Regan W. H. Macaulay
  • Home
    • Blog
    • Subscribe to my newsletter
    • Free Activities!
  • About Me
    • My Background and Other Projects
  • Children's Literature
    • Picture Books
      • Beverlee Beaz meets Lowree Louise, the Blue Burmese
      • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
      • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
      • Merry Myrrh the Christmas Bat
      • Sloth the Lazy Dragon
      • Dog Band
      • Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana
      • Beverlee, la chatte de Birmanie
      • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese
      • Mixter Twizzle's Breakfast
      • Picture Books COMING SOON
    • Middle-Grade Novels
      • Peter Little Wing
      • Peter Little Wing and the Bay of Islands
    • Out of Print Editions
      • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
      • Merry Myrrh, the Christmas Bat (out of print edition)
      • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
      • Sloth the Lazy Dragon (out of print edition)
      • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese (out of print edition)
    • Stories and Articles
  • Novels
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • Space Zombies!
    • The Trilogy of Horrifically Half-Baked Ham
    • Novels COMING SOON
  • Scripts
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • The Aquarium
    • Paradise Lust...
    • Space Zombies...
    • Sketches
    • Watching Mr. Body
    • The Scary Bitch Project
    • The Foreign Film
    • Where are the Birds?
    • Scripts COMING SOON
    • Free Downloads!
  • Short Fiction
    • The Kiss
    • Envy
    • Space Zombies and Felines Unite!
    • The Institute
    • Reuben
    • Free Downloads!
  • Merchandise and Shop
  • Upcoming Events
  • Home
    • Blog
    • Subscribe to my newsletter
    • Free Activities!
  • About Me
    • My Background and Other Projects
  • Children's Literature
    • Picture Books
      • Beverlee Beaz meets Lowree Louise, the Blue Burmese
      • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
      • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
      • Merry Myrrh the Christmas Bat
      • Sloth the Lazy Dragon
      • Dog Band
      • Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana
      • Beverlee, la chatte de Birmanie
      • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese
      • Mixter Twizzle's Breakfast
      • Picture Books COMING SOON
    • Middle-Grade Novels
      • Peter Little Wing
      • Peter Little Wing and the Bay of Islands
    • Out of Print Editions
      • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
      • Merry Myrrh, the Christmas Bat (out of print edition)
      • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
      • Sloth the Lazy Dragon (out of print edition)
      • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese (out of print edition)
    • Stories and Articles
  • Novels
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • Space Zombies!
    • The Trilogy of Horrifically Half-Baked Ham
    • Novels COMING SOON
  • Scripts
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • The Aquarium
    • Paradise Lust...
    • Space Zombies...
    • Sketches
    • Watching Mr. Body
    • The Scary Bitch Project
    • The Foreign Film
    • Where are the Birds?
    • Scripts COMING SOON
    • Free Downloads!
  • Short Fiction
    • The Kiss
    • Envy
    • Space Zombies and Felines Unite!
    • The Institute
    • Reuben
    • Free Downloads!
  • Merchandise and Shop
  • Upcoming Events
Search
Picture

My interview with children's author Tamara Botting!

8/31/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Welcome, Tamara! First of all, tell me a bit about yourself, and your writing background.

Hi Regan! Thank you so much for this opportunity; I really appreciate it. :)

I wanted to be an author since I was around nine or ten years old. For many years, when my parents asked my brothers and I to write our Christmas wish lists, I would include ‘book deal’ on mine, so being able to call myself an author really is a childhood dream come true.
 
My first book (Unfrogged) came out in 2017; at that point, I had already been writing professionally as a journalist for about a decade.  
 
Now tell me a little something about your picture books: Pants! and Big Bother Brother.

Pants! is all about the different kinds of pants that a person might wear in a day – fancy pants, cranky pants, etc.

Big Bother Brother is about how big brothers can be such a big bother. But you know, maybe brothers aren’t so bad sometimes …

What inspired each of these picture books?

The inspiration for Pants! came from one my nieces and two of my nephews. For a while when I was babysitting them, the phrase ‘banana pants’ was the funniest thing to them, so I started using the idea of different pants to communicate more effectively with them. The idea for the book came out of that.

As for Big Bother Brother, I have five brothers in total; four older and one younger. I’ve often said that I threw them under the bus to write this book (sorry, guys – love you!).

What are your favourite scenes and illustrations from each book?

I love the concept for the illustrations with Pants!; it was actually publisher Lacey Bakker’s idea that the characters should all be invisible, and it’s just the clothing and accessories that are moving. I think that’s such a cool concept, and illustrator Erin Cutler absolutely knocked it out of the park. I also love how this book has some colouring pages in the back, which allows readers to be creative in their own way.

For Big Bother Brother, one of my own big brothers, Christopher Botting, did the line work on the illustrations. He’s super talented, and I’m so glad he was able to take this project on – he also did a phenomenal job! One of the coolest things about having my own brother do the line work is that he put in a bunch of different little Easter eggs – some that Pandamonium Publishing House fans will spot, and some that are more for close friends and family, including a few little touches from our childhood.

What are the takeaways for both kids and parents for your picture books?

Pants! is a great book to open a dialogue about emotions and actions, time and place. For instance, you might be ‘wearing’ your cranky pants or liar, liar pants on fire at the moment, but that doesn’t mean it’s permanent. Similarly, there’s a time and place for fancy pants or sports shorts.

As for Big Bother Brother, like I said, I’m the second to youngest in my family. I wanted to acknowledge and affirm for kids that it’s pretty normal for siblings to get on each other’s nerves from time to time. But I also wanted to point out that even though it’s not always easy to get along, when we do, it can be really great.

Picture
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Updated Event Schedule

8/26/2023

0 Comments

 

  • Saturday, August 26th (TODAY!) - Pop-up at Little Ghosts Books, 930 Dundas Street West, Toronto, 1pm to 3pm.
  • Sunday, August 27th - CNE Cat Show 10am - 5pm, the Enercare Centre, Mezzanine, Hall D, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON. Partial proceeds of Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese goes to the Annex Cat Rescue.
  • Saturday, September 9th & Sunday, September 10th, 12pm to 8pm or so - SuperCrawl, James Street North, Hamilton, ON, with Pandamonium Publishing House.
  • Saturday, September 16th & Sunday, September 17th, 2023 – Kid’s Literacy Corner, Canadian Pet Expo, International Centre, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga, ON, 10 am - 5 pm (Saturday) 10 am - 4 pm (Sunday) with Pandamonium Publishing House, and Pages, Pens, and Paws.
  • Saturday September 23rd 10am - Readings of Dog Band and Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese at T.Y.T. Theatre, The Wychwood Theatre, 76 Wychwood Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, with T.Y.T. Theatre. I will also have picture books available for sale after the readings.
  • Saturday, September 30th, 2023 & Sunday, October 1st, 2023 – Caledonia Fair, 151 Caithness Street East, Caledonia, Ontario: Saturday 10 am - 10 pm, Sunday 10:30 am - 6 pm with Pandamonium Publishing House.
  • Saturday, October 7th & Sunday, October 8th - Love, Death & Other Words Book Fair, Whiprsnapr Brewing, Ottawa, Ontario, with Little Ghosts Books, Happily Ever After Books, and more.
  • Saturday, October 28th, 2023 - GROUP BOOK LAUNCH organized by Authors' Booking Service for 15 Authors, including two of my re-launching picture books, Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot & Tamara Turtle's Life So Far (to be republished by Pandamonium Publishing House): Toronto Public Library - Northern District Branch, 40 Orchard View Blvd, Toronto, ON, 12pm - 2pm. I may also have a few copies of other titles available at my table.
  • November 11th & Sunday, November 13th - Love Death and Other Words Book Fair, Left Field Brewing,  Toronto, Ontario, with Little Ghosts Books, Happily Ever After Books, and more.
0 Comments

This weekend...join me at Little Ghosts Books this Saturday, August 26th from 1pm - 3pm...then at the CNE Cat Show Sunday, August 27th from 10am - 5pm!

8/24/2023

0 Comments

 
I'm bringing ALL my books to my special pop-up store at Little Ghosts Books in Toronto (930 Dundas Street West, Toronto) THIS SATURDAY.

That's right...ALL of my books will be there, including my "Trilogy of Horrifically Half-baked Ham" (Space Zombies! / They Suck / Horror at Terror Creek) plus copies of Space Zombies: 13 Months of Brain-Spinning Mayhem! on DVD; my middle-grade novel Peter Little Wing; and I'll bring along a few copies of my picture books, too...especially Mixter Twizzle's Breakfast! You can also meet the Mixter Twizzle puppet, who is half adorable, half scary...

Then you can find me with my own table at the CNE Cat Show (Enercare Centre, Mezzanine, Hall D, Exhibition Place, Toronto) on Sunday!

I will have all my picture books there, too, as well as Peter Little Wing, but the special feature that day will be my picture book Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese. Partial proceeds from Beverlee Beaz sales will go to the Annex Cat Rescue.

Check out all the books I have to offer, discover a local horror & genre book shop, and enjoy all the diverse kitties (while also helping rescue cats) at my Saturday Pop-Up at Little Ghosts and my Sunday book vending table at the CNE Cat Show!
0 Comments

Thank you from Mixter Twizzle to Riverdale Farm!

8/17/2023

0 Comments

 

We had such a great time sharing Mixter Twizzle's Breakfast with the camp kids at Simpson House at the Farm...

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

I'm in an episode of "Bestest Day Ever With My Best Friend" on CBC Kids...Watch Now on CBC Gem!

8/4/2023

0 Comments

 
I am proud to announce that I have appeared on an episode of
Bestest Day Ever With My Best Friend
produced by Lopii Productions
& CBC Kids!

I appear in the Stella and Snowy the Cats' Bestest Day Ever episode which aired at 9:38am Thursday August 3rd on CBC Kids and is now streaming on CBC Gem as of July 31st, along with all the other episodes!

I'm there as Kuri K9 Massage, and a Feline Massage Therapist for Stella and Snowy's special spa day.

Watch all the fabulous episodes on CBC Gem!
  • Rose the Hedgehog's Bestest Day Ever
  • Mittens the Guinea Pig's Bestest Day Ever
  • Rya the Bearded Dragon's Bestest Day Ever
  • Henry the Tortoise's Bestest Day Ever
  • Coco the Hamster's Bestest Day Ever
  • Zeus the Parrot's Bestest Day Ever
  • Brownie the Dog's Bestest Day Ever
  • Luna the Dog's Bestest Day Ever
  • Harry the Budgie's Bestest Day Ever
  • General Bun Bun the Bunny's Bestest Day Ever
  • Willow the Dog's Bestest Day Ever
  • Cinnamon, Chills and Patch the Rat's Bestest Day Ever
  • Raffi the Snake's Bestest Day Ever
  • Maya the Dog's Bestest Day Ever
  • Mulligan the Chinchilla's Bestest Day Ever
  • Rick and Pablo the Chickens' Bestest Day Ever
  • Chester the Cat's Bestest Day Ever
  • Polly the Dog's Bestest Day Ever
  • Fishy the Fish's Bestest Day Ever
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • Blog
    • Subscribe to my newsletter
    • Free Activities!
  • About Me
    • My Background and Other Projects
  • Children's Literature
    • Picture Books
      • Beverlee Beaz meets Lowree Louise, the Blue Burmese
      • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
      • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
      • Merry Myrrh the Christmas Bat
      • Sloth the Lazy Dragon
      • Dog Band
      • Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana
      • Beverlee, la chatte de Birmanie
      • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese
      • Mixter Twizzle's Breakfast
      • Picture Books COMING SOON
    • Middle-Grade Novels
      • Peter Little Wing
      • Peter Little Wing and the Bay of Islands
    • Out of Print Editions
      • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
      • Merry Myrrh, the Christmas Bat (out of print edition)
      • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
      • Sloth the Lazy Dragon (out of print edition)
      • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese (out of print edition)
    • Stories and Articles
  • Novels
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • Space Zombies!
    • The Trilogy of Horrifically Half-Baked Ham
    • Novels COMING SOON
  • Scripts
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • The Aquarium
    • Paradise Lust...
    • Space Zombies...
    • Sketches
    • Watching Mr. Body
    • The Scary Bitch Project
    • The Foreign Film
    • Where are the Birds?
    • Scripts COMING SOON
    • Free Downloads!
  • Short Fiction
    • The Kiss
    • Envy
    • Space Zombies and Felines Unite!
    • The Institute
    • Reuben
    • Free Downloads!
  • Merchandise and Shop
  • Upcoming Events