Poet, humorist, and children’s book author Remo Perini has dedicated his life to the art of writing both professionally and as a hobby. With poetry published by the National Library of Poetry, Remo’s love of writing has led to the publication of Eustace and the Christmas Swim, in collaboration with writer, friend and musician, Martyn Thrussell and illustrator Danny O’Leary.
Remo grew up in NY where he graduated from SUNY Stony Brook in 1982 and moved to San Jose, CA about fifteen minutes later. In CA, he hosted a radio show on 89.7FM KFJC called “The Gateway to Infinity” where he attained some local celebrity through his weekly satirical laundromat review feature, “Bay Area Laundromats (BAL)”. In resonse to a BAL press release, David Letterman’s producer said “We would love to have you on the show, but your feature is local and we only bring on guests of national interest.” Then, demonstrating the sincerest form of flattery, Letterman aired a laundromat segment the next week.
The Christmas Swim was twenty+ years in the making, first conceived by a friend, MartynThrussell, who allowed Remo to “have his way with it”. Remo kept the protagonist and main theme, changed the plot, and added a surprise ending. It was re-written entirely in verse, but its final version is a mixture of verse and prose, similar to the style of another popular author, William Shakespeare (the Bard of Avon). Eustace’s ingenuity in this book makes it ideal for elementary or middle school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teaching.
Remo had a vision for the book’s illustrations that led him to Danny O’Leary after years of searching for a photo-realistic artist. The level of detail and unparalleled quality of Danny’s work discriminates this children’s book from so many others. While the illustrations were being developed, Remo penned two sequels, Eustace and the Christmas Business, and Eustace and the Christmas Kindness.
In addition to his 2022 debut children’s book, Eustace and the Christmas Swim and its forthcoming sequels, Remo has upcoming books in other genres. Remo lives with two sons, Nico (age 10) and Mateo (age 13) and a poodle named Enzo (age 10) in Vienna, VA, just west of DC. Remo aspires to become the Bard of Vienna, or the Bard of anyplace looking for a Bard.
Martyn grew up in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England and moved to the US sometime in the latter half of the 20th century. He lives with his wife and children in Seattle, WA. A musician and songwriter, Martyn has released two CDs: Far from the tree (2011) and Play Tickets (2015). He is currently working on a book about a dog.
Daniel O’Leary is a New Jersey based illustrator, specializing in portraits. Daniel lets his sense of humor loose in satirical illustrations that not only make people laugh but usually have a deeper message to them. From outrageous caricatures to hyper-realistic Photoshop illustrations and sketch-like artistic works, his versatility brings him top clients from a wide range of fields, and he’s built long-standing relationships with many of them. Danny believes his desire to poke fun at things comes from growing up in a large family, where sometimes you need a little good-natured teasing to get by. Whether the topic is news, pop culture, history or something else, that ability to find the humor and draw on personal experience sets Danny apart. Danny has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Paier College of Art in Connecticut.