Author Mark Huffman and artist Dawn Davidson published The Toot Fairy earlier this year. Readers loved it. Now the duo have teamed up again and their latest effort is Cheesemaker Durdsden, a whimsical tale that will have children and their parents laughing again. As before, Mark took the time to answer some of my questions about this book and more.
However, before we get into the Q&A, if you live in the Fort Worth area and want to listen to Mark discuss The Toot Fairy in person, he’s scheduled to be at the Fort Worth Public Library on Saturday, July 17 from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
(RELATED: ‘Toot Fairy’ Author Had a ‘Gas’ Writing Children’s Book)
Now, onto the Q&A.
*****
Paul Hair: The Toot Fairy was fun and I can see how you came up with the idea to write that book. But how on earth did you decide on writing Cheesemaker Durdsden? A book about a guy who makes cheese? Where’d that inspiration come from?
Mark Huffman: The Toot Fairy turned out so well that I thought I’d give it another shot, just to see if it was a one-time deal or if I could do it again. In keeping with precedent, I cast about for another fairy tale/body humor combo. My brain struck upon SPOILER ALERT [Bigfoot plus toe cheese], and the rest pretty much wrote itself.
PH: Part of the summary for Cheesemaker Durdsden reads, ‘How could a man with such boring cheese before now make this tasty cheesy treat? You’ll never guess what fabled creature holds the secret to Cheesemaker Durdsden’s sudden success!’ So it looks like there is some whimsy in the book, just as there was in The Toot Fairy. But is there also a lesson for children in CD?
MH: There is indeed whimsy galore in Cheesemaker Durdsden. A couple lessons might be gleaned from Durdsden. First, don’t give up on your professional goals, even if you have to discover novel pathways to reach them. Second, if you enjoy a consumer good, it sometimes isn’t a great idea to explore in detail how that good was made. “They make scrapple with what? They get cobalt from where?”
PH: Dawn Davidson is back as the illustrator. Her use of a wide range of subdued colors and clean art (just like in The Toot Fairy) are even appealing to me as an adult. They remind me of the type of children’s books I used to enjoy reading when I was in the 5-8 years-old range. What are your thoughts on her artwork? What feedback have parents and children given on it?
MH: Dawn is great! She’s proven hugely talented at taking the content of my poems, which in different hands might be illustrated in a way that turns readers away in disgust, and making it charming and adorable. The most common comment I get after, “These are hilarious!” is, “These are so cute!” It’s a testament to her sensibilities as an artist. We have one more book finished, but I hope that she and I will work together on these for a long time.
PH: Any plans for future children’s books?
MH: Yes! Billan the Bard comes out in fall 2021, and if these continue to perform as they have been, we’re hoping to do three more in 2022. Please buy them and share with friends so I can keep making them! I have another twenty or so ready to go. We have pirates and boogers and mermaids and earwax and snails and tons more toots already waiting in the pipeline.
PH: As always, I have to ask about the Antediluvian Legacy. Books 1 and 2 are on my to-read list. And as I look over them, I can’t help but notice that there is a huge amount of world-building in them. They almost seem Tolkien-esque. What feedback have you received on them? And at the end of Book 2 (Fallen), there’s a preview for Book 3. Are there still plans to publish that?
MH: The world-building is one of the most satisfying parts to these big fantasy/Biblical novels, even though it’s all destined to be destroyed in a global flood. My favorite comment on them has been, “Tolkien or Game of Thrones, but with dinosaurs,” and that was pretty much my goal. My first book, Leviathan, was re-released last fall as a mass-market paperback, and it actually just won the 2021 Benjamin Franklin award in sci-fi/fantasy from the Independent Book Publishers Association. The second book, Fallen, is getting the same treatment later this year, and yes, you can look forward to the third and final book, Remnant, hopefully in 2022 (although I have to finish writing it first).
PH: Where can readers buy Cheesemaker Durdsden and where can they follow you online?
MH: You can buy The Toot Fairy, Cheesemaker Durdsden, and Leviathan online on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and various other websites, and very occasionally at physical Barnes & Noble stores. Amazon is probably easiest. I have a mostly-ignored website at www.thehuffmanletters.com, I’m @r_m_huffman on Instagram (although I don’t use it much), and on Twitter I’m @durdsden.