Meet British Children's Author David Chuka

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes prolific British Children's author David Chuka and his newest book, Kojo the Sea Dragon Gets Lost.

First, a bit about David:

I live in London with my beautiful wife and two adorable children. They’re usually the first to hear my funny stories. I grew up in Nigeria but moved to the United Kingdom when I was seventeen. London is such a beautiful city to live in as it’s a melting point of so many different cultures. Something most people may not know about me was that I really loved wrestling when I was young and dreamed about flying from the top ropes at Madison Square Garden during the main event at ‘WrestleMania.’ Let’s just say I’ve moved on.

Why did you pick to write books for Children?

There are many reasons that led me to write children’s books. However, chief amongst them was the fact that I couldn’t find appropriate books on the Amazon store that I could download for my daughter who was a beginner reader. There was just this one book which she could read, and when I saw the joy in her eyes as she read to her grandparents, I knew I had to write a book to help her. This all evolved into me writing my first book If You See a Doctor. I really loved the whole experience of writing that first book and getting glowing reviews on the Amazon store that I’ve gone on to write 10 more books with more in the pipeline.

What types of books do you like to read?

I tend to read all sorts of books and go through various phases. I love a good mystery thriller and funny books for kids in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid ilk. I just finished reading Six Years by Harlan Coben.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

When I’m not writing, I’m usually chilling with my family playing tickle monster and having fun.


Tell us about Kojo the Sea Dragon Gets Lost and how the story came to be.

Kojo the Sea Dragon Gets Lost was a book I wrote on the train on my way to work about four years ago. I believe on that day, I didn’t have any books or newspaper to read, so I resolved to do some creative writing. Mind you at this time, I didn’t have the foggiest idea that I would one day be a children’s book author. My mini exercise produced a story about a sea dragon that got lost while playing hide and seek with his best friend. In his bid to win a game of hide and seek, Kojo ventures to the South side of the Zakari River where his Mom had warned him never to go to. An invisible force pulls him towards a dark hole when he gets to the South side. Kojo fights against this force, but his efforts seem futile. At the point where Kojo thinks all hope is lost, he feels a tug on his tail and turns around to see his Mom and the community working together to rescue him.

Later that day, I typed this story, saved it, and forgot about it. Fast foreword to just a couple of months ago when I was looking for a letter on my hard drive. I stumble upon this document titled Kojo the Sea Dragon. I opened it and got really excited about editing and making it my next publishing project. I guess the moral here is to always save stuff that you write. You just never know how valuable it will be one day. The reception to Kojo the Sea Dragon Gets Lost has been so good that I’ve just completed writing the second book and have more adventures planned for Kojo and his friends in the Zakari River.

Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

So far, I’ve written eleven books. Five of them belong to the series The Fartastic Adventures of Billy and Monster. These are funny books for kids and reluctant readers. The first book in the series is titled - Billy and the Monster who Loved to Fart. It’s a story about a little boy who is an only child and has this imaginary monster that does everything with him. There is just one thing that hinders Billy from living the perfect life. Monster farts a lot and everyone blames him for it. After an unforgettable episode involving a symphony of butt whistles during the visit of an inspector to his class, Billy learns that night how to behave in social situations when he feels the desire to release gaseous fumes of the smelly and colourful variety.

Other titles in the series are Billy and Monster: The Superhero with Fart Powers, Billy and the ‘Monster who Ate All the Easter Eggs and Billy and the Monster’s New Neighbor Has a Secret. The latest book in the series – Billy and Monster’s Golden Christmas – was released on November 25th. The next title in the series will be Billy and Monster Meet the President. I’ve also written two non-fiction Animal books and a counting book for pre-schoolers.

 

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

I just published the latest book in the Billy and Monster series – Billy and Monster’s Golden Christmas – a few days ago. The main question I was trying to answer in this book was ‘what do we do when we get a present at Christmas that we really don’t like?’ Are we
- Grateful
- Pretend to be happy with the gift or
- Do we express our dissatisfaction?

In this book, Billy receives a present from his Uncle Leland from England that he really doesn’t like, especially as his Uncle gave his cousin a Monster truck. Billy gets to learn a main importance of Christmas or any holiday. Fans of the Billy and Monster books also get to see where Monster came from in this installment. I worked with a new illustrator on this book – Renato from Australia – and I hope readers love reading it as much as I loved writing it.

What advice do you have for other authors?

One thing I can attribute to my success is the fact that I belong to several author groups. There is something inspirational, energizing, and fun about being in the same community of like-minded people. I would advise every author, particularly if you’re new to the publishing game to find a group of authors on the social networks or in your local community you can meet regularly and exchange ideas with. Iron sharpens iron, and you’ll see a significant improvement in your writing and hopefully book sales as a result. Also, keep on writing. Farmers farm. Teachers teach. Builders build. And writers?…well we write.

Anything else you want readers to know?

Just wanted to say a big thank you, Cheryl, for featuring me on your blog today.

I would like to give readers of your blog a little gift to show my appreciation. Simply go to davidchuka.com and enter your name and email in the top right hand corner. You’ll be sent a free coloring book you can share with a loved one in your life. I also love hearing from my fans and readers of my books. Use one of the links provided to get in touch or leave a comment/question in the comment section below and I’ll get back to you.

Where can readers find you and your books?

You can discover more about me and my books on my blog at davidchuka.com You can also connect with me at one of the links below

Facebook
Twitter – https://twitter.com/DavidChuka
GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6872534.David_Chuka
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/boldtrends/

And you can grab a digital or physical copy of my books by clicking the link below

David Chuka on Amazon