The Very Awesome Adventures of Ruru & Rudy is an enchanting Holiday tale of an imaginative young girl and her magical iron deer. The two set out on top-secret adventures every Christmas Eve, with one aim, to spread holiday joy.
Written by Janique Muckelvene, JaTawny Muckelvene Chatmon and Jamecia Muckelvene Jackson; three sisters intent on inspiring young children everywhere to use their imagination, dream and wonder. The Very Awesome Adventures of RuRu & Rudy is a story that is sure to become a holiday favorite for families throughout the years. Original story & concept by JaTawny M. Chatmon & Myrna Kresh.
Targeted Age Group:: 3-11
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
This book was created in dedication to their father, James “Rudy” Muckelvene. When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010, JaTawny’s daughter (who her father nicknamed RuRu after himself) & her grandfather built a very close bond. The two were inseparable. Each of his grandchildren had their special moments and times with him throughout the years and this time it was RuRu’s turn. Unfortunately, on December 20, 2010, he lost his battle to Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Prostate.
A year after his passing, JaTawny and her mother happened upon a magnificent deer in the Free People©showroom in Tyson’s Corner Mall. Being collectors of all things awesome, JaTawny insisted that she must own this yarn wrapped, brightly adorned, iron deer. Her mother encouraged her to purchase what was once a display piece in the store that now had a “for sale” sign around his neck; and before you knew it, the 150 lb. deer was hers! Without thought, she named him Rudy. With deer in tow, JaTawny now needed to come up with an “excuse” to give her husband as to why she was bringing home yet another “exquisite” treasure! During their 45 minute drive home, she thought up the idea to create a project using RuRu (her daughter) and Rudy. She didn’t know exactly what the project would be about, she just knew it would be something about RuRu & Rudy going on adventures! She spoke to her photography rep at the time who came up with the idea that it should be a Christmas book! And so it began…
JaTawny & her children created each backdrop using cardboard paper and various arts and craft supplies as her agent came up with first parts of the original story. They began pitching the story to a few publishers with no great offers and after some time, the two split ways and RuRu & Rudy was shelved.
JaTawny began to grow tired of chasing photography jobs for pay and decided to focus on photography projects that meant something to her. In the midst of it all, for extra cash while following her dreams, she sold Rudy the deer on craigslist. Shortly after, regret set in. She decided she wanted to move forward with completing this project in dedication to her father and enlisted her two sisters to help her create a new story to go with the images she’d created of RuRu & Rudy!
The sisters finished the story, got it published and are hoping this will become a holiday favorite for families year after year!
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
The characters were named after JaTawny’s daughter (RuRu) & her father (Rudy).
About the Author:
JaTawny M. Chatmon-
Children’s Fashion Photographer and Author JaTawny Muckelvene Chatmon has earned a reputation for taking captivating and ethereal images of free spirited children (usually under the age of 12). She’s hopelessly fascinated by capturing “what is real”, and “what is surreal”.
JaTawny was born in Japan and grew up an ‘army brat’. Upon returning to the United States, JaTawny immersed herself in her aunt’s local theater company. It was during those impressionable years that her passion for the arts developed. Deep within her soul she came to love the stage, set design and theatrics as a whole. Shortly after her twenty first birthday, her love for photography began to blossom. At twenty five and a new mom, she began to appreciate the beautiful concept of being able to capture the entire life story of an individual with the click of a camera shutter.
“I find it spiritually fulfilling photographing real life moments and things that mean something.” says JaTawny. “In 2010 after documenting my fathers battle with cancer and ultimately losing one of the most important people in my life, I stopped chasing after commercial jobs simply for pay and began working on projects that meant something to me. Watching my father’s life pass before my eyes (while I captured his last moments with my camera) was the single most painful thing I’ve ever been through and the hardest life lesson I’ve ever been forced to learn. This life is not forever. I now wish to spend my life focusing on my book and photography projects (usually with the help of my children) and molding my career around my life with no self-imposed limits. I want to leave something important behind. I want to use my camera to capture and create work capable of touching the souls of others.”
JaTawny also spends her spare time photographing homeless families and donating clothing, food and prints through her photography project “Project Altruism”.
Her work has been featured in British Vogue, Vogue Bambini, Babiekins Magazine, Babytalk Magazine, Parenting Magazine, YMCA, National Education Association, National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids, Until There’s a Cure Foundation, Warriors Fighting For His Cure and more.
Jamecia Muckelvene Jackson-
Jamecia Muckelvene is a self-styled freelance writer based in Bowie, Maryland. Jamecia draws inspiration from her family experiences, most poignantly her Army veteran father’s struggle with prostate cancer which later evolved into a rare strain of cancer classified as Sarcomotoid Carcinoma. Her first published work, The Very Awesome Adventures of RuRu & Rudy, was written in collaboration with her sisters and dedicated to their father’s memory. Jamecia’s early years were spent traveling extensively due to her father’s postings in Asia, Europe, and across the U.S., experiences that provided her a unique worldview and continue to inspire her creative pursuits today. Outside of the written word, Jamecia’s passion for shedding light on prostate cancer led her to found the non-profit Warriors Fighting For His Cure in 2010.
When away from the writing table, she finds herself at the centre of her family – with her husband and two children named, naturally, for her parents Pearline & James.
Janique Muckelvene-
The First LoveChild, born on Labor Day of 1972 to my loving parents James and Pearline Muckelvene.
Privileged to live an open minded lifestyle as an Army Brat, head enriched my sense of diversity by my travels to Japan, Virginia, Georgia and Germany during my Elementary, Middle School and High School years.
After High School I became an Assistant Manager for Things Remembered, got married and eventually was blessed with my 4 children: DeAndre, ShaiNeace, AbryAnna and DeJean.
During my Divorce process I recommitted myself to my passion for words and began writing again, thanks to some encouraging words from my sisters Jatawny and Jamecia.
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