INTRO:

We are talking today with Jack Teeter, author of Coop, a new eBook Novella from Swimming Kangaroo Books. Welcome, Jack.

Thank you.

Q: This is your first release from Swimming Kangaroo. Is it your first book?

A: Not really, I've been at it a while. I have another published eBook out there in cyberspace and two published paperbacks.

Q: Tell us about Coop. What genre? Who is your audience? Give us the usual info.

A: It's a suspense story, targeted at teens through adults. This story has it all: integration, draft dodging, a mysterious accident, baseball, and even a red-headed little leaguer—all the things we love about the South!

Q: And it's written by an old coach?

A: Actually, yeah, I am an old coach. The story is dedicated to my 1979 Georgia state championship baseball team, although the piece isn't based upon any real events. Coop is a former high school teacher and coach who lost everything in a tragic accident. Now he's a box stacker for a paper cup manufacturer—he hasn't spoken for seventeen years.

Q: Sounds like plenty of suspense. The book is available as an Inter/Active eBook…interactive?

A: Right, interactive. The Reader gets a lot of sensory input, starting with the visual sense: the eBook launches with a single-panel cover, the pages turn; dual-page text with a spine down the middle, just like a three dimensional book.

Q: Sounds like something new. What other Reader senses are evoked?

A: Evoked…well, how about hearing? But before we leave the visual, let me add that the Reader interacts to 'evoke' Pop-Up Images. For example, since the first chapter is about Coop's workplace, the first page pictures a forklift in an aisle of boxes.

Q: Okay. Now, about hearing? Is Coop a talking book?

A: Very much so! At the plant where Coop works, a radio is playing. The Reader hears a Music Clip of the Eagles' Hotel California.

Q: This I've gotta see… and hear.

A: There's more! (I know, I sound like those Oldies music commercials where they keep offering more options.) But, there is more: Videos from me, the author, at strategic places within the text, talking about how the story is developing.

Q: Sounds awfully high tech, Jack. I'm not sure my computer will handle all this.

A: Well, it's not your grandmother's PDF file…but not to worry. The download is a stand-alone file. Just load it up and start turning pages.

Q: Anything you'd like to add for your prospective readers?

A: One last thing: Bells and whistles are fun, but Coop is a first-rate Suspense Novella. I think the Reader will really enjoy it.

Q: Thanks, Jack. And good luck with your Inter/Active eBook, Coop, from Swimming Kangaroo Books.

About that HOMEWORK…

Unless you have an unlimited travel budget, you're going to have to use the Internet to get some of the pictures you need to make your story sizzle. Copyrights are a bugaboo! Check to make certain that you don't use something that will cost you. Wikipedia has some images that are Public Domain but some that are explicitly NOT to be used http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page/. Photo shops like http://www.flickr.com/ have great pictures but they charge for use. About the tenth page of a Google search will often bring you to someone's Web snapshots who would be happy to share—check out the fine print before you Download!

Many GIFs don't convert. When you can, download JPEGs. I converted a few things using the Cut & Paste feature of PAINT, but that's a stretch.

Adding images required a basic DECISION and lots of HOMEWORK.

The decision was whether to take up most of the page with my image or to use the Pop-up approach. I decided start every section (chapter, change of scene, etc.) with a Pop-up image. Downloading pictures from a digital camera, I used Kodak EasyShare at http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/downloads/dln_ekn026079.jhtml?pq-path=4509  to prepare my images. I found that saving the image at 25% of original size made for a good image. I also saved a thumbnail of each image to make full use of the Pop-up feature of the DNL (DeskTop Author) software.

When the Reader clicks the THUMBNAIL the full-sized IMAGE appears. Simply clicking the 'x' in the corner of them image returns the page to the original display.

The first very striking feature is the single-panel Cover which OPENS three-dimensionally to a book complete with a spine down the middle and navigation icons across the bottom.

Now, I had a good story, the text of which was finished, and a magic software that had the look and feel of a real book. How about adding some PICTURES…   

Let me say at the outset, there is no substitute for a good story. COOP is a 32,000+ word novella about the fictitious town of Lutrell, Georgia. The story features integration, draft dodging, a mysterious accident, abortion, baseball, and a red-headed little leaguer—all the things we love about the south! And it’s written by an old coach…

Ah, but this is the age of MULTIMEDIA. Images, audio and video could add greatly to making my story attractive to the E-BOOK Reader. My Google search led me to http://www.desktopauthor.com.

For two-hundred bucks I had the world at my fingertips. Hey, if it's good enough for Harper Collins, I'm in!