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Writer's pictureRaveena Baskaran

Making of Hot Rod's Spicy Adventure series

Initial Phase:

The journey of creating "Hot Rod's Spicy Adventure" began with a spark of inspiration from a childhood memory. In first grade, my teacher often told a story featuring chilies as the main characters, a story she had likely crafted herself. Although the details of the original tale have faded, the vivid image of the two chilies remained with me.

Drawing from this nostalgic inspiration, I decided to create a story centered around two jalapenos, Hot Rod and Pepper Todd.

With a vision in mind, I began jotting down rough ideas and sketches in my journal, laying the groundwork for what would become a delightful picture book series.



Development and Critiques:

As a first-time entrant into the picture book industry, I sought feedback from various critiques to refine my story. Creating illustrations and designing characters felt familiar due to my background in design, but writing compelling dialogues and ensuring proper English grammar were new challenges. Through numerous revisions and feedback sessions, I polished the grammar, flow, and overall narrative of my story, bringing it to life.



About Hot Rod's Series:

Series Description:

"Hot Rod's Spicy Adventure" is an imaginative series that chronicles the thrilling escapades of two spicy jalapenos, Hot Rod and Pepper Todd. These fiery friends embark on exciting adventures beyond the kitchen, exploring the unknown and discovering hidden wonders. Each book presents new challenges, new friends, and valuable life lessons about friendship, teamwork, and individuality.


Target Audience:

The series is ideal for young readers aged 4-8 who love adventure, humor, and heartwarming stories. It's perfect for early readers or for parents to read aloud to their children.


Themes:

🔹Friendship and teamwork

🔹Embracing individuality and uniqueness

🔹Courage and determination

🔹Humor and wit

🔹Exploration and discovery


Tone:

The series has a playful, lighthearted tone, with a touch of humor and whimsy. The stories are designed to be fun and engaging, making them an excellent choice for readers who enjoy imaginative adventures.


Illustrations:

The illustrations in the series are colorful, vibrant, and full of energy. They bring the characters and their adventures to life, making the stories even more engaging for young readers.


Illustrating:

I created rough sketches and ensured each page had an engaging hook. The illustrations and dialogues were integrated in a comic-style format, with speech bubbles for direct dialogues and minimal narrator points of view. This approach added a unique storytelling style that was both challenging and exciting to develop.






Formatting:

My experience in creating coloring books and low-content books on Amazon provided a foundation for formatting my picture book. Despite some challenges, I successfully formatted the book to perfection, ensuring it looked great.



Publishing:

Finally, the hard work paid off, as my book was published in multiple formats: paperback, ebook, and hardcover. The finished product looked fantastic, marking a significant achievement in my journey as an author and illustrator.





I hope you like my process. Get in touch for more updates. 😊

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