#MMBBR #Showcase Oki and Harlo: fairytale friends by Cas Mesterom @OkiandHarlo

This is the book description:

Oki, a little orphaned goat meets Harlo, a shooting star, who falls to earth and ends up in the field where Oki is asleep. They become instant best friends and together they go on a quest to find Oki's momma. 
On their adventure, the little friends encounter wise old, Mr. Owl, Wobbly, the chicken, and a little girl named Ellie and her family. 

Enter a world where children can safely go and learn about making friends, being honest, and believing in dreams, as well as healthy eating and the REAL purpose of rainbows! 

"Oki and Harlo, fairytale friends" is the first ever draw freely e-book. 
The story invites the readers to make their own illustrations. There are free-draw pages that have clear instructions on what to draw. 
Readers can publish their drawings to share with the world by sending them [via direct message] to the -OkiandHarlo- official Instagram & Twitter account! 

"Oki and Harlo, fairytale friends" is written for children aged 5 to 10 years, but is suitable for older children and adult kids too! It is a fun fairytale to read to your children and it is equally fun for children who are discovering the world of reading and imagination.

A little bio:

My name is Cas Mesterom and I am a Dutch-born writer, poet, model and actor. Although Dutch is my native language, I prefer to write in English as I find the English language more poetic.Having said that, I did write the original of Oki and Harlo, fairytale friends in 1999 in Dutch, but translated it last year and wrote a new ending to the story. The original had a darker conclusion, as fairytales can be dark, but in the current world [of war], I wanted to write an uplifting story about friendship. Basically, why could a goat not be friends with a shooting star?

I wanted to create a world where children can safely go and learn about making friends, being honest and believing in dreams. As well as healthy eating and the real purpose of rainbows!

I write with a message but never preachy. My goal is to entertain and to hope that each of one us can take away something from my writings. As I learn from others, I hope to inspire other people as well. I believe we are all one. Oki and Harlo believe it! 

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A. In connection. Always. And then the inspiration finds me. If I allow myself to tap into it.

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

A To hear from readers what they take from what I write. I learn from their interpretation.

Q.  What is the toughest part of being a writer?

A. Building momentum around your writing, be it a book, a poem or a play. As a creative writer you have this urge, this need if you may, to reach others. To be read. To be seen. And you hope to inspire.

Q.  If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?

A.I would want to become a lawyer. There is this part in me that wants to work for justice and is intrigued by what justice is.

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A. Becoming me.

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A. What is the What? by Dave Eggers. In this book Mr. Eggers tells the the story of Achak Deng. He will never leave me. And Achak Deng is not a fictional character. Perseverance and inspiration are Achak Deng and Dave Eggers.

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. Although she is female, I would say Cheryl Strayed in -Wild-. Her perseverance to push through and rebuild her life and reinvent who she really is, is what I am experiencing currently.

Q.  What character from all of your book are you most like?

A. I am Oki, the adorable little goat you just want to cuddle. I want to be cuddled.

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

A. In -Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. I want to visit the small fisher's village on the Italian coast where part of this book is set. And visit the film studios in Los Angeles where another part of the story takes place.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A. Summer! I need sun. Here in Amsterdam we don't get a lot of sun. I always say I was born in the wrong climate. Sun, blue skies feed my soul. Brings me balance and soothes me.

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)? 

A. I wanted my 2 little friends, Oki and Harlo on the cover. A goat and a star. My friend Mustafa Avdic designed the ebook cover and the pages. Based on his design, my friend Carrie-Ann Kroll designed the cover for the paperback edition.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A. In contacting a blogger, I received a reply, in not the kindest tone, why I wanted a review. She wrote that book reviews on Amazon did not get her enough votes. Turned out it was more important to this person to receive votes for -this review was helpful- then doing an honest review. There is an entire world out there. And part of that world is just weird.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. Yes, my friends Oki and Harlo cannot be away from one another for too long. They are about to embark on another adventure.

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A. Be inspired. Read. Come back. Always follow your heart. And Keep going, even when the going gets tough, keep going! Always.