GALVANIZE PRESS

Daniel & William Clarke, authors of TEARS IN THE JUNGLE

Publisher: The Clarke Family. Profits from the sale of the book go to save the Orangutan and its habitat.

A kids book written by children, for children.

"…my exploits are nothing compared to the courage shown by Daniel Clarke and his younger brother William.  Their spirit of adventure and determination to help others is a wonderful example to all of us." Dick Smith, Australian Entrepreneur and Adventurer

 

Daniel has cerebal palsy and spends most of his life confined to a wheel chair. When the Starlight Foundation granted Daniel a wish in 2007, 10-year-old Daniel said he wanted to save the Orangutan of Borneo. A selfless wish that the foundation didn't quite know how to grant. A seed of hope and determination was planted in Daniel,  inspired by his hero, Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter. Since 2007 Daniel's parents, Rodney and Penny, have worked hard to encourage Daniel in his quest and his younger brother, William, has joined him on his mission to save the Orangutan of Borneo.

To have an insight into these two extraordinary young authors, you really must view their  introductory video.

Be inspired by reading a little of William and Daniel's journey to Borneo to meet the Orangutan (wheel chair and all) and the book they wrote about their experience, Tears in the Jungle.

 

1. What brought your attention to the plight of the Orangutans in Borneo?

William:

When we were young we were watching a show called ‘Saving Orangutans’ as well as an entire collection of Steve Irwin DVD’s. And they both mentioned how endangered the orangutan are. When Steve Irwin died Daniel felt inspired to start to save the orangutans.

 

2. Who came up with the idea of writing Tears in the Jungle?

William:

We learned so much about being with the orangutan in Borneo that when we came back we realised that so many kids our age had no idea about what was happening to the orangutans habitat that we came up with the idea together as we thought the book could be educational for all kids but still a fun picture book.

 We chose the name, “Tears In The Jungle” because it has a double meaning.  The first meaning is ‘tears’ as in crying and the other is ‘tear’ as the forest is being torn apart.

 

3. What was it like to get up close and personal with the Orangutans in Borneo?

William:

 It was life changing. It's something that our whole family wishes to do again. You would expect them to be fluffy like a teddy bear but up close they are just like us.

 

4. Can you explain your goal in writing the book?

William:

Our goal in writing the book is;

•  Raise awareness of how endangered the orangutan are due to habitat loss

•  Educate kids around the world about the orangutan

• Raise money to buy back the jungle (our goal is to raise $1million)

 

5. How close are you to reaching your goal?

William:

We are selling our book through our website and so far we have sold a number of books to the USA and the UK so we are slowly getting our message out to the kids around the world but it is really slow going.

 My brother and I regularly visit schools and present to the kids on our experiences and the issues facing the orangutan and these talks have been really successful.  Recently we were asked to be guest speakers at a Young Leaders Conference as well as opening the Manly Ocean Care Day Festival and speaking to the Warringah Council Staff in an organised breakfast function.

 We are constantly approached to talk about the orangutans which is great to have the opportunity to get the message out.

 After my brother and I achieved the goal of raising $600,000 to save the orangutan we have now set ourselves a new goal of raising $1m to buy back the jungle so that the orangutan have a safe place to live.

 In our presentation we leave the audience with the message, “In order to save the orangutan we have to save their habitat”.

 

7. Daniel; you are pursuing dreams and goals not many people attempt and you don't let cerebral palsy limit you. Were you convinced you could make a difference before you started?

Yes, I knew deep inside me that I could make a difference in the this world, and my  brother, Will helped to make it possible.

 

8. William; who is your biggest inspiration in your pursuit to help save the Orangutans?

My biggest inspiration to save the orangutans is my brother.  His passion is the reason why I have a passion for the orangutans and I knew that we could make a bigger difference working together than by working by ourselves, and I decided to join him in 2009.

 

9. Do you both have any more projects planned to help save the Orangutan?

Once we achieve our goal we have set our sights on completing a series of books around the great apes as they are all critically endangered for the same reasons. We are looking at travelling to Rwanda for the Gorillas and the Bonobos and to Gombe, Africa, for the Chimpanzees. We are hoping to raise lots of funds and awareness of the problems facing the great apes of the world.

 

10. Daniel & Williams favourites:

Book:  Daniel: the Henderson Boys book series William: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Hero:  Steve Irwin

Game:  Modern Warfare 3

Motto: We can all make a difference

Charity: The Daniel Clarke Foundation

 

Thank you Daniel and William for your time, for sharing your story and for challenging and inspiring us to look beyond ourselves to see what we can do to preserve and improve the world for others.

If you are as encouraged as I am by the boys' endeavour, spread the word with your friends, they might have someone in mind to Buy the book for, in support of these boys and to help save the Orangutan in Borneo.

This is my last author interview for 2011. I will be back on the 16th of January to start the year with another round of weekly author interviews and posts about book club discussions. I hope you'll join in the discussions. Until then, have a refreshing Christmas and New Year's break.

I will still be posting on the facebook page, so 'like' the Galvanize Press  page to receive updates, or follow on Twitter.

Think. Write. Share.

 

Belinda G

 

William: We learned so much about being with the orangutan in Borneo that when we came back we realised that so many kids our age had no idea about what was happening to the orangutans habitat that we came up with the idea together as we thought the book could be educational for all kids but still a fun picture book.   We chose the name, “Tears In The Jungle” because it has a double meaning.  The first meaning is ‘tears’ as in crying and the other is ‘tear’ as the forest is being torn apart.

Erik P Kraft, author & illustrator of kids' books

 

 

 

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

282 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

 

"A Captain Underpants for the older bunch, Kraft's comedic riff on male adolescence is as nerdy and hormonally driven as they come. Written like an illustrated journal of sorts with titles for each page-length entry and in often fragmented sentences, the book reads like a haphazard, stream-of-consciousness rant — one 10th-grader's perspective on high school in a small Massachusetts town." Publisher's Weekly

 

Boston author, Erik, has always been a fan of children’s books, thanks to his family. He says, "There are a lot of teachers in my family, but I had two elderly aunts (the kind that had always been old) and they had tons of books, and so they would read to me and I always had a new or favorite story to read when I visited."

Erik loved stories and being the kind of person who wants to try his hand at everything he likes, he started writing his own, "even very young I started writing my own stories. I got some encouragement from teachers, so I kept with it". Erik has published five books. His Lenny & Mel series are his best known: Lenny & Mel, Lenny & Mel's Summer Vacation and Lenny & Mel: Afterschool Confidential. His debut was a picture book called, Chocolatina and his latest book is his debut into Young Adult Fiction, Miracle Wimp.

Erik also spends time visiting schools to encourage children in their love of books.

 

1. What inspired you to write and illustrate children's books?

As I got older I shifted my focus to writing stories that reflected whatever situation I was in at the time, but I got into a graduate writing program, and really didn’t like it, so I decided to take a picture book class for fun before I dropped out. (It was with Jack Gantos, who I was a huge fan of. We used to keep his books under the counter by the register at one of the bookstores I used to work at so we could read on the sly when working the register.) It totally clicked with me, and I wrote the first Lenny and Mel story (The Leftover Fairy) in that class. Part of what turned me off  the writing program was that they had no interest in listening to stories that were imaginative, whereas in children’s books imagination is where it’s at. So that is also a huge plus.

 

2. Is there a theme common to your books and do you have a favourite book?

 I think if there’s a common theme, it’s “be yourself.” Whether or not anyone picks up on that is hard to say; I try not to hit people over the head with it.

I think my last book, Miracle Wimp, might be my favorite, if only because it’s the most autobiographical. It’s like choosing your favorite child though. That’s why I only have one kid, to save myself from these hard decisions!

 

3. Which part of the process do you enjoy most, writing or illustrating?

I like them both in their own ways. With the writing, I’m always in my own head, which is nice, but sometimes I want out. The illustrating has a degree of that, but once I’ve figured out what I want to draw, it becomes more mechanical, and I become focused on what I’m doing with my hand rather than my own thoughts. So that’s a nice relief sometimes.

 

4. What do you consider to be the role of books in the life of a child?

At the very least, to show kids that there's a whole other world out there, even if it only exists in a book.

 

5. What was your favourite book when you were a child?

Dooley and the Snortsnoot by Jack Kent. It’s about a giant who hasn’t become giant yet, and a Snortsnoot comes and terrorizes his town, and he finds that the more he says FEE FI FO FUM, the bigger he gets. This helps with the Snortsnoot problem, but I won’t spoil it.

 

6. In terms of worldview, what do you believe?

Be nice. Pet animals. Ride bikes! Nature is cool. Cities are cool. Don’t litter. Read books. Keep learning about stuff (it doesn’t have to be the same stuff, but specialization is okay too). Trying something you don’t know how to do is a good way to learn it (except surgery, and a few other things). Don’t listen to advertising, unless you’re doing it to make fun of it.

 

7. How does your current worldview differ from the one you were brought up with?

There’s a deep underlying cynicism that my parents didn’t teach me, but I’m sincere about the above stuff. It’s everything else I’m cynical about.

 

8. What do you doubt?

 Semi-serious answer: I doubt that the government will ever do the right thing if there is money to be made doing the wrong thing (with VERY few exceptions).

 Semi-joking answer: I doubt I will ever be able to convince my son that Eddie Murphy was once considered a very edgy comedian.

 

9. Can you give us a glimpse of your next planned project?

 It’s a middle grade/YA story about a kid who has to become a ninja, but has no idea how to do it. He’s not particularly graceful, much less stealthy, and he doesn’t particularly like his town, but has to defend it. Somehow.

 

10. Erik's favourite:

Book: To Kill A Mockingbird

Film: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

Music: This constantly changes. In the last week I’ve been listening to a lot of Charlie Parker, but my all time favorite band is Devo.

Motto: “Whatever you want to be, you just have to start doing it” -Harry Smith

Charity: ASPCA The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

 

Thanks Erik for the peek inside your world. You've got me thinking about the books I loved reading as a kid. I remember having Golden Books when I was little, then the Serendipty books when I was a big kid and my introduction to the world of Young Adult fiction was through my friend, Toni's, Sweet Valley High books. Ah, first love, there's nothing like it.

What book ranks as your first love?

 

Think. Write. Share.

Belinda G

 

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Welcome to Galvanize Press!

I am excited to finally share the idea I’ve been quietly building on for the last three years.

 

We hear the word Tolerance a lot. It’s revered as the pinnacle of policies, the mark of a civilised society. But when I think about the verb, Tolerate, it brings negative connotations to mind. We merely tolerate things that we don’t particularly like.

 

Is this the best a society has to offer: to grit our teeth and endure those who hold different beliefs or propagate different ideas to us? It hardly seems like a lofty goal!

 

Yet, to quote Marilynne Robinson, “History could make a stone weep”. We stand in the dark shadow cast down the ages through wars and crusades that have divided humanity over worldviews. Perhaps Tolerance is a lofty goal.

 

Our politicians think so. But politicians are not cultural leaders, they are culture followers. It is those in the Arts who are cultural leaders, forging new ideas in creative ways that appeal to the masses. My book club has found that 90% of the novels we read have something to say about worldviews.

 

With this in mind, I have decided to interview authors about their books and their worldviews. There’s something for everyone; memoir, fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, horror, romance, mystery, crime, literary. I hope a few of the featured books might inspire you to read more than you normally would. If you come across a book you're interested in reading, you can order it with free shipping at the end of the post.

 

My aim is to encourage inquiry and break down the taboo of talking about worldviews. The best method I can think of to do this is Socrates’ approach to philosophy. He would go to the city square not to preach or lecture or instruct, but to ask questions and nurture discussion.

 

So I invite you and your friends to consider Galvanize Press the city square where you can come and listen to what others have to say, to join the discussion if you have a question or insight to share, or even better, to continue the discussion in person.

 

Maybe then we will come to see worldviews for what they really are: a set of presuppositions, of beliefs and doubts that help us to make sense of the joys and sorrows of life. In our pursuit to make sense of life humanity is united, even if in our conclusions we are divided.

 

Of course the risk of being open to what others have to say is that we may be forced to defend, amend, or abandon the worldview which we hold dear. And if my experiment should fail, I only hope the good people of the blogosphere will spare me the Hemlock Socrates was forced to drink.

 

It’s only fair that I should be first to answer the type of questions I will put to the willing authors.

 

1.  What was the impetus for writing your novel? I started writing as a way of working through the grief of my young brother-in-law being killed. The very first thing I wrote was a funeral scene. I eventually moved away from real-life events and started writing fiction, but the premise is the same: learning to live and laugh again after tragedy and patching up your ruptured worldview. (Said novel is still a work in progress).

 

 

2.  If you were the only person with 25 hours in your day, what would you do with your secret extra hour? Go for a walk on the beach if I felt energetic, or lay in the hammock with a good book.

 

3.  In terms of worldview, what do you believe? I believe that grace is the most beautiful, mysterious, necessary and difficult thing in the world. Beautiful: as anyone who has had grace extended to them can attest. Mysterious: because the ability to extend grace is often contrary to our natural instinct. Necessary: because at some point everyone in the world needs grace extended to them. Difficult: because although we might need grace, it is very humbling to receive. Also because I have the most difficulty mustering grace at precisely the moment it’s needed.

 

 4.  What do you doubt? That we will ever find a permanent solution to poverty, considering all the politics involved. But I live in hope and still believe in action.

 

5.  How is your current worldview different from the one you were brought up with? Only in the particulars.

 

6.   What’s in your “too hard” basket? Once you start substituting letters for numbers, maths just doesn’t make sense to me. I remember saying to the teacher, How can x have a value? It’s a letter! And he would say, That’s what you’ve got to work out: the value of x. Anything trickier than long division is beyond me. OK, anything trickier than multiplication. Thank goodness for calculators!

 

7.  Belinda’s Favourite:

Book: Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson

Film: The Painted Veil

Music: At the moment, Jason Mraz

Motto: Your weakness may be strong, but your strength is never weak.

Charity: Kiva because it aims to break the poverty cycle.

 

Each new author interview will be posted on a Monday morning and a discussion thread will be posted on the Galvanize Press facebook page. I hope you follow along and join in the journey.

 

Think. Write. Share.

Belinda G