Elena Patrice
Hi! We’re
ee (“double e”) Elizabeth and Elena. We’re sisters (in case
you can’t tell from this photo) as well as writers, publishers,
and overall creative-junkie entrepreneurs. And did we mention
that we’re moms on top of all that?
Countless humorous events surround the
evolution of our business. We decided to create the
laugh-friendly company® after being shushed—literally
finger-over-pursed- lips, in-our-face shushed—at some rather
notable establishments for being, shall we say, rather loud in
the laughter department. We wondered if perhaps this occurred
due to the pretentious atmosphere of the aforementioned notable
establishments, but when it also transpired in a local dive, we
spotted a surprising trend!
We realized
that many places we frequented simply were not laugh-friendly
and we still can’t understand why anyone would be shushed for
laughing. Devoting ourselves professionally to the cultivation
of laughter means that no matter what, we welcome laughter and
find something to laugh about every day. And we’re not talking
just a giggle, but knee-slapping, milk-coming-through-your-nose,
roll-on-the-floor laughter. We haven’t missed a day yet
(although the desire to throw things is more appealing on
occasion…). We want all those we come in contact with to be
greeted and surrounded by laughter, too.
Children are the heartbeat of our work and
children are the most laugh-friendly people in the universe, so
we’re in good company!
www.laughfriendly.com
www.NanaStar.com
PageOnelit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your
life? Who were your earliest influences and why?
Elena Patrice: We grew up in Silver Spring, MD and reading was very much
a part of our lives. We still have so many of our childhood books with
our names written in them, along with scribbles and notes. For me
personally, Shel Silverstein forever stained my mind as writer. The
Giving Tree is still so pivotal in my life. It’s a gift I give to many
people. Dr. Seuss was a staple in our house and I’d say one that we
recall great fondness for, like countless others no doubt..
PageOnelit.com: Why do you write?
Elena Patrice:
Writing, as for many writers, is a great release and form of expression.
I best convey my personality through writing and though I cannot
verbally express convictions, feelings and opinions with precise clarity
and conviction, I very much can when writing. I am not a prolific writer
by any means and it is something I have to work at, but it is never
drudgery for me.
PageOnelit.com: Where did the idea for the Nana Star series (Nana Star & Nana Star
and the Moonman ) come from? Briefly describe the Nana Star series (Nana
Star & Nana Star and the Moonman ) of books.
Elena Patrice:
Inspired by my grandmother’s love for her youngest grandson, Vance, at
the time, she made the character Nana Star for him and Nana Star had
many animal friends. She would draw these out on cards and also make
calendars and decorate them with stickers and glitter too. He lived far
away and my grandmother wanted him to feel close to her always. Sadly,
Vance was killed in a car accident and she put all these items in a
shoebox. Years later my sister and I found them and asked if we could do
something with them. We knew these characters were so special and we
felt that we could take my grandmother’s reason of making Vance always
feel close to her and bring this same purpose in a children’s book
series and toys. Hence, Nana Star was born and so many wonderful and
divine events have taken place. Our mother took my grandmother’s
original illustrations and replicated them and is she is now the
illustrator for these books as well.
PageOnelit.com: In your opinion what makes a great children's book? What makes Nana
Star & Nana Star and the Moonman different from other children's books
on the shelves?
Elena Patrice:
A story that both a child and a parent/adult remark on and say why they
like it – what it means to them. If it touches the child and touches the
heart of the child in the adult, you’ve done something good. Nana Star
is unique and special because she does just this. We have children tell
us the most wonderful reasons they love her and adults tell us what they
think certain things mean or what were trying to do, etc. and it leaves
us speechless at times because of what people come up with. It is these
moments we realize the impact Nana Star has and can have and how she’s
truly taken on a life of her own.
PageOnelit.com: Nana Star & Nana Star and the Moonman was written by you and another
author Elizabeth Sills plus an illustrator, Linda Saker - How did the
three of you work as team to write and illustrate these books?
Elena Patrice:
Elizabeth is my sister and Linda is our mother. It truly flowed quite
easily. My sister and share the same heart when it comes to writing and
children and collaborating on these stories has been tremendous for both
of us. We asked our mother if she felt she could duplicate our
grandmother’s original artwork and, she did so perfectly. Once we asked
her to illustrate the first book, her art came alive and she had no idea
she even had it in her. This project has given birth too many hidden
talents in each of us.
PageOneLit.com: You made a mistake in Nana Star—on purpose? Explain
Elena Patrice: Being completely new to the publishing world only 4
plus years ago, we’ve made plenty of mistakes. We’ve also turned
countless lemons into lemonade (humorously, this has pretty much become
our motto now). We made many mistakes with our first print run of Nana
Star and while discussing all the issues; I believe it was our mother
who said, “Well, just remember only God makes everything perfect . . ..”
Like lightning it hit us – what a great lesson and boy could we have fun
with this, teaching children an educational with an underlying moral
message. This has turned out to be a wonderful aspect of the Nana Star
series. In part, we place this mistake to encourage parent/child
interaction and problem solving. It also opens up a potential line of
conversation about expectations, making mistakes, etc.. Once the mistake
is found, children write a letter to Nana Star and tell her where it is
and then become honorary members of Nana Star’s Little Twinkles Club -
they receive a membership card, certificate and special surprises. We
have some of the funniest, most beautiful letters from children and
cherish each one! We only take letters to nurture the art of letter
writing, while delaying gratification, to a point, so they will look
forward to receiving their “reward”.
PageOnelit.com: What books do you remember reading as a child?
Elena Patrice:
I was not a fantasy reader at all. I was drawn to stories about real
life, real people and situations. I remember a lot of books making me
cry because they simply tugged at my heart strings. If it was about
struggles of a destitute dog or the plight of the downtrodden I wanted
to read it. The same holds true today. My bookshelf predominately holds
books on theology, biographies of great statesmen, religious figureheads
and trailblazers in business and entertainment. I very much view my
reading like I do relationships – I hold them dear and if there is not
substance and depth, or makes me question my being, my purpose; most
likely, I won’t read it.
PageOnelit.com: What do you hope people will say after seeing/reading Nana Star &
Nana Star and the Moonman? What have children and parents said after
reading Nana Star & Nana Star and the Moonman?
Elena Patrice:
We hope that the Nana Star series will be stories that an adult will one
day recall fondly and say, “I remember the Nana Star books, they were my
favorites!” We hope children now will feel her kindness and want to help
her and the baby star. We believe Nana Star has staying power and the
makings of a classic in many ways. To have someone tell us what they
pulled from the book and it be nothing we ever thought of when writing
or intended is the greatest gift! Much like the “Giving Tree” by Shel
Silverstein, so many different meanings of this book, but it was never
originally written with these in mind perhaps.
PageOnelit.com: What advice would you have for author's wanting to write a children's
book?
Elena Patrice:
This is a question posed to us often and what I would have said four
years ago is greatly different than today. Tenacity, great marketing and
creative ability and a having a story bigger than the actual story is
key. The children’s book market is flooded with books both well written
and poorly written. You must be creative to think of ways to stand out
and get noticed or you’ll just get washed in with all others. You must
be honest and realistic with yourself that this is both a financial and
emotional investment and be committed for the long haul. Do you have the
financial capability and backing to make an overall great quality book?
Do you have the attitude, passion, and drive to do whatever it takes to
get it out there and stay on path? What’s the story behind your story?
And know too, when a book has perhaps ridden the wave as far as it will
go. Be creative and have many branches extend from your book that will
help the book – create toys or a game, an interactive web site, give to
a worthy cause. There are countless creative endeavors that can help
push your book.
PageOnelit.com: What's next?
Elena Patrice:
Well, we have at least 10 more characters to introduce and we’re
planning on release 2 stories a year along with a plushy toy for the
character, so this keeps us quite busy. And with each new book, comes a
new song, new VidLit, and more readings. We have plans to bring the Nana
Star series into production and release her on DVD – we’ll see how this
year progresses, we have very high hopes.
PageOnelit.com: What was the last book you read?
Elena Patrice:
The New Strong Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson. I’m a single mother and
my child, Eve is definitely strong willed. This book was quite helpful
and right on spot.
PageOnelit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your
writing?
Elena Patrice:Baking is one of my hobbies though I don’t do it nearly as much as I’d
like. My child seems to enjoy doing this with me, so that’s a plus. I
also run and always take a daily walk to keep my mind clear and body
healthy. This time in the morning is a very creative time for me and
many ideas for writing and our company come join my on my path.
