Welcome Author-Illustrator Stan Yan – Giveaway for Teachers

Today I am excited to share my interview with Stan Yan. He’s a wonderful member of my local chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and we’ve crossed paths at many events supporting others as well as promoting our own work. As you can see from his profile, he’s a fun guy to work with. He visited the school where I was working as a mentor a few years ago so I saw him in action during a school visit and it was a real treat. He’s known for his caricatures and trust me when I say it’s fun to watch him create. He’s generously offering a FREE virtual school visit which includes a reading and interactive monster drawing demo. https://www.stanyan.me/school-visits Comment on the post to be entered in the raffle.

What inspires you?

I’m definitely inspired by other artists and authors, but my primary inspiration is my family. There’s a Zombie in the Basement was originally inspired by my son when he wasn’t quite 4 years old when he wouldn’t come down to my basement studio. When his mom asked him what was wrong, he said he was scared. When she asked what he was scared of, he pointed at all the zombie caricature illustrations adorning my walls.

What were you like at the age of your target audience?

As an artist, Stan shared this photo of himself at 6 years old. It’s true that a picture paints a thousand words.

What’s one thing you hope your readers take away from your books?

The message of my book and all of my school visits is the things we fear the most live in our imaginations, and sometimes learning about and getting to know your fears can help you reduce your fears, even if just a little bit. That’s why I included a page in the back of the book inviting readers to “draw a picture of what you’re afraid of.” I hoped that drawing that picture might help remove a layer of mystery from a reader’s fears. Since THERE’S A ZOMBIE IN THE BASEMENT has been out for a while, I was happy to find out that some child psychologists were using that page for play therapy for their patients, so I guess I was on the right track.

What can we look forward to next from you?

I’ve currently been in the process of developing some creepy children’s graphic novel projects, including one that features the zombie girl from There’s a Zombie in the Basement as its protagonist. In fact, her little brother already has his own comic strip, “Peter Cadaver” which has been running intermittently in the Sunday Ha Ha online comics page for kids (www.sundayhaha.com)

Stan can be reached at: Twitter: @stan_yan Facebook: @stanyanart

Instagram: @zombicatures website: stanyan.me