M. Duda's Blog: The Cryo-Freeze II - Posts Tagged "book"

There are two charming book formats that have held a spell over me for years: Big Little Books and the Little Golden Books series. While the two book types have different audiences, their formats appeal to me because of a similar characteristic–compact, illustrated text about fantastical characters and events. I’m not saying the two book series are identical–they’re not. The format and stories aren’t the same. Little Golden Books’ trim at about 7 inches by 8 inches, have art on every page, and contain short stories that are usually no longer than 25 pages, stories that are mostly fables, a poky puppy teaching young readers a lesson. Big Little Books were trimmed at about 3.5 inches by 4.5 inches and tell stories that are grittier and read more like a comic. The number of illustrations are more limited and usually on side recto (the right side) of the Big Little Book’s leaf. As a young reader, while growing up, I became interested in both fables and comics; therefore, both formats–Big Little Books and Little Golden Books– helped develop and maintain my interest in reading and writing.

Being thankful for these two book formats’ inspiration, I wanted to honor both series in my own way. (Technically, Big Little Books may be considered an imprint, not a series.) Bedtime for Seneca is my way of showing gratitude, although this book’s stories are tragic. Taking the idea of grittier elements and the limited number of illustrations from Big Little Books, combining this idea with the compactness of Little Golden Books, the result is a Shadow Book.

Now, Bedtime for Seneca is nothing like a Little Golden Book–my stories are dark and intended for older readers; but Bedtime for Seneca is a sort of compact, bedtime fable read. So I hope expectant readers manage their…expectations. This book will take you into darker places, but you won’t be accompanied by friendly creatures, unfortunately. I encourage interested readers to obtain a Kindle version on the book’s release, first, seeing for yourself if you enjoy this somewhat experimental form, before picking up a print copy. (Don’t get me wrong, I love print books.)

I’m not exactly sure where I’m going with Shadow Books just yet. I’d like to develop this idea into an ongoing series or tie the stories into a much larger work. Regardless, I do hope you enjoy Bedtime for Seneca, the stories, and the book’s format. I hope it all charms you like I’ve been charmed by so many other books–or, at least, my book keeps you interested until the final page.

M. Duda

The excerpt is available to read. It's not in the soon-to-release book format; so, I don't like the excerpt. But it will let you peak inside the book--that's fair.