Most everybody has exhibited ‘piggy’ behavior at some time or another: texting at a stoplight, cutting in line, answering a cell phone in a theater or not picking up after a dog. Pacific Palisades Richard Rosser has written a children’s book, ‘Piggy Nation: A Day at Work With Dad,’ that deals with this behavior in a humorous fashion. The idea for the book came from ‘piggy’ behavior a few years back, when Rosser, wife Stacey, son Nick and daughter Ali met his mother-in-law for dinner in a restaurant. The family, which moved to Pacific Palisades in 1999, watched as she waited for a car to back out so she could have the spot. As the car pulled out, a Corvette zipped in from the other direction and stole the space. Rosser’s children urged him to go tell the guy that he had stolen grandma’s space. Instead, it was the birth of ‘Piggy Nation.’ As Rosser worked on the book, he asked himself, ‘What if my main character is ultimately the biggest piggy?’ And then asked, ‘Where does he live [Piggy Nation, Pacific Palisades] and what does he do for a living [piggy patrol officer]?’ He thought about trying to find an agent and considered submitting his book to major publishers but couldn’t stand the idea of waiting months to hear back, so he decided to self-publish. A first assistant director on the CBS show, ‘The Defenders,’ Rosser gave the manuscript to a co-worker to read. She advised him to find an illustrator and then take the book to schools. Rosser, who earned his master’s degree in film production from New York University and has worked on a number of Nickelodeon shows like ‘Pete and Pete’ and ‘Lizzie McGuire,’ advertised through Internet sites for an illustrator and received replies from as far away as India, Brazil and the Czech Republic. After sending respondents a page to illustrate, Rosser said, ‘They did a great job, but it just wasn’t there.’ Last April, a friend of his son’s saw Rosser’s Facebook request for an illustrator and introduced Rosser to her father, who worked for ‘The Simpsons.’ The father was unavailable, but put Rosser in touch with Shane Sowell, a freelance artist with a master’s degree in illustration, design and animation. Rosser gave Sowell, who lives in Kentucky, a page to illustrate, explaining he wanted the book to have a cinematic feel, and pictures that heightened the action. ‘He got it right away,’ Rosser said. Once some pages were completed, Rosser called teachers at Marquez Elementary, where his children had attended school, and asked if he could read it. The response was good, and Rosser next went to St. Matthew’s and Willows. In June 2010, he presented his book at a school assembly at Marquez. After ‘hamming’ it up for his audience, pretending to do the piggy behavior he eschewed, Rosser came away satisfied. ‘I’ve always loved working with kids,’ he said, noting that ever since his son Nick died in a traffic accident two years ago, ‘I’ve been looking forward to satisfying that longing.’ His children had performed in Marquez teacher Jeff Lanto’s musicals, which gave Rosser the idea to write a musical. As a child, he had watched his mother perform in summer-stock musicals in Oklahoma, and he plays keyboard for a local rock band, The Libations. But he also knew his limitations and looked for someone to write the music for his lyrics. The next month a friend introduced him to Alex Wells, who writes music for ‘Outside Joke,’ a comedy production team. After Rosser heard Wells’ demo tape, ‘I knew he was the guy.’ Even though Rosser had certain musical ideas for his lyrics, sometimes Wells would depart from that. ‘I sent him an Eric Clapton song [for a suggestion], thinking ‘blues,’ but he came back with more of a swing,’ Rosser said. ‘It blew me away.’ In September, he met Dorothy Dillingham Blue, who has directed numerous youth productions. ‘I’m looking for a spring musical for Theatre Palisades Youth,’ she told him. ‘Do you think you could have it ready by December 15?’ ‘Deadlines are great,’ said Rosser, who only had a portion of the musical completed and finished it by working nights and weekends and over Thanksgiving. The premiere of ‘Piggy Nation’ by Theatre Palisades Youth is Friday, February 25 at Pierson Playhouse. On Saturday, February 26, Rosser and Sowell, who is flying in from Kentucky, where he lives, will sign copies of ‘Piggy Nation’ at Village Books on Swarthmore at 11 a.m. ‘I’m looking forward to it all and seeing where it goes,’ Rosser said. Visit: www.piggynation.com or www.theatrepalisades.org
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