Middle Grade Humor, ages 7 to 12
Date Published: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Andrews McMeel / AMP! Kids
Princess Phlema’s pet goat Babycakes has been kidnapped from Castle Boo’Gar, and the ransom note demands the kingdom’s sacred Book of Loogey in exchange for the goat’s safe return. King Mewkus summons the Knights of Boo’Gar to track down the kidnappers, but the Knights have been on furlough for so long that only one person responds to the call: a 13-year-old boy named Rowland. Undaunted by the lack of reinforcements, Rowland agrees to take on the quest, enlisting the help of his pet turtle and his trusty steed, who happens to be an ostrich. While Rowland treks through the Dark Woods, encountering dangerous obstacles and fearsome creatures, Princess Phlema takes matters into her own hands.
The Knights of Boo’Gar is a quirky adventure set in an engaging world of heroes, nose goblins, a spunky princess, giant bats and way too many cantaloupes. Packed with full-color illustrations, this wacky chapter book emphasizes the importance of friendship, bravery and is a delightfully easy read for kids and grown-ups alike.
Guest Post:
How to Avoid the Rejection Blues
Nobody likes to be rejected. Sometimes you read guide books
that proclaim, “It’s a numbers game. You have to hear one hundred NOs before
you get to a yes,” and similar horse hooey like that.
I don’t care when it happens, getting rejected can feel like
a punch in the spleen.
Before I was a published author, my very first career
ambition was to be a syndicated cartoonist with a daily comic strip in newspapers.
I wanted it more than anything. Each comic strip submission consisted of 24
completed daily comics, ready to print, plus 2 or 3 Sunday strips. I spent
months developing the storylines and drawing the characters. The big syndicates,
like King Features and United Media, fill the role of ‘publisher’ in the world of
comics, and back then there were only about six syndicates worth sending to. There
are even fewer now.
So, I’d pack all my samples up and send them out. That was
the query process. I’d wait four to six weeks for a reply from each syndicate. All
six syndicates would say no, for varying reasons. They’d sight market climate,
or my subject not being “quite right.” I kept getting very close, but the
answer was always no.
Once I got a definitive no, I’d start from scratch with a
new idea, and I’d have to draw new comics with new jokes and storylines… all
over again.
I went through this process twelve times.
And here’s the point. I loved making those pitch packages.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that I had a passion for building worlds.
It’s the thing I loved about comic strips, and it’s the thing I love about
writing novels. In order to avoid the rejection blues, you have to enjoy the writing part,
regardless of the outcome.
I spent three years pouring my heart and soul into the world
of my new book, The Knights of Boo’Gar.
I created the mythology, the conflicts, and the back-stories for all the
characters. I envisioned a four-book series. Alas, it may not happen. As I sit
here typing this, my publisher hasn’t offered me a contract on a second Boo’Gar
novel. They’re still waiting to see how sales for the first one goes. So, even
a published author awaits a possible rejection.
I will be okay though. I can move on to the next idea. I
will create, because it makes me happy to be doing the thing that I love;
creating worlds and breathing life into characters.
Like a songbird perched on a tree limb, I will happily (stubbornly)
keep singing my tune.
About the Author
Art Roche is a cartoonist and three-time author, previously published by Sterling Publishing. He is currently the content director for the Charles M. Schulz studio in Santa Rosa, California. Before that, Art worked in video games and was a creative director at Cartoon Network.
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