Developmental Editor’s Notes
When I first read through Tarif’s manuscript, I fell in love with the idea of smart phones taking it upon themselves to save the human race from a problem they were tools in it. It seemed like a great way to inform children about that problem, while entertaining them with an enchanting tale of adventure and triumph.
I loved the fact that the villain was another smart phone who was selfish and only worried about himself. I also liked how even the animal kingdom had a present voice to express their despair regarding their relation with the humans being affected by that problem. Plus, I really enjoyed the comradery between everyone to get the job done.
I found the story to have great promise, but discovered that the demographic it was geared towards was not the age range it was intended for. The story needed help. It needed editing, embellishments and enhancements. We needed to gear the vocabulary to the tween and add to the story so it wouldn’t be too short for them. That’s where I came in.
I was employed with the privilege of getting to escape into Tarif’s magical world, become the hero and the villain and reenact the entire adventure in my imagination, so I could describe the scenes in a way that was more aptly suited for the readers the author wanted to attract. About half way through, even he joined in with multiple embellishments and additional side stories that really helped to add flair to the story.
It was a true joy and honor working with the author to produce this story and I pray it is enjoyed by many children, as well as inspires everyone to face the obstacles the digital world is creating without anyone noticing, and do something to make a difference. If we all work together, we can accomplish anything we put our minds to.
Let’s get to work!
~ Kathleen J. Shields