The Basket of Seeds

5/19/2018

Written by Ska St. Julian
Illustrated by Eugenia Cameron

Children’s author, Ska St. Julian, introduces us to her debut book about sleep, The Basket of Seeds:
Spend a year in a magical forest where humans, birds, cats, orangutans, and even extraterrestrials live together happily, and enter a dream world where the Secrets of Sleep ensure restful nights for all. Life is busy as the seasons change and the forest kids experience adventures, games, creativity, friendship, and love. Meet Baby Bud, a wee birdie who's never too sleepy for a bedtime story; Füzzy, a shape-shifting Secret of Sleep; Celeste, a charming tabby; and Goldenbeak, a tiny space alien who wants to hang out with the big humans. Come to the studio as the sleep jockeys prepare a midnight broadcast. Revel in the festivities as the Mystery Cats are sworn in. And don't forget to get your sleep order in now--the sleepy train awaits!

This book is a gem! It took me by surprise and it owns me. I would never have thought a kidlit book about sleep would be so fascinating. Cute doesn’t begin to describe The Basket of Seeds, it is written in language easy for children to relate to, and describes so many different attributes of sleep that children will want to enjoy them all.
Using the language of colors and textures associated at times with seasonal variations and different animals, children of all ages won’t be able to keep from smiling and enjoying this gem of a book.
For myself, I couldn’t read it in one sitting; I kept falling asleep, even when I wasn’t tired. It has a unique rhythm to it that made me so sleepy.

I give The Basket of Seeds a score of 5 stars! It is so unique and delightful!

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Basket-Seeds-Ska-St-Julian
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Basket-Seeds-Ska-St-Julian-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19505928-the-basket-of-seeds
You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/MysteryCatSleep
Tags: children's literature, dogs, fantasy

35 Comments

Mark

5/22/2018 10:24:59 am

Ska, your book is so unusual. I was quite captivated by it. I and all my visitors would like to know how it came to be. What was the process you went through to write "The Basket of Seeds"?

Ska St. Julian

5/22/2018 11:14:05 am

Thanks, Mark, for your kind words and thank you for asking this question! Since I was writing about sleep, I worked on my ideas mainly at night. But before I wrote anything down, I was narrating onto cassette tapes with an old-school Walkman. One night I improvised scenes playing all the parts and made a whole tape of what a dream broadcast sounds like, with various characters playing old records and making dedications. Next morning, I told friends and family what I was up to, and before long, they began asking about the story every day!

5/22/2018 12:47:52 pm

The writing came before the audio. Did you ever publish the audio book, why or why not ? If not, have you thought about publishing it lately?

5/22/2018 02:41:30 pm

It was a wild process, from rough audio to notes and storylines, then to a structured narration which I transcribed until I got the finished book. I had a friend who wanted to go to agents with my manuscript and chapter one of the audio, but he became ill and was unable to follow up. But more recently I’ve met someone who has a home recording studio, and we’ve talked about doing projects together. Now you’re making me think of doing a pro-level Basket audiobook--that makes you a muse!

5/22/2018 03:09:19 pm

It almost sounds like the audio book came first. Maybe that is why it has such an interesting rhythm.
Very nice that you met a person with that kind of setup. I will add that I have lists of people who help authors, including audio books, on my Twitter homepage.
The Basket of Seeds is your first book. With all you have already done it sounds like it will be relatively easy to create an audio book.
What comes after that, will there be a sequel to Basket of Seeds?
Will you stay in the field of children's literature, why or why not?

5/22/2018 05:00:15 pm

Technically, the audiobook was first, and I was giving the narrator a storyteller’s cadence, like the official storyteller of the forest and/or dreamworld. I hope my friend with the home studio will have time to work with me this summer on a new audio version—thanks for your encouragement!
Not sure about a Basket sequel—have to see how readers take to this one! There are different possibilities for doing one. Perhaps a sleep book about what the different kinds of sleep do? Perhaps a spin-off spotlighting a particular character? It all sounds good at this point!
I’ve started transcribing a YA title that I narrated, transcribed, rewrote as a screenplay, reworked, and re-narrated over a few years. It has a fantasy element with a high-school background, but it takes place during a particular chunk of the 20th century. Perhaps it’s a young adult novel for grown-up adults?

5/22/2018 05:07:13 pm

The cadence sure worked on me. It put me to sleep and I wasn't even that tired. I really like the concept of broadcasting sleep programs to suit different needs and desires. Do you recall what sparked the initial idea? How much time elapsed between the spark and the completed book?

5/22/2018 06:08:04 pm

Actually, years! My late mom was an early-to-bed type, while I was a night owl. One night she couldn’t sleep and came out for a snack. “Can you tell me a bedtime story?” she asked.
Your average semi-adult doesn’t usually get this kind of request from a parent, so I took the challenge and improvised sort of a high-tech sandman story, except that instead of a sandman, it was a fleet of squishy little space beings who float into people’s bedrooms and deliver special sleep. The next morning Mom and I tried to remember what I’d made up, and that was the start of it all. It evolved over a number of years in a leisurely way. But even that early, she said it would be a boon for insomniacs as well as a kids’ story!

5/22/2018 06:48:05 pm

Your mom was so right! That is a great story! I have never had my parent ask me for a bedtime story.
How did you choose among traditional, independent, or self-publishing for The Basket of Seeds? Did you come across any scams during that process? If so, what tipped you off that something was fishy?

5/22/2018 07:25:35 pm

I decided to self-publish pretty soon after I wrote it because of a few crucial incidents. My job put me in touch with literary people, and I got the chance to speak briefly to someone in children’s publishing. She said that I shouldn’t bother with an illustrator; the publisher would match me up with one. What? Tell my artist that her drawings were for nothing? And that my space babies wouldn’t be good enough for the house that bought the story? Oh no. Then an old friend introduced me to a name-dropping friend of his who claimed to know a big shot at a major kid-media company. She offered to show the mogul the first chapter, and I gave it to her. Two weeks later, I’m at a holiday dinner at her house and she’s telling everyone how the mogul hated the story! (“He called it pointless!”) I decided then and there to self-publish, and to ask my silly hostess for seconds.

5/22/2018 08:06:43 pm

That is quite the horror story! I think that is something a lot of authors run into and fear, losing creative control! I love the pictures in TBOS. I used to sketch a lot in school and those drawing in your book are so nice.
How about scams authors fall prey to? Have you heard of any lately or a particular type new authors are prone to fall for? What would you tell a new author to look out for?

5/24/2018 03:21:10 pm

Ska is having technical difficulties, so I am posting this for her:
Scams…let’s see…an author shouldn’t have to pay $100 to enter a writing contest, not even to submit a finished book. You may get a nice sticker out of it, but it doesn’t count for very much. Next, there’s a guy out there with a big website tooting his horn about his achievements as an agent and angel to writers. He offers many services and promises the moon. He’s got freebies for new followers, but who knows what fees he charges once you’re hooked.

SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) says much more and much better than I can in their article Writer Beware—red flags, dishonest agent practices, and straight-up fraud stories. Find these good folks at sfwa.org.

5/24/2018 03:47:06 pm

Thank you for the tips and the link, I bet there are many that will benefit from the information. There are so many creative crooks out there trying to separate us from our money.
Have you ever read a book that seriously changed the way you look at writing?
Do you think someone can be a good writer without reading books?

Ska

5/26/2018 06:12:30 pm

Books have definitely changed my way of looking at writing at critical points along my writing journey. Early in the game, Catch-22 taught me that if I could think up bizarre stuff, I should be able to write it. Soon after, A Clockwork Orange showed me that a story could be told in an alternate English and make sense. More recently, White Teeth by Zadie Smith has been like a writing workshop run by a good friend.

5/25/2018 09:06:40 am

Ska is having serious technical issues, she is using her phone to send her replies to Mark
Writing without reading? There must be some good writers who aren't / weren't always avid, active readers, finding voice or direction without distraction. When I write fiction, I read nonfiction. That's not the same thing, but I understand the impulse.

5/25/2018 01:39:12 pm

New question:
What experience caused you to realize that words are powerful and you could make a difference?
Is writing a spiritual experience for you, does it have any healing influence?

5/25/2018 06:33:36 pm

I grew up with the idea that words were powerful and I could use writing to do positive things--my mother taught English, so it was a central theme of my upbringing. I can’t recall a time when I wasn't in love with words. Whimsy and nonsense appealed to me very early as codes for readers to unlock.
I’m not sure if spiritual is exactly the word for what I’m doing, but the world of The Basket is natural and organic, and the characters try to be their best selves. Healing is central to the story as a key attribute of sleep, right there on page one! And it’s involved in righting wrongs, which fiction lets us do. Living happily ever after usually calls for some degree of healing.

5/25/2018 06:37:55 pm

I have learned that words can be a wonderful and thrilling tool in the proper hands, but they can also be used for ill and to cause pain. I think you are doing quite well.
Were there any pieces of The Basket that were removed during an edit? Why did you think they were not up to snuff? In hindsight, would you put them back in the book?

5/26/2018 06:17:10 pm

Thanks—I’ve always tried to follow Hippocrates—first, do no harm!
The finished version of The Basket is basically what I started out with: a year in the forest and the dreamworld, with four main characters and their community. I folded my ideas into the timeline, and nothing was removed once I started making the master audio and started transcribing. In Basket terms, I sat on the egg and let it hatch. (Meanwhile, I’ve been back and forth rethinking certain sensitive aspects of my YA story—things have gone out, been revised, and are still being pondered.)
PS: I passed your compliments to Eugenia, who is always delighted when folks like her artwork!

5/26/2018 06:32:45 pm

Thanks for sharing my admiration with Eugenia. Pretty interesting that starting with an audio book worked so well. I bet the monthly chapters helped in that regard.
The Mystery Cats are one of the most interesting characters in your book, it is part of your Twitter address also. But I noticed that your Twitter name is Kitten Underground. Is there a story behind that?

5/27/2018 11:23:02 am

Yes, the monthly format was the key to making the story run smoothly.

It’s always great to hear from Mystery Cat fans! The name Kitten Underground came about from a real-life crisis: one of Eugenia’s cats, Solitaire, took off through a just-open-enough window and the whole family was frantic for a few weeks until they found him. At some point I came up with the idea that his kitty friends in the dream screen were sending him come-home messages under this name.

When I started my account last year, @MysteryCatSleep was all about the sleep—I even held sleep events, inviting followers to join the sleep-in. But I used Kitten U as the account’s front name because it had a certain catchy quality. Currently the account’s stars are half Basket characters and half non-Basket (including Solitaire). But the balance can tilt back to the Basket side if the fans ask for it!

5/27/2018 11:30:01 am

That is very touching. A happy ending for Solitaire and the family.
Why do you think most authors write in 3rd person POV, instead of 2nd person or 1st person POV?
What do you think is one of the biggest myths that holds beginning authors back?

5/27/2018 12:27:54 pm

Thanks—Solly’s happy to run around the house and online, but no more outside jaunts for him.

With third person, the writer has control over the whole panorama of things, godlike omniscience, being the director. On most levels, it’s the easiest POV. A first-person narration calls for a writer to do a full acting job as the star; not every story needs that, and not every author wants to. (I’m a ham, so some of my stories do, and I often want to!) Second person suggests experience universal that happens to many/plenty of us, or something so specific that the reader has to be inside the narrator’s id. Bright Lights, Big City does a classic job of the latter.

The You-Must-Write-Every-Day Myth! Some writers have to stir the story around in their heads before they can commit to the page or monitor. Some have to chew over what they’ve written and kick it around before they move ahead. There’s no secret formula, and not everyone has the luxury of having writing time every day. Same with the You-Must-Write-___-Pages-a-Day Myth!

5/27/2018 12:42:30 pm

We are all glad Solitaire is safe and sound, whether at home or online.
I really enjoy first person POV, when it's clearly defined as to who is speaking, whose head we are living in. It is an intimate experience.
Is it important or not for a beginning writer to read a lot of books in their chosen genre? Why or why not? Do writers need to worry about accidentally borrowing a name or something else from other writers' books?

5/27/2018 02:19:10 pm

I’d say it’s important—to write in a genre, a novice should get to know the conventions, what audiences are accustomed to and expect. That way, the writer can make the big choices: follow them, spoof them, break with them, mash ‘em up with something else, etc.

Accidental borrowing shouldn’t be much of a problem—if it’s something well-known, someone will point it out and it can be altered. Characters’ names aren’t copyrighted, and neither are book titles, but it’s good if things aren’t too similar, unless perhaps there’s some sort of parody/homage/critique involved.

5/27/2018 02:23:52 pm

I think a lot of fan fiction fits in their somewhere also. Do you have an opinion about fan fiction, have you ever written some?
Excluding audio books, do you ever read a work in progress out loud? What are the advantages or disadvantages?

5/28/2018 09:15:25 am

I definitely believe in fan fiction—it’s a creative way for fans to interact with creativity, and provides training wheels for getting into the processes of working out storylines, opening out characters and their relationships, etc. I’m enjoying the fanfic based on the Law & Order shows, and I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody from these talented fans turns up as a crime novelist one day.

I once had a fanfic idea from a sitcom some years back, but I turned it into a treatment instead and pitched it to the show’s producers. They liked it, but things fell through. I was this close!

BTW, I’m convinced that some of my characters write fanfic about each other’s stories—Goldenbeak has been jotting down some very advanced scenes lately, about kids in a fancy high school. She doesn’t perch on my shoulder for nothing!

I only read works-in-progress aloud if I want to test out dialogue, or if I’m stuck and need to think on my feet—literally, while I’m pacing. This is actually the origin of my audio drafts!

5/28/2018 10:04:04 am

I didn't realize the extent of fan fiction! Pretty cool.
New question:
Is there a particular time or place where you get your best ideas? How do you connect with your muse, is it hard or easy?

5/28/2018 11:28:20 am

My muse finds me wherever, whenever. I’ve been inspired at work, while walking in the neighborhood, watching sports on TV, on getting up in the morning. I’ve been known to get up in the middle of the night to write things down. Connecting with the muse is easy—connecting with an agent is impossible!

5/28/2018 11:32:26 am

Why is it so hard for writers to connect with an agent? Is it a problem of supply and demand or something else?
Are book trailers useful for the query process or just for selling books? Is there any difference in querying a large publisher as compared to a small publisher?

5/28/2018 01:09:10 pm

Sure, supply and demand is a big part of the picture, but so many agencies are picky as hell—many only want new writers who come with referrals from authors they know, or famous names. Some claim to want to see projects that are different, but when the chips are down, it shouldn’t be too different! There are so many variables involved. And all the competition among the agencies and publishers…

My work has been rejected by both large and small houses, and ignored by both. Same with large vs. small agencies. It’s always the same few form letters. I’d like to see something more personal, like “For God’s sake, give those space aliens better names!”

I’ve been told that a trailer with me narrating a sample of Basket might be helpful in querying. No idea how to do one, though—and it would have to be on a shoestring budget!

5/28/2018 01:16:01 pm

That does sound tough! Such a hard nut to crack, unless you are famous, then they will beat a path to your door. That frustration makes a lot of sense, and a writer has to have a thick skin. I bet that is why so many authors decide to self-publish.
Are there any literary or writing magazines that you have found useful? Any particular websites?
What are you reading right now for fun, for your business?
Do you do your own editing or use a professional, and why?

5/28/2018 04:09:06 pm

I’m a big fan of Writer’s Digest—the magazine, the website, the guide to agents (2018 edition is ready!). And I’m very impressed by a site called braintobooks.com, a community that offers tools, resources, pro-level advice, and a yearly convention, which already happened, but parts of which are still accessible.

It’s reading for fun time! I recently discovered The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye, set in 1840s NYC, and am just starting to read the sequel, The Fatal Flame. Faye’s prose hits all five senses--even smell and touch, whether you want those sensations or not. Rich stuff!

I do my own editing so I can train my eye and know my work better. I used to proofread, and I used to teach, and I’ve found the mistakes in other people’s work, so I’m reasonably good at finding mine. (Mark found a couple things I missed, and, yes, I recommend him!)

5/28/2018 04:27:10 pm

Thank you for those recommendations, I think I should look at Writer's Digest. I will check out the website also, it sounds good.
Thank you also for the personal recommendation of my work.
We have covered a lot of ground and I have enjoyed our conversation a great deal. Are you willing to entertain other questions down the road?
I know it is getting late in your time zone, and I have another book review to launch tomorrow and a new interview.
Thank you so much for such a fun book, for sharing your story and your writing life with us.

5/28/2018 05:01:19 pm

You’re welcome, Mark, and thanks for everything you did for The Basket this week--this was a great interview, and you can always send more questions. Have a beaky week!
And I’m delighted to welcome so many new Twitter followers—the folks in the forest love meeting new friends!

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