Author Interview!: Aidyl Ewoh

Hello everyone! I am beyond excited to post my interview with Aidyl Ewoh, author of Action Kids Club. I am super overdue. I was so overjoyed when she emailed me back that I forgot why I interviewed in the first place! But now that I'm finally taking the time to do it, I hope you enjoy it. I know I did:)

About her: Lydia Howe (aka Aidyl Ewoh) is a twenty-something adventurous author who is partial to hiking in the mountains of Asia and South America, building life-size models of dinosaurs, taking a road trip across Europe, growing up in a barn and everything in-between. She was trained as a John Maxwell coach. Her passions include Christian apologetics and self-development. One of her life-long dreams was realized when her first book, “Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl”, was published by Answers in Genesis in 2013. Find her online at her Blog, Facebook, Twitter and Google+

Hi, Miss Howe! Thank you for being here again. Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your new book, Action Kids?

Hey Sarah, I would be delighted to! 

First off, about me: I’m a writing, traveling, goal-driven girl who’s passionate about life, words and God. I grew up in a barn, helped build a life-size model of a dinosaur for the Creation Museum and I’m currently getting ready to venture off to Africa for a few weeks. I blog over at Noveltea. 

Action Kids’ Club Back-cover Blurb: Twelve-year-old Olivia Hall’s dream of a friends' club ends when she finds out her family is moving. Her parents assure her it's a good thing, opening a new world of possibilities for the Halls. But going from ‘miss popular’ to ‘the new girl’ won’t be easy, and Olivia is not convinced.

Soon she begins to realize that although her life has suddenly changed, there's plenty of adventure to keep her on her toes. From making new friends at Forward Focus, to hanging out at the world-renowned Kids Zone, to meeting the curious head chef, she discovers that there's much more to life - and her new surroundings - than she ever imagined. How will she make the most of these new opportunities? Or will she let them slip away? 

Find out more at the Action Kids blog. 

Where did you get the idea for Action Kids?

I’ve wanted to write interesting books for kids that help teach them success principles ever since I went to a John Maxwell conference when I was 18. At night when I went up to my hotel room I’d type my ideas down. I’m not sure when the exact storyline came to me, though. 

Your book encourages  kids to work towards a higher goal in life. Why did you chose that as a theme? Why do you think that's an important message for children today?

That is a really great question, Sarah! In Luke 12:48 it tells us that to whom much has been given, much will be required. I think far too many kids today will never reach their full potential because they don’t have any clue what they’re capable of doing. Each one of us has a purpose and it’s really exciting to watch someone when they realize that they have meaning, that they can make a difference!

What are some of your inspirations for writing?

I basically always listen to music while writing and brainstorming. Music is very inspiring to me. I also enjoy going on walks, reading books and I work on viewing life in an unique way. There are basically stories everywhere I look. 

I understand you self published. Could you explain a little bit about the process? Why did you chose to self publish?

Yes, I did self-publish Action Kids’ Club, (I have another book, Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl that’s traditionally published, and another traditionally published book that’s being released in the spring of 2015). 

I decided to self-publish Action Kids’ Club because I’ve always wanted to try that route and see how it worked. My publisher doesn’t carry the genre that Action Kids’ Club is, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity. 

I wanted to make sure Action Kids’ Club was the best quality that it could be, so I worked with the same editor I had for my traditionally published books to get this book edited. I also did a lot of research to find a good illustrator (and, I must say, I’m extremely pleased with the results!), then my brother, who’s a graphic designer designed the cover and helped me get everything formatted correctly. It was a lot of work and very much of a learning curve!

I ordered the books from a website called Lulu.  

There are a few humorous traits about your characters in Action Kids (ex. Miss Aidyl having the pet skunk). Did you take those from personal experience? If not, what was your inspiration for these interesting ideas?

Well... I don’t have a skunk nor do I know anyone who has one, but I do have a dog, a cat, a bunny and a rat, and I’ve wanted a skunk for a long time now. Most of the quirks are things I would like to have, so I live virtually through my characters. 

How has Jesus impacted your writing?

I want to make sure everything I write brings Him glory. I sometimes imagine that He’s sitting next to me while I’m writing and I’ll think about it and make sure I’m not saying anything I’d be ashamed for Him to see. 

I believe that my writing, creativity and talent are all gifts from Jesus and I want to use them to the best of my ability to serve Him. 

What are a few tips you could give teen writers?

Write. You can call yourself a writer and you can learn about writing, but unless you actually write, than you’re not a writer. Makes sense, right? (This is my 838th day to write every single day on my story.) 

Enjoy the season you’re in. Before I was published I was so driven to get published that I didn’t enjoy the moments as much as I could have. Each season of writing brings unique feelings and I’m learning to relax a little bit and be happy where I am. 

Study the craft. Go Teen Writers is a great place to get encouragement, tips, and a lot of really good info. 

 

Thank you so much, Miss Howe, for interviewing me again! I was so happy to do it! Be sure to check out her blog and her most recent book, Action Kids Club, which is amazing:)