new baby finally does arrive. They can be involved, and just because there is a new sister/brother for them, does not mean that they are less loved by their parents. I think this is the most common worry that kids have when they find out they will no longer be an only child.

Q: How relevant is believability to create credibility for this age group?  Does it even matter?

Krystal Diane:  I think that for this particular story, I wanted to keep it as believable as possible, considering the characters are bears. There is nothing wrong with exaggerating a little bit to make a moral point, but in my stories, I will keep them close to real life apart from the characters in each story.

Q: Is this your first book? Have you written other types of stories?

Krystal Diane:  This is my first book I have published. I have been writing stories since I was ten years old, and have always loved to write. I am so excited to finally release my very first children’s book to Amazon Kindle, and there are many more to come!

Q: What’s next? Will you write more children’s stories? Others?

Krystal Diane: Yes, Definitely! I have more on the way, and actually plan to make this into a series. Baby Bear Blue will have many more adventures and lessons to come, so stay tuned!

Q: Tell us about Krystal Diane. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Krystal Diane:  When I am not writing, I love to spend time with my baby boy and my husband. We live in Florida, so we are always at the beach. We love to be outdoors, and spend as much time together as we can while I am finishing up my Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. I also enjoy dancing and singing, and anything to do with Performing Arts. I have many different hats that I wear, and I love each and every one of them!

About Krystal Diane

Krystal Diane is the mother of a beautiful baby boy. She has always dreamed of becoming a children's book writer, and is excited to release her first children's book. She is currently attending the University of North Florida for her Bachelor's degree in Marketing. She enjoys going to the beach, shopping, and spending time with her family.

About BABY BEAR BLUE’S NEW SISTER!

Baby Bear Blue is getting a new baby sister! He gets to learn to share, and help take care of the new addition in the family. With the help of his parents, Baby Blue will soon learn that having a new sister is not so bad after all! With the first story about what happens before she arrives, the second story shows what happens when she is brought back from the hospital.

This book is perfect for kids ages 3-5 with a new baby on the way! It will help introduce them to the idea of having a little brother or sister, and will even get them excited about their new adventures to come!

Link

Amazon Kindle 

To reach Krystal Diane with suggestions or comments: e-mail  her at Kry2004@comcast.net.