The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/ Evelyn Bookless and Review of Jinx!

Evelyn Bookless grew up in the wild and windy west of Ireland. She spent her time playing in the trees with her siblings, arranging weddings for her pets (much to their disapproval), making up games, and getting up to plenty of mischief.

She has always loved to read. Her favorite part of the week was when the school bus stopped at the library on the way home. Everyone flocked in, as if they had never seen a book before in their lives, and dove for their favorites before it was too late!

Evelyn studied English at university (where there was still a lot of running and grabbing of books, especially at exam time).  Later Evelyn became a teacher and fell in love with children's stories all over again. With a thirst for adventure, Evelyn has taught in schools all around the world including Hong Kong, Singapore and The Netherlands. Now she lives by the sea in Spain, and spends her days writing stories, visiting schools to share her books, and practicing Spanish with anyone who can bear it. Evelyn loves to write funny stories. She is inspired by her son and his beautiful belly laughs at silly stuff.

Evelyn is the author of Captain Green and the Tree Machine, illustrated by Danny Deeptown (2021) and Captain Green and the Plastic Scene, illustrated by Danny Deeptown (2019).

Her newest book, Jinx!, was released on May 6th.

Welcome Evelyn,

Thanks for having me Maria.

Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing? What is your favorite book to write?)

I had been working with children as an elementary teacher since 2005, and  writing since 2016. I was inspired to write my first picture book, Captain Green And The Plastic Scene (Marshall Cavendish, 2018), while on holiday in Indonesia. I was saddened to see so much plastic waste washed up on the sand. I wanted to raise awareness of the issue in a way that would both inspire and entertain little ones and their families. Later, I wrote a second book in the series, Captain Green And The Tree Machine (Marshall Cavendish, 2021), which focuses on deforestation.

I write a lot of humor, but I also have some quieter, lyrical pieces in the works that are very different. I really enjoy writing humor. I love those magical moments, while in the flow of writing, when something funny comes to mind and I have a little chuckle to myself.

I write mostly at home in the mornings, and ideally when no one else is about. I have some great sound blocking headphones for when I need them.

It is wonderful to meet you, Evelyn. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?

What a fun question. I have written on trains and planes but never automobiles. 😊 I remember one stunning writing spot where I sat by the beach on an island in Indonesia. I am not sure I wrote much, as the view was too distracting.

But it sounds like a fun place to try and write. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Jinx!? 

Jinx! is based on a popular game I played as a child and that children still enjoy today. I love that such a simple game, that starts with just one word, still captures imaginations and causes laughter and frustration in equal measure.

I was keen to try to write a story based on a childhood game after being inspired by The Legend Of Rock, Paper, Scissors ,so I brainstormed a few ideas. Jinx was the clear winner for me due to its simplicity and the fun I had playing it.

I know I yelled "jinx" at siblings and friends, but I never knew there was an entire game around it. What is the hardest or most challenging thing about writing Jinx!? And what was the most fun?

Jinx! has been one of the easiest stories I have written. I really enjoyed drafting and revising it, and it seemed to fall into place in no time. Thanks to my amazing critique partners, I was able to quickly smooth the rough edges to get it into shape. I was surprised when there were no edits made on acquisition. Most of my stories do not behave so nicely!

Jinx! is an interactive story and the biggest challenge was how to trick young readers into getting jinxed in a simple but effective way so the fun could start. The story is devised to encourage readers to say a word at the same time as the character in this book who wants to jinx them. In the end, I settled on the following:

I bet I can say the color on the next page before you.

I need to hear you, so say it loud.

Ready?

I had a lot of fun coming up with different ways for the book character to try to trick the reader into talking once jinxed, and therefore losing the game. The character tries everything to get readers to giggle, yelp, or scream, and their growing frustration is all part of the fun.

I can't wait to see this read to a group of kids at story time! How many revisions did Jinx! take from first draft to publication?

I revised eleven times from the initial draft to publication.

When you first saw Anna Süssbauer’s illustrations did anything surprise, amaze, or delight you? Which is your favorite spread?

Anna did such a terrific job bringing Jinx! to life and I am beyond thrilled with the illustrations. I hadn’t indicated what sort of creature the main character was, or if it was indeed even a creature. I left it completely open to interpretation. So, when I saw her adorable, pink character for the first time, I was blown away. She has managed to portray tons of fun and mischief on every page.

I was surprised by lots of her creative ideas… roller-skates, cowboy hats, polka dotted underpants to name a few.  She has brought so much life and joy to what is essentially one character talking to the reader for the entire book.

Text © Evelyn Bookless, 2025. Image © Anna Süssbauer, 2025.

One of my favorites, and it is so hard to choose, is when the main character has just tricked the reader into a jinx and they are so pleased with themselves. Anna has shown the character talking into one of those cute toy telephones from the 1980’s. It looks so sweet and joyful.

The phone was a nice touch. I was amazed at the emotions Anna created with a giant pink furball! What's something you want your readers to know or learn about Jinx!?

Jinx! is exactly what it sounds like: a game turned into a book which is also a game! The main character talks directly to the reader and jinxes them. Then they spend the rest of the book trying to trick the reader into losing the game. In one attempt, the book character declares the reader must love chewing worms and if they don’t answer it must be true. Young readers will know the stakes, but whether they can keep it together or not is anyone’s guess.

And I imagine in a group reading they will feed off each other. I wonder how many will succeed? Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

One of the stories that I am working on is also based on fun I had as a child growing up in Ireland. Mining our childhood experiences for ideas is a useful tip I have heard over and over. Childhood memories are so powerful, and help writers find ideas that are of interest to kids and can be written from their perspective.

Intriguing. Good luck with this project. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why? 

© Evelyn Bookless,

One of my favorites has been Kinabalu National Park in Borneo. I love rainforests and the tropical plants and species that exist there. I saw orangutans in the wild – a special moment for me. These guys were featured in my second book, Captain Green And The Tree Machine.

I would love to visit Glacier National Park in Montana. The mix of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, valleys, and spectacular lakes makes for plenty to see and discover.

Thank you for the image of Kinabalu National Park and I hope you get to visit Glacier National Park one day!

And thank you, Evelyn, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new book.

Thanks for featuring Jinx! on your blog Maria. I am thrilled to share this story with you and your readers.

To find out more about Evelyn Bookless, or to contact her:

Website: https://www.evelynbookless.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evelynbooklessauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evelynbookless/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/evelynbookless.bsky.social

X (Twitter): https://x.com/evelynbookless

Review of Jinx!

This is a fun picture book which breaks the fourth wall and transforms a childhood game into an interactive, humorous read-aloud. Trying all manner of high jinks, a fluffy, pink creature challenges the reader to try and beat him at a game of - JINX!

Jinx!

Author: Evelyn Bookless

Illustrator: Anna Süssbauer

Publisher: Reycraft Books (May 6, 2025)

Ages: 5-8

Fiction

Themes:

Interactive game and humor.

Synopsis:

What can you say about this storybook character? He's a talker and a trickster! From the very beginning, he challenges the reader to a game, resulting in a . . . JINX! Until that jinx is lifted, the reader is now forbidden to talk!

The character has played this game before it seems, as he knows that even the smallest sound from the reader will make him the winner of the game. As experienced as he is at the rules of jinx, he tries every which way to get the reader to speak, even betting that he could do so!

He offers the reader slurping slugs and chewy worms to eat and tries to scare the reader with spiders crawling behind them, anything to get a reaction! He even tries telling jokes, but nothing seems to be working!

Can the reader withstand the barrage of tricks to win the game and be released from the jinx? Or is this book simply too funny and surprising to hold in screams and giggles? Will the character prevail and be "YOUR RULER FOR EVERMORE"?

Opening Lines:

Hey, let's play a game!

I bet I can say the color on the next page before you.

I need to hear you, so say it loud.

Ready?

. . . Green! . . . JINX!

What I Liked about this book:

So, most people will be familiar with calling "jinx" when you and another person say the same thing. I've always heard it as "jinx, you owe me a ..... (coke, etc.). I found this a fun premise that the call of "jinx" forces silence on the other person. I wish I had known that when I was younger! It would have come in handy at times. The text's set up of challenging kids to a "race" to say a color name, is genius. I can see individuals and riotous groups of kids hollering out "green" only to discover that . . . they got JINXed.

Text © Evelyn Bookless, 2025. Image © Anna Süssbauer, 2025.

You don't talk, that's the rule, when your jinxed.

If you say one word, or make the smallest of sounds,

even as soft as a mouse, then you are . . .

OUT!

And I win.

I will be . . . Your Ruler For Evermore!

So, be careful, not a sound.

But, I bet I can make you talk!

What a great challenge for a wiggly group of kids. They've already "lost" one bet and now the creature is betting they can't stay silent. Some kids will do anything not to lose this second bet. But . . . can they stay totally silent when the creature accuses them of slurping slugs, chewing worms. or having a worm peeking out of their ear?

Text © Evelyn Bookless, 2025. Image © Anna Süssbauer, 2025.

The pink creature spends the rest of the book trying everything from spiders, fear, bugs, and more to try and trick the reader into making a noise or talking and losing the game. If the kids have made it to this point, the creature next tries situational humor (horsing around on one skate) and telling jokes.

Text © Evelyn Bookless, 2025. Image © Anna Süssbauer, 2025.

The ending's twist will have the kids laughing. Both those which made it through the challenge and those that might have lost. It's a fun interactive book that is perfect for individuals and groups needing a dose of laughter.

Resources:

• Did you make it to the end? If not, where did the creature trip you up?

• Make your own Recycled Craft Creature to jinx.

• If you could make a sequel, what other game could the creature challenge the reader to? Check out Come Out, Come Out, Chameleon! by Jonty Howley (Hide-and-Seek), High Five by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri, or Tell Me a Lion Story by Kara Kramer (Mad Libs) for some ideas.