These days, Alex is spreading his New Orleanian-ness to the masses with his own self-published books set in our great city. Even though Alex is already putting out his second book (with the intention of having a total of 6 books by the end of the year), he doesn’t always see himself as a writer. Alex explained, “I wasn’t always a writer. I still don’t even consider myself a writer because in my opinion, I haven’t written anything really profound or complex yet. But writing was always something that I was interested in. When I was in school, I used to wonder if I could be a writer. I liked writing, but I would oftentimes wait until the last minute to complete an assignment and get aggravated in the process. However, now I realize that if you write about what you want to write about, it’s not a problem.
And writing about what he wants to write about is exactly what Alex is doing. Released in April 2011, The Little WHO DAT, Who Didn’t (illustrated by Avia Brown) tells the story of Buddy, a little New Orleans boy, who has lost his faith in our beloved Saints, but finds it renewed as they make their way to the Super Bowl.  
 
This month, Alex will be premiering his second book entitled Snowballs for All illustrated by a young, up and coming New Orleans artist Stephen Uwaezuoke. “Snowballs for All is a book about a boy named Paul who searches all over the city to find snowballs,” Alex said. “One day while at school, he hears someone shout from the distance, ‘Snowballs for all!’ and his journey starts as he tracks down this delicious, frozen, sweet treat.”

Aside from The Little WHO Dat, Who Didn’t and Snowballs for All, Alex is finishing up several other books, including one entitled Ideas for iPhones about idea development and more books for children. Alex added, “In August, I’m putting out a book called Do Dat, the epic tale of how the Saints win the Super Bowl in New Orleans. I also have a few others: The Caterpillar Kazoo, Mermaid in Mid-City, Who Dat In the Kitchen for Thanksgiving, and the Upside Down Backwards World. With the illustrations of these books, I want to help other up and coming artists so that they can get in the habit of doing business.”

He continued, “I love writing these books for kids! The biggest reward is when I get to read to them. When I leave out of the classroom, I feel so good. They ask so many great questions and I know that I’m affecting their lives and showing them that they can do something.”
 
Well InthekNOwla, it sure seems that Alex McConduit is “The Big WHO DAT, Who Did” with plans to do plenty more!
 
For more information about The Little Who Dat, Who Didn’t, please visit the website and Twitter. For more information about Snowballs for All, please visit the website.

***This Saturday, Alex will be having a book signing for Snowballs for All at A Tisket A Tasket Book Shop from 2pm-4pm. For pre-ordering information, please visit the website.

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