Ben Winestone
AUTHOR
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, my love for writing began in grade school where I won acclaim for my ability to write descriptive short stories. I was able to turn my love of the written word and the arts in general, into a professional photojournalism career, writing and photographing for local publications on a wide variety of topics. It really didn't matter what I was writing as long as I was writing.
The concept for Olie the Olive and his friends actually came to me in a dream. I woke up in the middle of the night with characters floating around in my head, as well as a concept for a unique children's adventure book. The images in my mind were so vivid, that I quickly grabbed a piece of paper to write down what I was thinking about, before it all faded from my memory, as dreams often do.
Next morning, I took that piece of paper to my computer and began to write. In a few hours, I had a basic story outline and Olie the Olive in... Tales from the Purple Fridge was born.
I've always been a kid at heart and my ability to create stories around these funny, interesting characters really opened the door for me to create wonderfully entertaining books for children. I really get a kick out of interacting with the kids who read my books and hearing what they think first hand; my most important critics... That way I learn who their favorite characters are, and what part of the story makes the greatest impression in their minds. I use their observations to improve my craft as a writer because after all, kids are the most honest people on the planet. If they like something they've read, they'll tell you... and if they don't, they'll still tell you! Gotta love it!
I sincerely thank all of you who have written to tell me how much you enjoyed reading "Meltdown," and hope you will continue to enjoy the adventures of Olie and the Purple Fridge gang in books to come... And they will come, that's a promise.
Ben.