A Tallahassee writer has penned a colorful children's book whose characters have lots of natural vitamins and minerals.
The last time we checked in with FSU-cinema-student-turned-author Michael Ciccarelli Walsh was nearly a year ago. He'd just finished a Guardians of the Galaxy-type of science fiction comedy. Now he has a totally different kind of work coming out. First, it's a picture book for kids. Second, its title character is based on a real person. Namely, his girlfriend.
"It was never part of the publishing plan to create a children's picture book But as a joke, my girlfriend - because when you have an author as a boyfriend these are the questions you ask - she asked, 'If I were a character in a book, what character would I be and what's my story?'"
Some might consider that a loaded question. But Walsh didn't hesitate. He turned girlfriend Gabriela - actually "Gabatha" as one of her friends calls her - into a suitable story protagonist.
"Gabatha's gotta be in there. And then we threw together that she has an outfit that's all green and I call it her green bean outfit she wears. So 'Gabatha the Green Bean' is a children's book easy! And that was our joke."
But the joke quickly turned into an actual story with other vegetable characters and a story line that replicated reality.
"Her story was, she came from small town Tallahassee, moved out to New York City after college, had a big-time career in fashion, and during Covid moved back because it didn't make sense to live there paying the rent when she was working remotely and ended up loving it being back home. So I basically followed that trajectory with the character."
Walsh said even though Gabatha the Green Bean finds there's more excitement - and certainly more vegetables in the Big Apple - there are also downsides.
"Hard to find her way and her struggles with that and how she learns to embrace where she comes from to stand out and appreciate where she came from and what she had."
Shades of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz! Walsh said the big book reveal event happens August 9th at Hearth and Soul on Market Street.
"By sheer coincidence that is where the real Gabatha worked, so there's a natural connection to work with Serena, the book curator there. It'll be from 1 to 2 and there'll be lots of copies of the new Gabatha book that just came in the mail for sale."
And Walsh insists folks don't have to be vegan to enjoy all the vegetable characters in the book.
