Author Interviews

Author Interview with Bernard Ditchik

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I am essentially a story teller. I loved making up stories and telling them to my children, then grandchildren. I began writing them down after my wife and I both had retired, and our daughter urged me to share them with other children.

  What inspired you to write “Grandpa Bernie’s Bedtime Stories”?

There was no sudden inspiration. These stories were written just because I loved creating them.

What is your editing process like?

I have no real self-editing process. I write my stories using a pen and pad and I try to correct any mistakes in spelling or punctuation. Once that’s done I put the story into my computer.

Did you set any writing goals for 2017?

My writing goals for 2017 and 2018 are to finish two fun projects—one, where I have characters from one story meet characters from another story and they all have adventures together, and the other is a series about kids who go to Mars and have adventures there.

Are you working on something now?

The two projects, as mentioned above. I like to stay busy. I’m only 93 years old (as of January 28 of this year) but my actual physical age is seventy-something.  I play tennis five days a week (doubles only) with men in their sixties, seventies and eighties.

About the Book

Title: Grandpa Bernie’s Bedtime Stories

Author: Bernard Ditchik

Genre: Children’s Books

These delightful tales are sure to help your little ones settle down and drift contentedly off to sleep.  Written by a grandfather for his own kids and grandchildren, these twenty entertaining stories feature lots of talking animals, including a kangaroo who teaches a pony how to jump, a little bear who wants to play baseball, a coyote who learns to fly, a magic balloon that takes a little girl all the way to Japan and back, and some resourceful ants who build a swimming pool so they can play as well as work.  It’s full of positive images and plots that inspire creative solutions to various challenges.  A lovely read-aloud adventure the whole family will enjoy!

Author Bio

I didn’t begin my career as an author by writing stories. First, I was a storyteller. Let me explain. Many years ago, when our children were very young, I would sit on their beds at bedtime and tell them a story. Instead of reading a story written by someone else, I preferred to make up my own story right on the spot. They were stories about animals who learned to fly, children who talked to birds, alligators who were friends with elephants, and even one about a horse that learned to jump like a kangaroo. Our children loved them. So I made up lot of stories. Then there was a long period of time when there was no one who wanted to listen to my stories because they had all grown up!

But then, something wonderful happened. We had our first grandchild—and I became Grandpa Bernie. One day, one of my daughters said, “Dad, you have so many stories. I think other children would like to hear them.” That’s when I became an author.

At the age of 93, I am still playing tennis (doubles only) five times a week in a 60+ league. I have been married 64 years to my wonderful wife, Faigie, had three children, and five grandchildren. I continue to sit in my favorite chair, with a large pad on my lap, and a pen in my hand, lean back, and let my imagination soar.

Links

Red Sky Presents Grandpa Bernie’s Bedtime Stories

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