hybrid
/ˈhʌɪbrɪd/
noun
the offspring of two plants or animals of different species or varieties, such as a mule.
"the bird was a hybrid of a goose and a swan."
2.a thing made by combining two different elements. "jungle is a hybrid of reggae and house music."
adjective
of mixed character; composed of different elements.
"hybrid diesel-electric buses."
Similar:
cross, cross-breed, mixed-breed, mixture, blend, meld, amalgam, amalgamation, combination, composite, compound, conglomerate, fusion, synthesis, mash-up.
Helloooo! Well, friends, it's been a while! But that's life for a lot of us of recently, isn't it?
New times, new challenges and new resources, new avenues to explore and new ways of doing old things. Personally, I've decided to try an experiment that's new to me but, as I've discovered, quite commonplace to many others. That is, I've decided to make some books - from the writing stage through to the actual holding it in your hand stage- overseeing the whole process myself ( with the assistance of some wonderful professionals , illustrators, editors, book designers and PR experts.) The first book in this experiment is "Avery's Hat- Tastic Adventures - How Does a Hat Save The Day?" written by me, illustrated by Mardi Davies and designed by Flo &Ebb Studio. This , apparently, makes me a "Hybrid Author" which I like the sound of ! It has a cool "Dr Who" kinda' vibe, don't you think?
But , again, as I've mentioned in previous posts, it's still a label, and I'm not really a 'label' fan. Because labels are like stereotypes, like 'thin stories' in narrative therapy, they keep you pinned down to see yourself in one dimension.
I mean all of us are many, many things all woven together, a synthesis of so many experiences, skills, talents, abilities, dreams, plans, hopes and fears. We are all made of stories.
Authors and illustrators are also marketers and booksellers. Booksellers can be authors and illustrators. Publishers are also authors and illustrators, as are librarians, teachers , you get the drift. All of us who love and want books and stories in our lives, especially those who want to create them for others, seem to eventually move through different aspects of the bookiverse over time- and that feels pretty right and natural to me.
If you want to listen to the story behind how this all came about , I was fortunate enough to chat about it with the lovely Joanne Morrell on her podcast "The Hybrid Author."
So far, I'm loving this journey. Learning about the book making process is a dream come true and I'm so excited to share the first result of that dream - a quirky little junior fiction book with a couple of feisty female best friends and their canine buddy , about friendship, community, gardening, creativity, problem solving , (oh... and hats... there's a whole story I want to tell you about the hats- but that's for next time.)
Talk to you then and don't forget - We Are All Made of Stories!
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