Green Goo the Play - Interview with Author Terri Rowe

Hi you guys out there! Today is a good day to drop by my blog. Why you ask? Well, we have the author of the Children's Picture Book GREEN GOO with us today.



Click on the cover for a sneak preview of the book




JY-  GREEN GOO is an amusing and fun picture book for those picky eaters.
It is filled with bright and humorous illustrations that make you wonder… what in the world is green goo Terri?

Terri - I generally let that little mini-mystery unfold as I read the book to kids. A friend of mine had suggested almost a year ago that I contact local schools-for March is Reading Month programs-to see if I could do book readings. I was able to do readings at several local elementary schools, a children's museum, a playhouse, and a preschool. It was amazing to be able to get feed back from my intended audience-all the fabulous children that I met!




Photo of author Terri Rowe (Right)  and illustrator Trey Chavez (left)
 of the Storybook GREEN GOO


JY- How did you come up with the title of your children’s book, GREEN GOO?

Terri- Well, that is what the substance is called that our hero finds on his plate. It fit well for the rhyming scheme I came up with for my story format. It was a bit of an homage to the very first book I ever read on my own-"Green Eggs and Ham." My parents made an 8 track recording of that reading decades ago. That memory stuck with me-the fun and important emphasis my family placed on reading and story telling.

JY- How did GREEN GOO become an interactive play?

Terri- I was at a family gathering and the producer/owner of TRUE JEM productions approached me on the idea of converting the storybook into an interactive play experience for teaching kids about theater and about trying new things-such as fabulous new foods! Then it was decided that we would produce it as afundraiser and to raise awareness of Deanna's Playhouse and Parenting Center. We were able to also present the shows there.

Photo of cast in one of the scenes in the play GREEN GOO

JY- Were you able to contribute to the show’s directions?

Terri- I was able to offer suggestions and I wrote the core script. Then I let the director, producers, actors, song writers do what they do best-and a fantastic show was created through all our efforts.

JY- Can you share any interesting/funny stories that happened during the show? Any bloopers?

Terri- I loved the variety of answers that the kids came up with for what green goo is---my favorite was the young boy that was certain-even til the very end that it was green cheese! He was so enthusiastic with his answer each time the question was asked-and I loved seeing the kids drawn into the story like that!

JY- What was your favorite part of seeing your children’s book come alive on stage?

Terri- I loved watching how the actors brought the little family to life. I loved seeing kids react to the story and get excited to see if Gus tried the green goo. Hearing the songs and then having the songs get stuck in my head was fun. The biggest highlight for me was when the illustrator for the storybook "Green Goo" was able to come up from Chicago and see the play here in Holland, Mi. What really makes this amazing is ordinarily he is in Texas for school!

JY- Anything else interesting about the show you’d like to share?

Terri- It was well received and we hope to be able to perform it at some other area school fun nights. One audience member even suggested a location in Chicago where we might be able to do a production!




From left to right - Photo of songwriter Mindy Gerdes, author Terri Rowe,
Tyler Scott as Jack the dog, and producer/director of GREEN GOO Jo-Ellen Ming


JY- Will there be a sequel to GREEN GOO or are there any other stories in the boiling pot?

Terri- I am currently working on two stories, as well as other adventures for Gus and his family.



Thanks for the fun interview Terri! Best of luck with the show, I wish you much success. p.s. Love the t-shirts!

Now for all you readers, go check out busy Terri at all the links below and thanks for your visit!!!

You can check out or buy Terri’s picture book Green Goo at the MeeGenius website. Here is a direct link: http://www.meegenius.com/book/6074/green-goo

Check out Terri’s blog : http://terrikrowe-writer.blogspot.com/

A note from Terri- "This is an essay I wrote back in 2011 for another blog site-where people write about their relationship with their jobs...this is where I came out-as a writer---not just the factory worker/technical operator that people had perceived me as for years-myself included. This was the start of a real turning point for me."

http://workstew.com/2011/08/31/my-secret-identity/


Don’t forget to visit her Facebook pages here:

https://www.facebook.com/GreenGooStorybook?ref=tn_tnmn

https://www.facebook.com/terri.rowe.399




 

    Since Terri was four years old she had known she wanted to be a writer even though she didn't really know for sure what that meant. She loved to tell stories and had lots of imaginary friends. Terri spent years writing and never shared her stories because she wasn't sure how to do so. She has been blessed by so many helpful people-friends she met on Three Minute Fiction Contest through NPR and fellow writers from so many venues.

Terri has a lovely husband-that is very supportive of the fact that she disappear sometimes for weeks at a time--as she goes on a tear trying to get a story out---and she has three cats. Two like to sit on her lap and critic as she writes. Terri is the oldest of four. She has two younger brothers and a younger sister. They all love books of some sort!