Second, I just submitted all the completed illustrations and work for my next book, Look At Me… A Chef I Want To Be, in my career series. What a busy time it has been!! I’m looking forward to sharing this new book with you all. Thank you to those who continue to support me by purchasing my books and leaving reviews. Please leave all reviews on Amazon.com as they help bring me up the ranks in this competitive market.

Best wishes and thank you for reading

Karean

I have a very fun give away to announce. As most of you know my girls are actresses and have recently modeled for a great company called SpiritHoods. They have offered to give away a free SpiritHood to the winner of our Father’s Day Give Away. I am including a free signed copy of my latest book, Look At Me… A Veterinarian I Want To Be so your little one can learn how to take care of their new SpiritHoods No animals were harmed in the production of SpiritHoods. All materials are faux fur of course!

SpiritHoods connects kids in a unique and creative way to nature and animal friends. Please check the photo of my girls in their Panda SpiritHoods so you can see just how adorable these furry animal hats are. Even better this company believes in the conservation and protection of both the planet and it’s animals. They feel strongly about educating children about the environment, and empowering them with the ability to make a difference. You can read more on their website: http://spirithoodskids.com/ Most importantly they are donating a portion of their proceeds to several non-profit organizations dedicated to wildlife conservation of which they call Product Blue.

In my latest book, Look At Me…A Veterinarian I Want To Be young kids will get a peak inside the career of being a Veterinarian. I felt this would be the perfect book to include in this give away as it teaches young children all about caring for animals and what they as animal owners need to do to provide the right care for their furry, feathered or scaled companion.

So what do you have to do to win these great prizes? It’s very simple. Post under my blog posting what you love most about your father. If you don’t have a father then you can post about your mother, nanny or guardian then sign up for SpiritHoods newsletters on their website: spirithoodskids.com
and “Like” their facebook page and my author facebook page.

Remember to post your comments under this blog as we will have a real live Father read and choose the best post deserving of these amazing gifts!!

Good luck to all and we will announce the winner on Monday, June 20, 2011

Author Karean, Mikayla and Shayna Chapman

The latest book will be about becoming a chef! I can remember with my girls when they were toddlers breaking into the cupboards in search of the largest mixing bowls and wooden spoons to play with. Sure at first they were used as musical instruments but as they grew and observed me cooking their meals they began to mimic my motions and stir up some of the most amazing, magical, imaginative dishes of their own! I tell you they tasted delectable and were one of a kind only a young child could create!

The greatest inspiration for this book is my mother. She doesn’t consider herself a chef by any means. In fact, she repeatedly told us she hates cooking. However, the food she created is by far some of the tastiest foods we have been raised on. The first words out of my girls mouths to grandma when she comes to visit is, “what are you going to cook for us today?” Well that’s not entirely true. The first words are words of how much they love and are happy to see her. Then it’s where is the food grandma?!! They quickly put their orders in and she will spend the entire day filling them!!

Unfortunately, those amazing chef like qualities did not carry through to me. They did transpire to my brother and he is in fact a chef deep down. My mother is as well, but shhhhh don’t let her hear that because we all know she hates to cook So my mother and my brother are my inspiration for, Look At Me… A Chef I Can Be!

My illustrator has been busy all day and all night reproducing the most adorable, amazing images and characters that will bring life to the pages of this book. Even if your child doesn’t aspire to be a chef, we all need to learn to cook. I will keep you posted when the book will be available for pre-sale. This is a special one to add to your children’s picture book library and I’ve included a favorite childhood recipe from my mother that even a little one could help cook up as well as a special sweet treat from her sister that has been in our family for generations.

Eat in good health!

Karean

Giving back is something everyone should do! Even if you don’t have the financial means to give a lot, the smallest donation and kind acts of help goes a long way to those who truly need it. This week with the help of my amazing publisher Lisa at Halo Publishing we are donating 250, Look At Me… A Musician I Want To Be! books to Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles. Hoping to inspire and bring vibrancy, hopes and dreams to these young deserving children. http://www.inner-cityarts.org/index.php

I feel that a world full of music and art can make even the saddest child happy. Who doesn’t love music? Who doesn’t love colors and pictures? Even as an adult when I flip through the pages of a picture book with my daughters I can’t help but smile and take in all the beauty of the images on the page. The story is the icing on the cake. It warms my heart that we are able to bring just a little bit of this joy to some children that may not otherwise have the means or opportunity to easily enjoy. A book for most of us is an every day item, but to these children they are a luxury not easily gotten.

Remember to always give back when you can

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Karean

By Now!

Hi all,

Coming off a very challenging weekend with my health, the last few days have been pretty glum. We all have our ups and our downs and the downs seem to be piling up a little more then comfortably tolerable these days.

Today I opened the door and there were the boxes I’ve been waiting for. My latest book, Look At Me… A Veterinarian I Want To Be! had arrived!! It didn’t take me but a split second to tear into that box and discover one of my favorite books I’ve written to date. This one has a special meaning to me. I must have revised the text a bazillion times, got great feedback from my wonderful illustrator to help shape it into what I feel is my strongest book yet!

So why does this book out of all the others hold such a special meaning to me? Ever since I was young I had dreamed about becoming a Veterinarian. My love for animals is stronger than my love for mankind I think animals hold the true meaning of unconditional love. It’s one of the reasons I mix humans and animals together in my books. I had studied and worked in the Veterinary field but due to severe allergies to fur and dander my health could no longer tolerate being that close on a daily basis so I had to find another career passion. While I have moved on, Veterinary medicine still remains a very passionate place in my heart.

I hope this new book inspires young children thinking about a career in Veterinary Medicine to go after their dreams and enter what I feel is one of the most rewarding careers out there!

Please pick up a copy for your animal loving child or friend and share it and your thoughts with me and on Amazon. I’m going to plan something special with this book and donate part of the proceeds to the Pet Rescue. Each copy you buy a portion will go to those special furry friends in need of extra love, attention and care.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today and sending out cuddles to your furry babies!

Karean

P.S. I have to say the little girl on the front cover is made from a picture of me when I was a little girl

Hope you read and write a review HERE

My drawing skills are not the best so after I had written my story down, in pencil on plain paper (oh how the times have changed) I sketched what sort of looked like my characters and stapled it together like a little book. I had dreamed of this book becoming a real book I could give to my girls and share with other children in hopes to bring smiles and a laughter to their face while sending a message that they could learn from.

Even when this was just a paper book with sketch drawings my girls enjoyed it. They kept telling me to make it a real book and one day I just went for it! I bought the Idiots guide to children’s book publishing and several other books and just spent time learning about this difficult but exciting world I wanted to enter. I found out just how competitive it was. I felt like it may never happen for me. I mean who am I? I have no celeb status! What I did have was passion and determination. I knew it wasn’t going to happen in a day even though my lack of patience wanted it to! I wanted to get my book out before my girls grew up and were too old to enjoy it. I had a deadline folks!

I decided to try the self-publishing route because I really wanted full control over my book. I had visions of what my characters would look like, what they would be doing, wearing and the colors and scenery. Being a control freak I felt this might be the best option for me. It can be a costly way to go but you can get your book published much faster and the way you envision it.

I’m not saying it’s the best way to go. The first publishing house I went with was a disaster. Talk about learning a hard lesson! What I did gain from that experience though was the illustrator of my dreams! Had I not had that experience I would have never found my illustrator and for that I’m so blessed and grateful as we work well together and she is very flexible and accepting of the ideas I have that many artists would not give such control over. Thank you Izabela Ciesinska for your continued amazing work and putting up with my demanding OCD picky behavior!

It was Izzi who led me to my current publisher whom I cherish and thank for her worldly knowledge in this ever so competitive industry!! Lisa at Halo Publishing is a world of information and she genuinely cares about the authors she chooses to represent!! I can’t recommend her enough!

The love of reading to my girls and watching them learn through books is what inspired me to write. If writing a book is one of your dreams then start today. Just write whatever comes to your mind down and over time you will develop it into the story of your dreams to share with others.

Please take a look at my website for more information on my books and if you do order and read a copy I would be deeply appreciated if you could post a review on Amazon.com

Hope you read and write a review HERE

Buy Now!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to receive the news that the second book I published last year entitled, “Who Me? What Should I Be?” just won honorable mention in the Los Angeles Book Festival.

“Who me? What Should I Be?” is a whimsical, amusing and inspirational story of self-discovery. It asks the age-old question – what do you want to be when you grow up? Through a vivid cast of characters, gender roll reversals and imagination, “Who me? What Should I Be?” teaches a child that ability has no boundaries or limits, and most importantly, it is determination and passion that allows you to follow your dreams. In this comical, poetic story, watch as the two young children play a game of patty cake and take you on a voyage of exploration into the world of career opportunities.

“Who Me? What Should I Be,” is the first in the series I am writing. It introduces the topic of career choices and gets young children excited about thinking of what they want to be when they grow up. The next book in the series has just been released! It’s entitled, “Look At Me… A Musician I Want To Be!” The story follows some of the characters from the “Who Me? What Should I Be?” book, as well as cast of new characters, and introduces children to a career in becoming a Musician.

One of the hardest decisions to make when you grow up is what career area you wish to work in. I remember when I was young the boys wanted to be a cowboy, firefighter and policeman. The girls played house, pretend cooked and cleaned or with dolls. Our children are far more advanced at their age. I’ve always taught my girls to dream big and go after their passions. My 12 year old wants to be a movie producer, artist, and business owner of a doggie day care. My 10 year old wants to be a lawyer, actress and olympic figure skater. They are excited and wanting to learn more about their chosen career interests. I’m hoping by the time it comes down to entering college they will have a firm grasp of exactly what they need to study to succeed at accomplishing their dreams and aspirations.

I’m excited to receive the award for my second book, Who Me? What Should I Be? this Friday at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and want to thank everyone who has supported me and purchased my books and shared your wonderful reviews. They mean the world to me and I am beyond grateful! Thank you once again!!

Buy Now!

Well I’m excited as can be. My third book has just come out in print. It’s now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Halo Publishing online. Please take a moment to swing by these sites and purchase a copy for your little one, family and friends.

Please click on Karean Chapman if you are interested in purchasing my previous books.

I can’t tell you how much it pleases me to spend time creating these storybooks. It’s a passion of mine that I hope can be felt throughout the pages. You may not notice all the fine details that go into each illustration but they contain countless hours of work and thought within each page.

As you flip through the books take time with your child to really look at the illustrations and colors. Maybe ask them questions of what they see within the pages. It’s always exciting to listen to the creative imagination of a young child’s mind at work. You will notice they will see far more then we do and will come up with fun stories of their own.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blogs and I wish you much joy, inspiration and a colorful world filled with endless possibilities.

Karean

This is my first blog so please have patience as I’m sure I will make some mistakes.

My name is Karean L. Chapman (pronounced Ka-reen). I wear many different hats as I am first and foremost a mom to my two young daughters, a wife, graphic designer and an award-winning children’s book author.

I’ve written three books so far. My first book is, “The Adventures of Northern the Moose and a Dragon Named Zeus,” second, “Who Me? What Should I Be?” and my newest book just released for pre-sale is, “Look At Me… A Musician I Want To Be.”

You can read more about my books at the following links:

“The Adventures of Norther the Moose and a Dragon Named Zeus”
http://www.northernandzeus.com

“Who Me? What Should I Be?”
http://www.WhoMeWhatShouldIBe.com

“Look At Me… A Musician I Want To Be”
http://www.halopublishing.com/bookstore/Look-At-Me-A-Musician-I-Want-to-Be

I’ve never imagined myself as a writer so if you have dreams of stories you want to share with others I urge you to put your thoughts down on paper. You never know what may come of them.

When my first daughter was born the story of my first book just came to me. I had to write it down. It is based on a fun adventure I had with my husband, who at the time, was my boyfriend. I was outgoing but not as adventuresome as my husband and was reluctant at first to try new things. With his guidance I let my fears go and had a fun time in the end.

It didn’t take long after my first daughter was born to write and envision the characters for my first book. It did, however, take a long time to figure out how to make it into a book and bring the characters to color and life. I had the manuscript shelved for several years. I then had a second daughter and the desire and dream grew even stronger to get my story into book form. More years went by and I realized my girls are growing up and almost too old for my story. I can’t let this dream go. I worked hard and finally got my book published. I never gave up. One of my greatest joys in life next to my family was holding my first book in my hands and reading it to my girls and then having them read it over and over to me.

The proud look on my girls faces were reward enough. I never imagined my children would be proud of me. I’ve always been the one proud of them. I will carry the look on their faces and the words they expressed with me in my heart forever.

Believe me it wasn’t easy getting my first book published. In fact it was quite a challenge and after my first publisher failed it miserably I continued on to find another publisher that re-published it starting from scratch! Keep striving for your dreams even though they seem worlds away. To this day I’m still striving hard as I try to bring my storybooks to the masses. It’s hard to spread the word if you don’t already have a name or celeb status.

Fear is a huge obstacle that interferes with a lot of our dreams and visions. It’s one of the hardest things
to get past. Letting go of your fears is the only way you can grow, learn and move forward.

Our children are growing and learning everyday. We have to guide them and teach them to discover their own passions. At times we are too busy from our daily lives with work, meetings, appointments, house chores etc. By carving out even just an hour or so to read to your child or have them read to you, you are giving one of the greatest gifts you could give to the ones you love most. Nurture their curiosity with literature instead of turning on the TV, computer or electronic game. It’s only one hour a day and you will see the benefits that come from this time together.

Make this years resolution to read and spend more time with your children. Life is to short to wait until tomorrow or the next day.

Happy 2011 everyone!

Karean