Skip to main content

World of Ink Spotlight - The Brothers Foot

Come sing, dance and play with three rambunctious little rabbits in their happy little briar patch, because.... "that's where rabbits love to play!" They have peculiar names and play peculiar games and always, always together. You'll have a great time singing along to their own special song and you'll learn how powerful one little song can be when something scary, something no rabbit had ever seen before, comes right into their precious little briar patch. Play along with the guitar to the music in the book or email the author at Stephencormey@comcast.net to get your very own copy of the CD and DVD. So hop along and have some fun with The Brothers Foot.

The Brothers Foot   
Publisher: Authorhouse
ISBN Number: 978-1-4389-4269-8
Publication Date: 3-25-2009
Author: Steve Cormey
Illustrator: Ronda Eden


A third generation Coloradan, Steve Cormey has entertained the people of Grand County and Colorado for over thirty years. An award winning songwriter, he has written, produced and released six very successful CDs while playing an always full schedule of live performances.
His background in Folk ,bluegrass, rock and traditional music is evident whether live or on CD. Colorado Blue, Somewhere with a Beach, Never Summer..forever home, Walking Stick and the all solo-acoustic Pure & Simple CDs offer a potpourri of musical styles, and his Old Fashioned Christmas is a Yule Tide favorite. Steve’s live performances show off a talented mix of danceable music, humor and fun!
Steve makes his home in Grand County, Colorado. Although he has entertained in Australia, South Africa, Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii and around the country, you can usually catch his act in the shadows of the Never Summer Mountains of Colorado. 

Ronda Eden was born in Adelaide, South Australia and spent her childhood dreaming about horses. She’s spent most of her adult life wandering around in a state of confusion over what she really wanted to do and now, middle-aged, she’s living her childhood dream. Ronda’s been a factory worker, Chinese cook’s assistant, pharmacy assistant, teacher, storyteller, writer,  waitress, bartender, dishwasher, cleaner, touring art curator, gallery owner, horse trainer and artist A.O.T. (Among Other Things).
Ronda’s hobbies include the joy of  hiking, climbing, wind surfing, belly dancing, jogging, traveling, swimming, daydreaming, listening to music and of course, horse riding. Apart from the later, none of these activities get much of her attention these days. Especially travel! Ronda loves it right where she is, doing exactly what she is doing. Ya’see, Ronda lives in Laramie, Wyoming with her husband Mernie and together they run a horse boarding operation with 60 horses, 2 mules, a miniature donkey and a tough, bad boy tomcat. Ronda still manages to be an artist A.O.T (Among Other Things) in between feeding, riding and shoveling poop, but the horses come first. She does travel during the summers, but a couple of the horses go with her and together they cover hundreds of miles on the endurance trails of the Mountain Region. Ronda plans to be hoisting her creaky ole body onto a horse and riding high well into her old age!
Happy Trails to you, Ronda Eden aka Ronnie Roo. 

~Interview with Steve Cormey and Ronda Eden~
VS: Steve, what inspired you to write?  
Steve: I have always loved music and songs. Lyrics that tell a story and then put to music have always been what I have tried to achieve and into my writing. Some songs without music can still be a poem or a story. Those are my favorites.
VS: Steve, what type of books do you mostly write?  
Steve: I’ve written many songs but only the one children’s book and a sequel to that so far. I do have an outline for a history of my 40 years on my home planet of Grand Lake ( as I recall the years I‘ve spent here) or maybe you might just call it… my memoirs .

VS: Ronda, can you describe your desk/workspace? I'm sure it is very different from what us writers.  
Ronda: A room. A very messy room! I have lots of other studios in the past both in and away from my living space. I can send you some pictures of them if you like.
VS: Ronda, what are your top three favorite books and why?
Ronda: The Places You’ll Go by Theodore Geisel ( Dr Seuss )This is not just a children’s book. On the contrary it is a story of life and how best to get through it. It should be a must for everyone to read.
The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody, Illustrations by William Steig. William Steig is one of my favorite illustrators. Cuppy is a genius of wit. Very silly!
Jonathon Livingston Seagull . Richard Bach Thought provoking and short.
VS: Steve, what well known writers do you admire most?

Steve: In music-  Pat Conroy, Faulkner, Hemingway and Jimmy Buffett
In books-  Mark Twain, Hans Christian Anderson, Lewis Carroll, Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, Beatrix Potter, A.A. Milne and of course, Dr. Seuss 
 
VS: Ronda, besides being an illustrator, you also write. What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? 
Ronda: I like to write lots of poems starting with “Have you ever?”
Such as…..
Have you ever seen a goanna
Running up a tree
One day when I stood really still
A goanna ran up ME!  Yikes!!!
VS: Ronda and Steve, it's been great having you here today. Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Ronda: Yes if you go to www.footfootsong.com you can hear the music and order from Steve.Get the book from here and it comes with a DVD and CD so it’s really good value.
Steve: Most songs begin and end with a story. They can be powerful, delightful, happy or sad. A song can be inspiring and lift one out of the lowest valley and up to the highest mountain top.

Songs and books are brothers in that they share hopes and dreams with the people that read them and enjoy the story within a song or the song that dwells within a story.
 
It can start with an adventure that brings mystery, drama, passion, fear, brotherhood and faith. Some may end in tragedy or (hopefully), with a happy ending.

These days, children see and feel so much. The world is out there and so visible for them to witness on TV, the internet, cell phones and technology far beyond my comprehension. A person would have to live in a cave to escape what’s going on out there!

Songs and books have always given me a place to escape reality. To go to a place in my mind where I can be whoever I want to be. A HERO, A DETECTIVE, A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR… WHEREVER MY MIND LEADS ME!

Imagination is a wonderful thing! Books bring that out, in spire and remind us that we are human and not some character in a video game. I thing that young people (kids are people, aren’t they?) can learn and grow through the illustrations, stories and music in a book.

Every story or song start with a beginning. It takes us down many paths and leads to those forks in the road where our destiny lies. We always hope to keep the child we once were within us and hope that the lessons we learned as a child make us better people as we grow older and to choose the right path.

You can learn more about Ronda Eden, Steve Cormey and their book, The Brothers Foot all month long during their World of Ink Virtual Tour. Follow along at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/TheBrothersFoot.aspx.

Also on May 16, 2011, Ronda and Steve will be live on BRT's World of Ink Network show: Stories for Children with hosts: VS Grenier and Kris Quinn Christopherson.

The live radio interview will be at 11am MST (10am PST, Noon Central and 1pm EST)
at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork or call in to listen or ask questions (714) 242-5259.
You can also listen on demand after the show airs!

Popular posts from this blog

The Stories for Children show 11/14 by WorldOfInkNetwork | Blog Talk Radio

Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network Show: Stories for Children will be chatting with award-winning authors Natasha Yim and Gretchen Maurer. Natasha Yim’s current book, Cixi, The Dragon Empress and Gretchen Maurer’s current book, Mary Tudor, “Bloody Mary” are two of the six books (all written by different authors) in Goosebottom Books’ series, The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames. The series profiles six women in history who have earned dastardly reputations. The show will air live November 14, 2011 at 2pm EST. You can find out more about Natasha Yim and Gretchen Maurer’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/YimandMaurer.aspx The Stories for Children show 11/14 by WorldOfInkNetwork | Blog Talk Radio

Families Matter: Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween can be a fun and scary time for kids. Here are a few tips for keeping Halloween safe too. 1. Make sure masks and costumes don't block the vision of your child. Keep props easy to carry and avoid using any prop that has sharp points or edges to prevent injury while trick or treating. 2. Use flashlights, reflector material on the costume, or bright clothing to make sure others see your child, especially vehicles following or driving in the neighborhood. 3. Inspect all candy and treats before allowing children to eat them. Dispose of any that are not sealed properly. Fruits and homemade goodies should only be consumed from those you know, and not strangers. 4. One option to trick or treating might be a small party for your child's friends. Supervision by parents that you know, foods that you are preparing, and having the party at your house all work towards keeping your children safe while providing a fun atmosphere. Games, prizes, and a movie or bonfi...

Interview: Meet Author Sands Hetherington, Author of Night Buddies, A Lights Out Adventure Series for Kids - Books - Blogcritics

Sands Hetherington credits his son John for being his principal motivator. Sands raised his son as a single parent from the time John was six. He read to him every night during those formative years. He and young John developed the Crosley crocodile character in the Night Buddies series during months of bedtime story give-and-take. Sands shared, “We always did bedtime stories and probably didn't miss a night for six or seven years. Stories were as essential as air and food.” It’s no wonder Sands loves to read and write, and is a big advocate in starting a reading schedule with young children. Sands majored in history at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and has an M.F.A. in creative writing and an M.A. in English from UNC-Greensboro. However, he started writing at a very young age. “I think it was 10th grade. I handed in some sappy poetical piece and the very cute student teacher gushed over it. Her name was Ellen and she was spoken for, but that did it...