By JAMIE FALGIE
Have you ever heard of a pickle vampire? Well, neither had I—that is, until I read the children’s book, “Peter the Pickle Vampire.” The spooky, playful story centers around a vampire named Peter, who is not quite like the other vampires.
While the story itself is an entertaining read, one of the most fascinating aspects of the book is actually the father-daughter duo behind it. Nicholas Niosi is the author, while his six-year-old daughter, Ava, is the sole illustrator.
I had many questions for the pair, but first, I wanted to know what inspired them to take on this project.
“It was kind of my idea to do the story together,” Nicholas said, “but I was really inspired by Ava’s artwork. She drew this fantastic picture of Spider-Man for her younger brother’s birthday, and seeing that, I was like ‘Oh, I really would like to see what else she’s got in her and how well she can draw…’ A lot of it is just trying to foster her creativity.”
He then pitched Ava the idea of doing this project together, to which she enthusiastically agreed.
“Peter the Pickle Vampire” was born from various bedtime and campfire stories, Nicholas said. “[My kids] will give me ideas for characters like a werewolf or vampires, and I kind of fill in the blanks. ‘Peter the Pickle Vampire’ started off as a really simple story, and then when we decided to do the book, I kind of expanded on that writing and had Ava drawing all the pictures.”
Next, I wanted to know how long the book took to finish and how the process went.
“[The book] took like one and a half years,” Ava said.
“Yeah, we definitely didn’t rush it out there,” Nicholas added. “It was more about the process and the project and just having something fun to do.”
As for the illustration aspect, Ava mentioned that she illustrated the entire book on her iPad. Currently, Ava’s favorite media to draw with are crayons and markers. This was her first time illustrating on an iPad, and it came with some challenges. “One thing that was a little frustrating was that every single time you lean or shove your body onto the iPad, it leaves a mark or a dot.”
Nicholas also stated that although it was a great experience overall, the duo did come across a few creative differences. “I gave her a lot of feedback on the drawings,” he said. “Sometimes she rushed through some of them; sometimes she drew things that weren’t related to the story at all, which is fine, but it was one of the reasons it took a year and a half to work on it.”
I asked Ava if she wouldn’t mind talking about her enthusiasm for illustration.
“My passion for drawing started as soon as I could hold a crayon!” Ava told me. As a result of her passion, Ava mentioned that she is considering a myriad of different career paths, including as an illustrator and an animator. She also very much enjoys reading and writing, but informed me that when she’s working with her dad, she only wants to illustrate.
“She did not want a writing credit,” Nicholas laughed. “She was very adamant that she was the illustrator.”
Finally, I wanted to know what their favorite part of doing the project was.
“This project has just been a lot of fun to do together,” Nicholas said, “and then just all of the community support, all her friends and family. Ava’s school had her pulled up on stage with a traveling author, and she spoke to everyone. She got to read to all the classrooms… She even inspired a few of her friends to write.”
Ava also proudly noted that the book was donated to both
her elementary school library and her local little free library as well.
If readers are curious about future projects, the pair assured me there is a possibility for more projects on the way, even hinting at “Peter the Pickle Vampire 2.” “With radioactive pickles!” Ava chimed in. She also had in the works story ideas for potential books 3 and 4.
If you want to check out the story, “Peter the Pickle Vampire” is available on various online platforms, including Amazon.