We all know how talented Payton Ridenour is on her BMX bike, but the pandemic and ensuing quarantine time has allowed some of her other talents to shine – from juggling to writing a children’s book! P-Nut currently has a Kickstarter campaign running (ending September 12, 2020) to fund her book – A to Z: BMX Style – so we reached out to her to get some more specifics around the project.
For those who haven’t seen your Kickstarter page yet, tell us a little bit about what inspired you to do a children’s book.
P-Nut: I got the idea when my Aunt Jennifer wrote a hockey and basketball style children’s alphabet book and I thought that they were super cool! When I was 8 years old my mom and I drafted the first version of a BMX racing style alphabet book, but nothing happened as it sat on a computer for years. Last year I revisited the draft and did a lot of rewriting (I was only 8 ha-ha) and decided to get the ball rolling on actually creating the book. There aren’t a lot of BMX-related things for kids, so I thought a book would be a great idea!
What age group is this book intended for?
P-Nut: The book is intended for younger kids to learn their ABCs and how to read, but anyone can read it! My hope is that kids will be able to become interested in not just BMX racing, but bikes in general.
What was the hardest letter to make a page for?
P-Nut: You would think it would be Q, X, or Z, but those letters were pretty easy. The hardest letter to make a page for was K, which ended up standing for kickstand (K is for kickstand, which would get in the way). Also, every two pages rhyme in the book, so the most difficult part was getting everything to rhyme and make sense.
We see you are getting illustrator, Andy Lendway to do all the artwork. Are you giving him direction for each page or just letting him do his thing?
P-Nut: Andy is actually the same guy who illustrated my Aunt Jennifer’s books, so I’m stoked to have him working with me! I give him a basic idea for each page, and he uses his creative talent to bring it to life and add in extra details. He is incorporating my beagle, Rocket, into all the pages to act as a fun element for the kids. He doesn’t have any experience with BMX racing, but he has done such an amazing job!
Do you think you’d do another book in the future?
P-Nut: I’m not sure if I would make another book in the future yet. There is still so much to learn about creating books, and I’m very early in the book-making process. Maybe if this book (A to Z: BMX Style) is a hit then I’ll make another!
Anything else you want to add?
P-Nut: I have a Kickstarter to raise funds to pay for illustrations, printing, shipping, and other fees. I have 30 days to meet the $10,000 goal, and there are some cool rewards based on how much money you donate. With Kickstarter, if I don’t meet the goal, everyone who contributed gets their money back and there are no rewards given, so it is all or nothing. I hope that I can meet the goal so that I can get the book made!
If you're interested in contributing to P-Nut's first book, head over to her Kickstarter page and donate before September 12th deadline!
