Parisian Phoenix Publishing

The last time we saw our publisher, she was busy fighting the multitude of typos and punctation errors…

Who Turned Out the Lights has gone to the printer! The official release date is January 31.

I had a lot of fun working with Joseph Swarctz and Ralph Greco Jr. on this one. As publisher– as much as I love the Echo City Capers Jr. picture books– I believe middle grade fiction allows our own dynamic duo to shine. The humor becomes more complex and satirical. The drawings and the words need to work together whereas in a picture book, the illustrations take top billing.

I love this book for its vibrant colors, its retro feel (both in taking inspiration from the 1966 Batman starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin and in its ridiculousness as Nightbat has a corded phone).

Joe uses a variety of art styles in this full-color manuscript from the wicked colors of the cover to the interior action scenes, pencil drawings and even slick advertising.

Our art director Gayle even added her own colorful touch– a social media plug!

And if you’ve read the Echo City Capers books before, you know Ralph and Joe have their caricatures in the back. I’m happy to say that in this book, the book that sold me on the talents and silliness of Joe and Ralph, I have joined them as a cartoon version of myself.

This is the fourth official Echo City Capers book our children’s imprint Parisian Phoenix Kittens has produced. The fifth will release in April, the final second edition of the Echo City Capers Jr picture books, The Ballad of Otto the Oak, in expanded, hardcover form. We’re pairing the release with Arbor Day.

That may be our first book to feature a song…