Today staff writer and author Londa Hayden takes a turn at the Tune-In Tuesday wheel. Gary
by Londa Hayden
One of my favorite singers is Josh Groban. In fact, it was his music
that initially inspired me to write in the first place. It started with his
work in Africa for an orphanage filled with children who had lost their parents
to AIDS or war. After viewing the video where Josh visited the children of Soweto
My good friend, Connie Orlando who
happens to be a gifted artist, created and contributed two beautiful
watercolors to my project. When I saw the first picture, I was awestruck with
the beautiful, vivid colors, and I knew immediately that would be the cover of
the book. I spent several months researching the various and languages so as
not to offend or cause misunderstanding in the text of the poem. Then it was
time to find an appropriate publisher. I settled on Blurb.com, a publish on
demand firm that allows you to create your own book and provide your own
pictures at little to no cost. My obligation was to purchase the final edited version
to get it published and posted in the online bookstore. You have the option to
purchase copies at a discounted rate and you can set your own retail price.
But before I could finish my
layout, I needed more pictures. I researched the Internet for photos of Africa and African children that were royalty free and in
a public domain status, which meant they were absolutely free to use for
whatever purpose I had in mind. There are lots of free photo websites out
there, but not all of them offer royalty free and public domain status
photos—so it is important to do your homework. I found out the U.S. Army offers
free photos and they had many options available on their website. With my
chosen photos properly resized and stored, I finished the layout of my first
picture book In the Savanna. The whole process was fun as the
website software is very user-friendly.
All the proceeds go to an orphanage
in Africa, namely the one supported by Grobanites for Africa. You can
get a free preview and purchase In the Savanna at blurb.com. I also offer
it on my website at http://londahayden.com.
I have received feedback from many of my Grobanite pals who have purchased a
copy for themselves, their children, or grandkids. Last year, I was fortunate
enough to learn that Jon Christos,
another well-liked operatic singer in the Great Britain area, read it on his
radio program.
You should write what you know and
even though I've never been to Africa, I definitely had a passion to know more
about what was going on over there. The Internet was a great tool to find lots
of information along with several books and periodicals I researched at the
local library. I even interviewed with people who have either lived or visited various
places in Africa on mission trips. It was an
inspiring adventure that opened my eyes to a world way beyond my own. I have
now set out to write my first action/adventure/romance novel Rescue in
the Congo.
Go with the flow of your passion in
whatever you choose to write, you will accomplish something far greater than
you ever thought possible.
______________________________
“In the Savanna” is Londa Hayden’s
beautifully illustrated picture book with watercolors and photographs that
offer a gentle introduction to young children about the orphans left behind,
because of the AIDS pandemic in Africa . It
offers positive reinforcement to find a cure in this next generation through a
simple poem that will inspire compassion and hope for the future of Africa and the world. 100% of all profits will go to a
charity that help the orphans of Africa .
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