Local authors make a splash in iTunes App store

Date: 12/14/2009

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Managing Editor



SOMERS, CONN. Former East Longmeadow High School graduates Bob Raina (class of 1991), his wife Karen (class of 1992) and his brother-in-law Rob Desilets (class of 1990) recently scored a coup in the world of mobile publishing.

The Apple iTunes App store picked up the trio's first self-published children's e-book, "There's a Monster in My Tummy," on its "What's Hot" listing for late October.

"There are thousands of apps and it was chosen to be on there . that's pretty good," Raina told Reminder Publicaitons.

The Rainas and Desiletes are the principals in a new company, Colorworks Designs, based out of the Raina's home in Somers, Conn. Bob wrote and illustrated the e-picture book, which targets children age four and up.

"Essentially it's about a little boy who hears a rumbling in his stomach and associates that with monsters being in there," Bob said.

Karen, a second-grade teacher at Fozzi Elementary School in West Springfield, acted as the book's editor and Desilets wrote the programming to "make it all work"

Bob added the e-book was truly a family affair, with his daughters Delani, six, and Halle, seven, providing voice-overs for the monster audio and Desiletes six-year-old son, Frank, filling the role of narrator.

Bob said e-publishing the book took "about two or three weeks" and shortly after that "Apple contacted us directly," indicating it might use "There's a Monster in My Tummy" for promotional purposes.

"It's got a five-star rating on the app store right now," Bob said.

To purchase the book, visit www.appolicious.com/apps/theres-a-monster-in-my-tummy-colorworks-design-::81515.