Hello Rainbow. An Interview of Rhonda Brown.

Today I’d like to welcome Rhonda Brown to the blog to chat about her first children’s book, Hello Rainbow. 

What inspired Hello Rainbow?
An empty-nested road trip to Cooktown.
 
You have worked in a lot of different jobs. What was the lightbulb moment for you when you realized you wanted to write for children?
I was about to turn fifty and it was a now or never moment.
 
What sorts of art do you like doing?
I don’t paint and I can’t draw very well. I’m dreadful even with stick figures and for that reason, I am also terrible at Pictionary. My strong point is definitely my writing.
 
Do you have any strange writing habits?
I write wherever I am sitting and whenever inspiration takes hold. Hello Rainbow was written in the front seat of my husband’s ute and Pussilldoo was written on my verandah while enjoying a drink and watching the cows graze in the paddock.
 
Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
I’ve named all of the cows and calves on our farm. Every time a calf is born, it gets a special name. Some examples are:
Cola – she’s coloured black like Coca Cola and I have a good friend also called Cola.
Banana Pig – she just loves bananas and pushes all the other cows out of the way if bananas are on offer, and
Three Greyman cows all coloured various tints of grey who are called the Spice Girls – Pepper is the darkest one, Salt is the lightest in colour and Spice is a mixture.

 What is next for you?
My second book, Pussilldoo is currently with the illustrator. I hope to release it later in 2017.
 
Three fun facts about yourself:
I’m a fun grandma. I have been known to get my groove on when watching ‘The Wiggles’ with my two-year-old grandson.
I’m partial to cattle fencing. There is something therapeutic about tying in barbed wire fences.
I muster our bull with a bunch of bananas. Have bananas, bull will follow!
 
About Rhonda
Rhonda Brown grew up in Mackay, Queensland. She wrote her first book at the age of twelve for a school English assignment. Awarded an ‘A’ for her efforts, the story was about an eraser who rubbed out a town. The book is still in her possession forty-two years later.

After leaving school, Rhonda worked as a stenographer. During the next decade, Rhonda left Mackay, worked on an island, backpacked through Europe, worked on a remote construction camp then in the travel industry before returning to Mackay married with three children. Rhonda spent another ten years in administration roles while raising her family.

Fast forward to today and Rhonda has finally found her niche as a self-published children’s author. Her first book is Hello Rainbow. Her second book, Pussilldoo is currently with the illustrator. 

Title: ​​Hello Rainbow
Author:​ Rhonda Brown
Illustrator:​ Trevor Salter
Publisher: ​Oombee Woombee Books
Genre: ​Children’s Picture Book
Age Group:​ 3 – 8 years

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Links to find out more:
Facebook: Rhonda Brown 
Facebook: Oombee Woombee Books
Website: www.oombeewoombeebooks.com.au

More about Rhonda and her book, Hello Rainbow, can be found in her interview on Just Write for Kids.