Hi! My name is Eva B. Kids. I am very pleased to meet you and would like to tell you something about myself.

I am a friendly person. I like English books, good movies and walking in nice countryside with my dog.

I turn 38 years old this year and I live in Bohemian Paradise which is an area of natural beauty in the Czech Republic. Yes, it is very beautiful. As you can see, I am Czech writing in English.

I love all things English. Not just books, but movies and culture too. Having lived in England, I am a sort of Anglophile. I have been speaking to my son in English since the day he was born and now he is 6 and bi-lingual. He loves English too, so I always have someone here to chat to in my favourite tongue.

Also, I love writing. Yes, I write children’s books. I love it when my characters take me on a journey somewhere. Alexander is usually up to some mischief but always fun to be with. Mycroft is more serious and has a logical explanation for everything while Pim is their often s-s-scared but devoted friend.

My favourite animals are dogs and especially Labradors. The most special of them all is Katie, my own Labrador. Katie is turbo-charged and always full of energy. She loves eating absolutely anything, even potato peelings, and likes to steal apples off the tree. The biggest advantage is that I don’t need a Hoover which is just great because I hate cleaning.

I don’t have my own website yet, and I am not very good with this social media stuff. There are just too many other exciting things in life, so I would prefer walking in a forest to tweeting. Having said that, you are always welcome to tweet me or send an email and I will be sure to reply!

During 1998-2000, I spent two happy years living in the South of England. I was working together with my boyfriend (now husband) as a housekeeper for a very kind English family.

After returning from England to the Czech Republic, I discovered an interesting subject at the Charles University in Prague: The Teaching of Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy. So, I studied this and finished my Master’s degree in 2005, only to discover that those subjects are not taught in Czech schools. Hmmm..! I had not bothered to find this out before I started studying. It was just so interesting to me.

There was a lack of English teachers at that time but schools required the CAE certificate. I passed the CAE exam and took a TEFL course before starting teaching at the local grammar school.

Then, from 2009-2012, I stayed at home with my son, Petr, on maternity leave.

In 2012, I found a new job at a college but I did not agree with their style and methods of teaching. The atmosphere was horrible for both teachers and students and it was as if the modern trends in teaching were still to be discovered . It felt like being back in the Bolshevik era and it was very difficult to work there.

I was getting burned-out and had to stop working there in February this year. I stayed at home while trying to decide what to do next. It felt like the only thing that I could do was gone—I was unable to teach anymore. On the first day, I cleaned our flat which gave me a feeling of being useful. At least there was something I could do.

On the second day, my husband came home from school (he is also a teacher) and told me that I couldn’t just sit there and that I must do something. I replied that I didn’t know what to do. He suggested that I start some kind of business. I replied that I am not the kind of person to do business. He suggested that I write a book. I just said, “Me..? A book?” Then he went to have a bath and I decided to check up on the internet about how to write a book. I wrote my first book and discovered I loved writing!

I drew pictures of the place where my characters would live: their houses, a river, an old oak tree, a bench… Now I could see what Pim Hedgehog would see when he went shopping to Mrs Goat’s shop.

          

 

Writing turned out to be a great therapy for me, too. The feeling which I had on the first day of staying at home—uselessness and being ashamed of not being able to do my job—was gone.

Thanks to my new characters, I could now be with them in the Little Green Forest. Sometimes, I have the feeling that it is not me but my characters who write the stories for my books.

After I wrote my book, I needed an English proofreader because I am not a native speaker. I found a very nice proofreader, Rick Barnes, from the South of England. Hi Rick, thank you!

Then I needed some illustrations. My husband told me that there was a very talented painter at the local grammar school. And, indeed, there was! Sára Syslová has illustrated all my books. Thank you, Sára!

 

Now, I needed a graphic designer and, again, I was lucky. I found a very friendly graphic designer, Raphael Albinati, who is from southern Brazil. Thank you Raphael! I was then able to upload my book using CreateSpace.

At present, I have Books 1 and 2 in print and Kindle format while Raphael is working on EPUB. Then we want to start Book 3.

These days, writing is my greatest passion—apart from my son and my husband, of course. I have so far written five books and two of them have been published: Alexander Pig Goes Camping and Alexander Pig and the Terrifying Hedgehog-Napper. The stories are enchanting! Young and older readers will giggle together at Alexander’s adventures. He is also a great poet and composes lovely rhymes (usually about how clever he is) like this one:

Clever Alexander Pig lured Wolf to a deep ditch,

Which Wolf actually thought was a football pitch.

Wolf fell down and broke his crown,

While all the time he was tumbling down.

Straight into that cunning ditch,

The one he thought was a football pitch.

Alexander’s clever, Alexander’s smart,

Alexander has a very kind heart.

So Alexander let the poor Wolf go

And he ran home clutching his painful toe!

Right now, I am working on Book 3: Alexander Pig and the Dark Phantom. You are invited to meet the Dark Phantom, if you dare…

I am immensely happy to work with Rick, Sára and Raphael and I love this international project!

Eva

My social media links:

Twitter  –  Goodreads  –  Google+

Books available from:

Amazon:

UK – USA – Canada – Australia

If you would like even more information, just scroll through some of the Sneak Peeks into my books below:

Book 1. Adventure Time – Alexander Pig Goes Camping

Our hero Alexander Pig thinks that adventure is all about eating lobsters in smart restaurants in Lonby.

His friend Pim Hedgehog thinks an adventure is sitting in his little home, eating porridge and apples.

But thoughtful Mycroft Zebra explains what an adventure is.

Beware! There still are two things Alexander doesn’t know…

1. Lobsters can pinch!

2. Frantic monsters lurk in the dark night . . . and now there is one!

Can the three friends save themselves?

Book 2. Adventure Time – Alexander Pig and the Terrifying Hedgehog-napper

Meet the hedgehog-napper if you dare . . .

The terrifying hedgehog-napper has come to the Little Green Forest and strange things are happening.

Sally Sheep has been sheep-napped and Pim Hedgehog is not at home!

His front door isn’t locked, the house is in a horrible mess, and Pim has mysteriously disappeared.

Things don’t looking good to Alexander and Mycroft.

Has the evil hedgehog-napper taken their friend Pim?

What will happen to him?

Will he be held captive?

Alexander and Mycroft are mystified but thoughtful Mycroft has spotted some interesting clues . . . and they must investigate!