Jose Lucio brings words to life.
The versatile Savanah, Georgia based artist has illustrated two children’s books including “Free Rain” authored by Daniel Wentzel.
The illustrator and author are appearing at the 6th annual Great Valley Bookfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley located at the 120 Bypass and Union Road. More than 70 authors are participating in the free event that includes not just the opportunity to meet authors one-on-one but also writer’s workshops, panels and junior cooking competitions.
There are also various vendors offering everything from crafts to food as well as a used book sale and a Barnes & Nobles book booth. New Life Church is providing a free children’s play area with bounce houses and such.
“Free Rain” is the story of six chickens and how they approach new experiences going from the chicken coop to being free range chickens. The book’s message stresses the value of working together to tackle new challenges using how the chickens learn to cope and rely on each other to succeed.
Lucio employs a collage technique building on simple digital shapes using layering, texturing and transparency.
It is Lucio’s second children’s book. The other — “Heave Ho!” — touches as well on the teamwork theme. Lucio was both the author and illustrator for the book that tells the story of a cheerful little worm that pops his head above ground only to be grabbed in the beak of a hungry bird. That triggers a tug-of-war between the worm that is joined by other worms as well as the bird who has a dog and cat come to its aid.
The concept of out-of-the-box thinking is injected when one worm comes up with an unlikely idea to try and tip the struggle in favor of the underdog worms.
Lucio who has a wide array of art interests is also a muralist and has several prints for sale as well as his books at joselucio.com.
Producing children’s books and sharing then at bookfests and in the classroom has allowed Lucio to enjoy what he calls “the performance aspect” of being an artist.
The invaluable interaction between reader and author — or in this case illustrator — is exactly what the organizers of the Great Valley Bookfest had in mind by staging Saturday’s event.
The children’s pavilion this year is designed to allow for such interaction in an informal setting that’s suited for kids.
The traditional Author’s Alley where authors meet one-on-one with those interested in their books, their professional work, and writing in general is also designed to let authors and readers interact. Each author also has copies of their books for sale.
There are various panels on different genres ranging from romance and mystery to non-fiction as well as broad “how-to” compact workshops on writing techniques and how to get a manuscript published.
The Writers’ Nook panels are as follows:
uFrom Manuscript to Publication featuring authors Kristin Miller, Linda Whalen, Linda Joy Singleton, and Margie Viera: So you have a manuscript? Now what do you do with it? What steps are needed before you publish?  Published authors will share tips on self-editing, seeking feedback and response from multiple readers (including beta readers and/or writing groups), and finding a capable editor.
uCrafting Convincing Characters featuring authors T.E. Watson, Lynn Goodwin, and Cindy Sample: Engaging characters who provoke emotional responses are the heart of any story. In this session, several writers will discuss ways to craft characters that readers will want to know and remember.
uGetting the Details Right featuring Claudia Hagen, Jennie Chadwick, Dayanna Knight , Sylvia Sun Minnick, and Patricia Newman. Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, it’s important to get the details right. Successful authors will discuss how they diligently research characters, dialects, settings, history, and science to create vivid, believable worlds that draw in their readers.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyat@mantecabulletin.com