Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Sharon Boyce!
It’s a pleasure to welcome author Sharon Boyce with her debut picture book that’s sure to crack some toothy grins – There’s a Shark in the Loo; a laugh-out-loud and cheeky story for preschoolers and beyond! Thanks for being here, Sharon! 🙂
About the Author
Sharon grew up surrounded by books and has always been a passionate reader. Her love for the written word instilled in her a desire to create and write stories that kids would love and want to read over and over. She hopes to help nurture a love of books and reading in kids that continues through to their adulthood.
She loves animals, camping and having adventures. One day, she would love to have a pet donkey, wombat and owl, but at the moment she has a dog, cat and some fish.
If you can’t find her, she’s probably curled up somewhere cosy with a good book. Or you can look for her on-line:
WHO wrote, illustrated and published this book?
Author – Sharon Boyce; Illustrator- Suzanne Houghton; Publisher – Larrikin House
WHAT is it called and what is it about?
“There’s a Shark in the Loo”
It’s birthday party day and everything is almost ready, but then it’s discovered there is a shark in the loo! What should they do? The parents turn out to be no help at all! Different options are tried to solve the problem and the party girl finally comes up with a solution – but will her friends agree?
WHEN was its release date?
Official release date was May 1st, so it’s available now!
Unfortunately, official launches had to be cancelled.
WHERE did the inspiration for this book come from?
It sprouted many years ago when my daughter was much younger and couldn’t go to the toilet before bed because there was a frog sitting on the toilet seat. I finally got around to writing it years later and it was ready for submission when Anh Do’s book “There’s a big green frog on the toilet” was released. It was almost exactly the same story line! Great minds and all that 😉 Obviously mine needed to change so my critique group and I put our heads together and thought a shark would be a huge point of difference. I re-wrote changing the frog to a shark, but decided the story was still too similar. If you’re not familiar with Anh’s book, it revolves around getting rid of the frog because the child is busting to wee. Although my ending was different to Anh’s, I wanted the whole story line to be different and so did more re-writing, and voila! There’s a Shark in the Loo was born.
WHY is this book meaningful to you and why would its message resonate with readers?
This book is meaningful to me firstly because it was my first picture book accepted for publication. It was rewarding to see all my hard work come to fruition.
Secondly, it’s fun, with totally unrealistic events happening. Kids love fun, and nonsense and most of all having a giggle.
The message revolves around problem solving. Kids are smart and resourceful. This book shows that- even though the circumstances aren’t realistic.
HOW have you promoted this book and how can we find it?
I have used word of mouth, Facebook (Sharon Boyce – Author) and Instagram (@sharonjboyce.author) initially. It will also be featured in Pass It On and now Just Write for Kids. It will also be featured on my (under-construction) website (sharonjboyceauthor.com) along with some downloadable activity sheets.
Suzanne has used her Facebook page (Suzanne Houghton Illustrations) to do a reading and a talk about her illustration process which was fascinating.
All the on-line bookstores have copies for sale. It can be ordered through Larrikin House directly in their shop; and bookstores. If your local bookshop doesn’t have any copies, they can order some in for you.
Thanks so much, Sharon! It sure does look like a loo-load of fun! 🙂
There’s a Shark in the Loo is available to purchase at: Larrikin House | Booktopia
#theresasharkintheloo #sharonboyce #suzannehoughton #picturebook #problemsolving #humour
3 thoughts to “The Quick Six Interview with Sharon Boyce on There’s a Shark in the Loo”
Congratulations, Sharon. I have just bought your book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s hilarious. I like the child as problem-solver too.
That’s amazing that you bought Sharon’s book! It sure does look funny! Enjoy! 🙂
It is very funny!