BookLife Talks with Regina Davis and Carolyn Royer Spencer
A sponsored Q&A with the authors of 'Lord Computesalot, Ruler of Aurora Bullyalis, and His Secret Quest to End Bullying'

Elementary teachers turned coauthors fight bullying from fantastical heights.

Tell us about Lord Computesalot, Ruler of Aurora Bullyalis, and His Secret Quest to End Bullying.

Foxaloon Elementary School has a problem with bullying. This is not your usual bullying situation, though. At Foxaloon, the adults bully one another!

We came up with this grown-up twist to show how bullying can affect people at all ages. We also wanted to show its lasting, detrimental effects on self-esteem and self-worth. Of course, we also wanted to make this story fun.

Principal Foxanna Powerpaws and her friend Wolverina Woollyclaws are the bullies in question. Señor Smarty Pantaloons secretly transmits all the bullying information stored in his cosmic pantaloons to his secret comrade Lord Cyborgeon Bonaparte. He, in turn, was secretly sending all data to his purple cape to be sent by his aurora light transmitter to Lord Computesalot, ruler of Planet Aurora Bullyalis, who has declared that all bullying must end!

Lord Computesalot, Ruler of Aurora Bullyalis, and His Secret Quest to End Bullying was a 2017 Eric Hoffer Award finalist.

What inspired you to take on bullying as a picture book subject?

When we retired from teaching, we noticed that bullying was everywhere, from schools to workplaces and even nursing homes. Hardly a day passes that a bullying episode is not mentioned in the media. We asked ourselves what we could do to help children cope with bullying and learn how to overcome it. That was how we began writing our antibullying book series, of which Lord Computesalot, Ruler of Aurora Bullyalis, and His Secret Quest to End Bullying is a part.

How did your backgrounds as teachers help you in creating the series?

As classroom teachers in several different schools over many years, we both became aware of different types of bullying inside the school and on the playground. Carolyn Royer Spencer taught kindergarten, including at a Title 1 school, and first and second grades for almost 30 years in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, where she served as a career teacher. Regina Davis taught for 37 years in New York and Virginia. Carolyn has seen how art can help children who have been bullied express and resolve their feelings.

Who is your ideal reader?

The target audience is mainly children between the ages of five and nine. Lord Computesalot, Ruler of Aurora Bullyalis, and His Secret Quest to End Bullying also has a secondary audience among preteens, teens, and adults, especially those with creative natures or an interest in science fiction.

What makes your book distinct from other antibullying books on the market?

Our science fiction twist definitely sets this book apart. Plus, many children are unaware of the fact that bullying is not just a children's problem. It affects everyone.

What else would you like readers to know about you or Lord Computesalot, Ruler of Aurora Bullyalis, and His Secret Quest to End Bullying?

We have also created Lord Computesalot's Quintessential Quest to Banish Bullies, our companion activity book. This book has reproducible pages that use poetry, puzzles, games, songs, and cheers to creatively teach children about bullying. We wrote it to be used alone or with any of the other books in our antibullying series.

All of our books are available at our website (senorsmartypantaloons.com) and online at Amazon, AuthorHouse, and Barnes & Noble.