Spotlight on the Author – Nate Friedman, author of The Coffee Monster
May 29th, 2016, Nate Friedman will be one of the authors attending a special fundraiser for Fort McMurray. This is a casual event. Please come visit for your chance to talk one on one with the author of The Coffee Monster, buy a limited edition bookmark, enter raffles or bid on a silent auction item. Authors Support the Fort Facebook Page / Support our Thunderclap Campaign / The Starving Artist Cafe June 23rd & 24th some of Southern Ontario's finest author's will gather together for a two night literary festival featuring games, giveaways, raffles, a silent auction and a Q & A session about any of your writing questions. Normally I personalize my interviews to make my readers feel the characters in the author's books. In this case, however, I would like you to come to visit the Starving Artist Cafe in Brantford Ontario and find out for yourself. Two Day Book Festival / The Starving Artist Cafe / Menu / Support Our Thunderclap Campaign In a pleasant little town lives a normal family with a mom, dad and two beautiful children. There is just one thing that makes this family different from most other families; they don’t have a dog, cat or pets of any kind. Instead, they have a Coffee Monster! Follow Jenna and James as they try to deal with the Coffee Monster’s antics and help him overcome a personal struggle. Through this simple, but comedic tale, learn about the value of telling the truth, taking care of oneself and each other, and how to work through everyday issues. Most of all, you just might learn that there’s a little ‘Coffee Monster’ in all of us… Facebook Fan Page 'The Coffee Monster, left alone, went through every part of the kitchen and left a big mess everywhere! The kids arrived home first and saw the gigantic mess. “What are we going to do!? Cried James. “Mom and Dad will never believe that it wasn’t us.” So they both started to clean, as fast as they could. The Coffee Monster just stood in the corner and laughed.' Personal website Nate Friedman, a writer born in the rose city Windsor, ON, currently lives amongst kings in Brantford, ON. He graduated university with a Bachelors in Human Kinetics and specialization in Sport Psychology. His education has fuelled a keen interest in how people think and what drives them to be their best. Comedy is his first love, from Jim Hensen’s Muppets to Walt Disney’s perfect cartooning; his desire to be creative has directed him towards writing children’s literature. He enjoys reading to his nephews, two of his biggest fans. He has penned, “The Coffee Monster” and is currently working on his second book, “The Last Hockey Fight,” which should prove to be another Canadian classic. Chapters / Publisher Website (e-book available too!) / Amazon I had the opportunity to ask Nate a few questions. If you are on the fence as to whether or not to visit one of this talented author's events, I hope the answers below help you decide in favour of the idea. Carol Ann: What genre would you say the book falls into? Nate: The book falls into children’s literature. The target audience is ages 5-9 years old AND can be enjoyed by kids of all ages ie. Everybody. Carol Ann: Are there any trigger warnings and/or explicit content I should know about? Nate: Just one highly addictive character who can make a mess here and there. Carol Ann: Do you have any upcoming events? Nate: Currently looking at booking more events for the summer! Look to my facebook page for more details. Facebook Fan Page Carol Ann: What is next for you? Do you have anything in the works? Nate: There’s always something in the works! I’ve paired up once again with the incredible Saba Bushnaq and we are finalizing “The Last Hockey Fight.” This book could not be more Canadian, in the best of ways! Not to spoil anything (coffee mostly does not) the Coffee Monster series continues!!! Carol Ann: Do you have any special mentions? (Editor, cover art etc...) Nate: Oh wow where do I start… I wasn’t prepared for this… don’t make me speak. My first and biggest shout out goes to my illustrator: Saba Bushnaq. This book would be nothing without her. Sometimes in life amazing things happen, if you wait just the right amount of time and don’t try to control the situation too much. This was one of those moments. Big kudos to the publisher Mirror World Publishing who put up with me and decided to expand their portfolio to children literature to accommodate my book. Lastly, my family and everyone that supports me. A flower can grow to be beautiful with the right amount of sunshine, in an awesome garden and with lots of care- such as everyone around me has helped in one way or another. Carol Ann: What was your favourite book when you were growing up? Nate: So many great books. The one I remember the most fondly was ‘The Berenstein Bears: The Bike Lesson’ In this book the Dad would teach the child all the important “lessons” about riding a bike, by basically doing it wrong. Very funny. It was also great memories having my dad or grandpa read it to me before bed every night or during the day. Those are the memories you do not forget. Carol Ann: If you could meet any character from any book, who would it be? Why? Nate: One jumps out at me, or should I say leaps! Curious George, he’s an intelligent monkey and has such an adventurous life :p Who wouldn’t want to befriend an awesome monkey- I think we would be best pals. There are a few books I would like to “be in” just to see how interesting the world is, like a Game of Thrones or Chronicles of Narnia. But I feel it would be more interesting to talk to characters in the world that are not central to the story in anyway to find out everyone else’s perceptions of the hero/villain because this may change depending where you are/who you talk to. Carol Ann: When did you realize you were meant to be a writer? Nate: There wasn’t a set point in time or big a-ha moment. I’ve always known that I enjoy being creative and coming up with funny ideas. The writing is an extension of this mission- to make people laugh and smile. One of the many platforms, it just so happens that this creativity aligns with writing books so well. I love that the creative possibilities are endless. Characters arise, situations come out, and books then have to be written- it just happens. As with all great things. Carol Ann: If your life was a book, what would be the tag line? Nate: This is a great question. I was actually having a conversation a few weeks ago, where the question that came up is “if you had to write an autobiography, what would be the title and why.” My book would be called LAUGH. I wanted a short title that grabs attention and speaks volumes. There’s nothing more to laugh than laughter and smiles. Such is my personal mantra that you will continue to see. “I want to change the world one smile at a time.” A journey I will take to the end of the world, and around it. Carol Ann: What advice would you give new writers? Nate: Write, write anddddd write. Contrary to popular belief, writes aren’t BORN amazing. As with anything you get better as you continue and dare to keep trying. Most of what you write will be complete garbage. With trying and trying you may just write something brilliant once and a while- we go after that. And we don’t listen to anyone that isn’t going to help that happen. Start you 10 000 hours today and you just may become a professional before you know it. Carol Ann: What has been the worst mistake you have made in your writing career? Nate: Not starting sooner! So much of society puts a limit on what can be accomplished with set norms and perceptions about writing being a viable endeavour, looking back on that it’s so plain to see that this is created and not the reality. I’ve now met many full time writers, some going as far as getting movie deals and coming up with ideas and stories for big time networks. It is a possibility, just have to be the first person to believe it yourself. I believe. Carol Ann: What is the best moment you have had with a fan? Nate: I like reading to my nephews. It is hard to keep them super engaged, but they love the pictures and sit down to hear me read out of respect :P tough crowds. They don’t have much choice in the matter. One of the best experiences I’ve had to date is doing a reading for 200+ kids at a READ convention in Windsor, ON. After my reading the kids all rushed the stage to ask me questions and see if I would sign one of my bookmarks. It’s so awesome to see kids being passionate about reading and great book ideas. This definitely motivates me to write and create more. Thank you for your time!
