Q. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Ed: I’ve been creating art since I was a little kid, but it’s only in the last few years did I realize that I wanted to start creating stories behind the characters I’ve created.

Q. What does your family think of your writing?

Ed: My family enjoys the creativity and my ability to weave together seemingly random ideas into a fun, entertaining story.

Q. What was the most surprising thing you learned about creating books?

Ed: With some help from a good editor, I’m not that bad of a writer! LOL

Q. What advice do you have for writers?

Ed: Devote a certain amount of time to write. Don’t wait until inspiration hits you because it often doesn’t. But once you make time and sit in a chair, you’d be surprised how good ideas seem to come out of nowhere. So write, even if you may not feel like it!

Q. Describe what your ideal writing space looks like? 

Ed: I write in all sorts of different places – my house, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, and a few other places. The most important thing is to be able to turn off the TV, get off my social media and FOCUS.

Q. What do you love most about the writing process?

Ed: I love turning a single thought, idea, or sentence into a full-blown story that can entertain people.

Q. Tell us about your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Ed: I’m looking to create a brand with my dinosaurs and characters. In my opinion, the only real way to do that is to create a solid body of work. So in 5 years, I see myself with 8 to 10 published picture books and a bunch of other dinosaur products to go with them!

Q. How did you become involved in the subject or theme of your book?

Ed: Before I was a children’s book writer, I was an illustrator. I studied art in college, and shortly after my kids were born ( they’re 8 & 10 now ), I began creating art to decorate their rooms. After doing that for a while, I began sharing the images on Facebook and social media. Friends suggested that I start selling prints of my art at Comic conventions. So I did that for a few years. But since I was creating kid-friendly art, people would constantly ask me, “Do you illustrate children’s books?” So the idea to create children’s books was planted that way. Eventually, the timing was right, so I pursued the idea.

Q. What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Ed: I love spending time with my kids, going to the gym, eating at new restaurants and watching fights ( boxing, MMA and UFC )

Q. What do you love most about being an Author? 

Ed: I love that by being an artist and writer, I can do it from almost anywhere. Not being chained to a desk is a beautiful thing!

Q. What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?

Ed: My kids have always been my biggest motivation and inspiration. I’ve named and created the main characters after them as well as my late father.

Q. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

Ed: I hear from my readers and fans on my social media – Facebook and Instagram.

Q. What process takes place in creating your artwork?

Ed: After I have a complete or a rough draft of the script, I began creating very small, rough thumbnail sketches. These are only about 2 x 2 inches, but they allow me to start thinking about the composition and how I want the pages to be laid out.

Q. Can you describe the artistic process behind your illustration creations?

Ed: I create everything digitally on an iPad app called Procreate. It’s very similar to Photoshop but simpler. I draw directly on the screen with the Apple Pencil.

Q. Are there any illustrators that have inspired the way you approach your illustrative work?

Ed: I’ve been a big fan of children’s book illustrator, Will Terry and comic artists, Mark Schultz and Mark Nelson.

Q. Which page was the most fun to illustrate?

Ed: The page that was the most fun was the two page spread of the dinosaurs seeing the watering hole for the first time! There was a lot of detail and a lot of dinosaurs in it ( over 30! ). It took me close to 2 weeks to get it done.

Q. How did you start your career as an illustrator?

Ed: I dropped out of college to take a job as an artist at a video game company. I worked on a few Super Nintendo games.

Q. Are you working on something new and exciting for us to look forward to?

Ed: I’m currently working on “The Sauropod Who Soared.” Which is Book 2 in the Good Gracious Cretaceous book series.

Q. Did you draw as a child? 

Ed: Yes, I drew constantly! I have very vivid memories of sitting on my dad’s lap at the kitchen table as he copied photographs from National Geographic magazine. He was my first art instructor and always my biggest fan.

Q. What were your favorite books growing up? 

Ed: I was always fascinated with comic book art. No titles in particular, but I loved the bold lines and the colors as a kid.

Q. Where can we find you online?

Ed: I’m most active on Instagram, but I’m also on Facebook, too. You can find me under Agile Pig or Ed Ouano.