My Life As An Asthmanaut: Interview with Author Jake Lockett
Hello, friends, thanks for joining us today!
I’m so glad you’re here.
July is Disability Pride Month, and as part of the celebration I’m delighted to chat with author Jake Lockett about his book, My Life As An Asthmanaut: A book about asthma, illustrated by Adriana Predoi and published by Free Spirit Publishing as part of its Disability Books For Kids series. It’s a book of great empathy, helping those with asthma to feel seen, and those without asthma to see and understand its effects. But it’s not only about asthma; it’s also about friendship, love, support, and living life without fear.
I especially love the astronaut metaphor Jake uses. When an asthma attack occurs, main character Jacob feels like an astronaut floating off to outer space with an empty air tank. As he refills his air tank with the help of an emergency inhaler, he counts to 10 and comes back down to earth.
I think you’ll enjoy the book as much as I did. So, without further ado…
Let’s grab a cup of something yummy, get comfy…and dig in!
SR: Welcome, Jake, and congratulations on your debut picture book! I’m really excited to talk with you about it.
JL: Thank you, Stacey! Happy to be here!
SR: Asthma is something that affects so many children, and it’s important for parents and teachers to have resources that they can turn to. I’m so glad you wrote this book. Could you tell us about your experiences with asthma and what you hope readers take away from My Life as an Asthmanaut?
JL: I come from a family of asthmatics. My grandfather had asthma, and so does my sister. Mine cropped up when I was little in the late 90s/early 2000s, and I remember how cautious I had to be and feeling scared during asthma attacks. It was difficult, but my asthma was treated vigorously, so my symptoms lessened in intensity as time went on.
I hope readers take away a variety of important things from my book. Outside of teaching kids about asthma and how to treat an asthma attack, my main intention is for readers to understand that their struggles can't prevent them from living life in their own unique way, or helping others to do so.
My Life As An Asthmanaut. Text by Jake Lockett. Illustrations by Adriana Predoi.
SR: What do you find the most challenging part of crafting a picture book in general? (For example, I tend to do OK with beginnings and endings, and I can put nice sentences together, but middles and arcs are challenging for me.)
JL: For me, the biggest challenge is keeping the word count low, low, low. It's incredibly frustrating because I have a strong tendency to overwrite with very detailed sentences. Sometimes a first draft can balloon to 750-1,000 words, which is well beyond standard picture book length. Using art notes in more recent projects, though, has helped keep the word count of my main text down while allowing me to still get my story/character points across.
SR: Oh yes—let’s talk more about art notes! We get a lot of different advice on art notes, from "use them as little as possible" to "use them only when the text needs context," to "it helps to use them when you need to cut word count." (The latter: it’s me—hi!)
Where would you say your book was on the spectrum, and how were your art notes then reflected in the finished book?
JL: For the draft initially sent to the publisher, the art notes were there mostly to add context to my main text. There were quite a lot of them! When the publisher requested edits before acquisition, I reduced the number.
During production, I found that Free Spirit Publishing was very supportive in art direction. They guided me in heavily reworking my notes as the story text changed and evolved through several rounds of revisions. The revised notes were then sent with the manuscript to Adriana Predoi. She made sketches from them, and then the finished art of the book.
(For the non-writers reading this, art notes are written to give context to the story when the text doesn’t. For example, say the text simply says: “Look up!” and it’s important to the story that the characters are looking at a bird flying above the trees, you’d put that in the art notes. But art notes also need to leave enough room for the illustrator, who is a 50/50 partner in the book, to tell their vision of the story, too.)
My Life As An Asthmanaut. Text by Jake Lockett. Illustrations by Adriana Predoi.
SR: Adriana’s illustrations are so vibrant and kid-friendly. Was there anything that especially delighted you when you saw the illustrations for the first time?
JL: Everything delighted me! Each picture looked like it came directly from an art gallery or museum! As I absorbed her work, it all suddenly became real: I was an author of a beautiful picture book! AHHHH, THE FEELING!
My Life As An Asthmanaut. Text by Jake Lockett. Illustrations by Adriana Predoi.
SR: Supporting and lifting others is an important theme in My Life as an Asthmanaut. Where does your support come from in this creative journey?
JL: My support comes from my family, as well as my writing and author friends on social media. They keep me grounded while also encouraging and pushing me.
SR: You’ve been working hard at promoting the book. Could you give us some insight about what that looks like for you?
JL: Promotion is both fun and a little overwhelming. I had to learn many things quite quickly and plan way ahead on how to best market my book for months like Asthma Awareness Month and Disability Pride Month.
Because of health issues, I've focused a lot of energy on blog and newspaper interviews, which have helped spread the word about my book widely without travel on my part. Very recently, however, I've been trying to do live events more regularly to spark awareness in my local area. Turnout for these events varies wildly from large groups to nobody at all. Either way, it's always a memorable experience!
SR: Many authors have had that same experience of no one showing up to an event. How do you work through that mentally?
JL: When people don't show up, it can be deeply disappointing. But I try to learn from these situations. Unsuccessful events have motivated me to be more aggressive in marketing strategies and broaden my horizons when it comes to choosing venues and opportunities for book promotion.
I have been seeking influencers to promote my book, too. I feel blessed that popular asthma influencer Mia Fritsch-Anderson took an interest and advertised My Life as an Asthmanautto her fanbase.
Recently, I was awarded a $2,000 Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program grant from Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. This grant has given me funds to help with marketing and expand my author platform into a legitimate small business dedicated to spreading asthma education and literacy. WONDERFUL!
Mia Fritsch-Anderson on her Instagram page, @miarosefa_choosetobreathe
SR: Your promotions seem to be working wonderfully! In addition to Mia Fritsch-Anderson, My Life As An Asthmanaut has received some other great endorsements. Can you share more about them?
JL: As a debut author without a major following, I wanted endorsements from big, easily recognizable names so my book could attract more attention and better reach readers. With asthma being one of the most common illnesses out there, I knew that there was a good number of celebrities, creatives, and athletes who had it or knew someone close who did. I didn't personally have any famous friends, so for a few months I essentially just reached out to agencies, publicists, and managers representing the people in my wishlist.
I met a lot of silence, broken up with the occasional refusal. But in the end, the figures I wanted the most were the ones who ended up supporting the book. My first endorsement came from Paula Radcliffe, former Marathon world champion and record holder. Then I received one from Chris Nee, creator of Disney's Doc McStuffins. And finally, from swimmer Peter Vanderkaay, a 3-time Olympian for Team USA.
Jake, thanks so much for taking the time to chat about My Life As An Asthmanaut. To finish out our interview, let’s do a
LIGHTNING ROUND!
–Favorite thing about your home in the Allegheny Mountains?
The scenic nature! Here, it's like you're living in the middle of a magical land or wilderness from a book. And sometimes you can't help but fully believe it! This is especially true in the winter, where the dense, snow-covered forests around you can have you thinking you've fallen into Narnia at the start of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
–Star Wars or Star Trek?
I would betray the very foundation of who I am if I didn't say Star Wars! It's one of the few franchises that I've stuck with across the decades. As a kid, the Original and Prequel Trilogies moved me so much with their emotional storytelling that I wanted to move others with my own stories. I could rewatch all the movies (and shows) forever!
–Something you’re extra excited about right now?
Doing live events and readings. Just watching a listener's face light up and react to my story with every page turn has been so rewarding. With an audience, I can see my book fulfill its purpose and inspire people in real time.
–A favorite book?
One of my favorites in recent memory is The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. I got around to this book much later than everyone else did. Such a magical story with a huge heart. The 2023 animated film adaptation on Netflix was also powerful while improving on some elements of the book.
Where you can find Jake Lockett:
Website: https://www.jakelockett.com/ (My author visit rates for my business are here.)
X: https://x.com/JLockettAuthor1
Bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/jlockettauthor1.bsky.social
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579400802919
Help support Jake and My Life As An Asthmanaut:
🥢 Follow Jake on social media.
🥢 Buy the book for yourself, a friend or family member, a teacher or school library.
🥢 Review the book on Goodreads, Amazon, Bookshop.org, etc.
🥢 Tell your local library about My Life As An Asthmanautand ask them to purchase it.
THANK YOU AGAIN TO JAKE, AND THANK YOU FOR READING!
If you have a moment, drop a comment—I’d love to hear your favorite takeaway.