THE GARDEN ISLAND HAS A NEW AUTHOR OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS
MARK HUFF HAS DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO CHILDREN. COMING FROM A LARGE FAMILY, HE WAS TAKING CARE OF HIS YOUNGER BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM AN EARLY AGE. HIS OLDEST SISTER HAD A LARGE FAMILY WITH HER FIRST CHILD COMING ALONG WHEN MARK WAS 10 YEARS OLD. HE STARTED BABYSITTING FOR HER AND HER FRIENDS. THEN CAME HIS OWN FAMILY, BIRTH-CHILDREN, STEP-CHILDREN, FOSTER CHILDREN, ADOPTED CHILDREN, GOD -CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.
MARK HAS WORKED WITH CHILDREN’S CHARITIES HIS ENTIRE LIFE AND IS CURRENTLY ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE KAUA’I CHAPTER OF MARCH OF DIMES. LAST YEAR, HE STARTED VOLUNTEERING AS A STORYTELLER AT KAUA’I PRE-SCHOOLS. THEN, HE WAS ASKED TO USE HIS CAMERA FOR A VIDEO PROJECT DOCUMENTING A MUSIC PROGRAM FOR KINDERGARTENERS AND PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW PATH. HAVING BEEN A SINGER/SONGWRITER SINCE HIGH SCHOOL, MARK DECIDED TO RECORD A C.D. OF KID SONGS. THE RESULT IS “UNCLE MARK’S KID SONGS” – 27 SONGS FROM “OLD MACDONALD” TO “IF YOU’RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT” TO SOME POP NOVELTY SONGS AND SOME ORIGINAL CHILDRENS SONGS THAT HE WROTE FOR HIS OWN CHILDREN.
WHILE RECORDING THAT C.D., MARK WAS ENCOURAGED BY HIS WIFE, JALENE, TO WRITE CHILDREN’S STORIES. WHEN HE FINISHED THE C.D., HE DID JUST THAT. HE SAT DOWN AND WROTE 5 CHILDREN’S STORIES AND SUBMITTED THEM TO 3 PUBLISHERS ON-LINE. TWO OF THEM CONTACTED HIM WITHIN 48 HOURS. AFTER SOME DELIBERATION, HE DECIDED TO GO WITH MIRROR PUBLISHING. IT HAS BEEN A GOOD MATCH. PUBLISHER NEIL WOOTEN HOOKED MARK UP WITH AN ILLUSTRATOR WHOSE WORK MATCHED THE STORY AND CAPTURED THE BEAUTY OF THE GARDEN ISLAND. WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER 4 STORIES? MARK SAYS “THIS EXPERIENCE IS GREAT AND I CAN’T WAIT TO PUBLISH THE OTHERS…BUT IT’S KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE KIDS –IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE THE FIRST ONE A GOOD HEALTHY START BEFORE YOU BRING ALONG BROTHERS AND SISTERS”.
FOR NOW, MARK IS CONCENTRATING ON GIVING THIS ONE, "KING OF THE BEACH", A GOOD START - DOING READINGS AND BOOK SIGNINGS AND SOMETIMES DOING A LARGER SHOW COMBINING A READING WITH PERFORMANCE OF SONGS FROM HIS C.D.
Bookmarks
Share
Save
[