The original 100 Grumpy Animals was never meant to be a book, it started as a daily exercise for me to be productive and creative, so when I was persuaded to try and compile them together and see how they would work as a compilation, nobody was more surprised than I was at its almost instant success. Then, family life and world events took some of my attention away from the publishing world, even though I continued creating. It took a while longer than expected to have a follow-up ready, but it was always the plan to keep the series going.
I have a spreadsheet I have built up over time with hundreds of popular phrases and then when I get an idea how one of those would work with an animal, I'll jump in there and edit. If it still feels like a good idea the next day, I may start sketching a rough version. If it makes me laugh, it gets to stay on the list. Sometimes I'll think of an animal and just KNOW what they would say. Or maybe sometimes I'll hear a phrase and think that's a vulture saying it.
One of the main challenges is letting some go. I love all of them but there's always too many to fit in a book. Luckily, that helps make sequels happen. I tried to keep the same simplicity of the original book, but this time spent some more time trying a few varieties of illustration styles and detail.
One of the best things about the book is hearing how it resonates with readers. Everyone has at one point BEEN that duck or felt exactly like that Owl. I just hope it makes people smile. Life's stressful enough, and it's nice to bring some light-hearted fun into it. I'm hoping that book 3 won't be another three-year wait, and I have already got some strange and fun ideas of the direction the book could take.
