Behind the Book: There’s an Octopus Under My Bed
Meet the Publisher and Co-author
Darren Blase of Shake It, Ink recently published There’s an Octopus Under My Bed, the debut children’s book by Kansas City author, illustrator, and artist D. Ross “Scribe.” Blase also owns Shake It Records based in Cincinnati, Ohio. His wife Dean Blase also played an instrumental role as co-author of the book with Scribe. They discuss their involvement with this book project and its evolution. (Also read the related story with artwork by Scribe and a free coloring book page.)
PRESENT: As a publisher, what was the appeal of this book project?
Darren: Put simply, I’m a fan of Scribe’s work and love the playfulness. In a landscape of a lot of “sameness” in graffiti, there’s no one out there that’s even doing anything close to what he’s doing. It has an amazing appeal to people from all backgrounds, tastes, and ages. I think his style is about as universal as it can get in the sense that it puts a smile on people’s face instantly. All that and the fact that Donald is one of the nicest people I know.
PRESENT: What were your impressions of the artwork and story for this debut book?
Darren: He forwarded me some early pages [of artwork] as it was all coming together. I was absolutely blown away. But the true test was reading it to my three-year-old daughter, Francine. Once I saw that she loved it, I knew we were on to something. I think Scribe is at the beginning of a great career as a very in-demand illustrator and gallery artist.
Co-authors Dean Blase and Scribe.
PRESENT: What was the writing process like? I understand that Dean gradually became more involved from an editorial to writing role.
Dean: That’s true. I sensed there was a deeper story beneath the pictures and the original text that Scribe had sent. I started to map out a narrative arc that included the themes of change and adaptability. When I asked Scribe to name the island he had drawn, he told me that he had set the story in the Galapagos Islands. We decided to take the storyline to the level of Elijah’s adaptation. Then, the rhymes flowed from there.
PRESENT: How did the writing evolve to fit the storyline and Scribe’s artwork?
Dean: The playfulness of the illustrations couple with the maturity and edginess of the graffiti influenced and inspired me to focus on the concept of “adventuring” as a verb. Originally, I had subplots that involved how Trigger the Ship turned into a rocket and how Duncan the Tortoise had come to fly, but we decided to cut down the length so the appeal would remain focused on the illustrations and the main character, Elijah.
PRESENT: What else would you like to share about the making of this book?
Darren: It’s been amazing. Here at the shop, we have some on the counter. People pick them up and it’s fun just to watch their jaws drop. I’ve read a lot of kids’ books to my daughter in the last three and a half years. There’s nothing that is even close to looking like Scribe’s book. I think that’s what I like the best...that we’ve helped in creating something that is truly unique.
Dean: I’ve also noticed that whenever we show it to older people, they spend a lot of time looking at the graffiti samples on the end sheets. My 76-year-old grandmother-in-law was fascinated by them. It was like she was learning a new language.
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