- November 2, 2024
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Children's book author and Longboat resident Al "Mifflin" Lowe's best review wasn't published.
“A mother once came up to me and told me that she read one of my books, 'The Cuddle Book,' to her son who wanted her to read it every night to him. Then her son told her that he wanted to take that book in the shower with him so he could read it in there. Can you get a better review than that?” asked Lowe.
Lowe has written 13 books over the years. After publishing “True West” in 2020, a book about builders and heroes that shaped the American West, the success led to another historical book.
Lowe’s most recent book, “Forgotten Founders,” was published last year, and he's working on two more.
“I wrote [Forgotten Founders] because it’s important. Before starting my research for the book, I confess I didn’t know much about the women and people of color who were part of the American Revolution. Make no mistake. They were not historical footnotes. These men and women were brave Patriots,” said Lowe. “The point of this book was not to rewrite history or dismiss the people long known as our Founding Fathers, who were brilliant, courageous and justifiably famous, but to broaden our perspective and celebrate those who have yet to be sufficiently recognized. It’s about honesty and accuracy.”
The hardbound book features Sybil Ludington, who rode 40 miles to warn American colonists about British soldiers and Cuffee Wells Saunders, who rose from slavery to become a respected physician, and many others.
“The contradictions, the gaps between the ideal and the reality, are what make these stories all the more compelling to me.”
Lowe started his professional career as a creative director for an advertising agency.
“Very few people want to be advertising writers,” said Lowe. “I was always thinking about other projects.”
Lowe has won several awards for his work in the advertising field, including One Show, British Design and Art Direction, Cannes and Clio.
“I’ve been able to write since the seventh grade. I had a paper I needed to write for school, and after finishing it, I was so tired. My teacher thought my mother wrote it, and that’s when I knew I could write,” said Lowe.
“Beast by the Bunches,” which was published in 1983, was his first book.
Lowe owned his own jingle company for four years in Rhode Island, and at the time, he had been writing and freelancing.
He was told breaking into the world of writing children’s books was going to be tough.
“I didn’t quit. I actually wrote music for 'Beast by the Bunches,' too, which I performed with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the Missouri Symphony,” said Lowe.
Lowe's love of the arts eventually inspired him to move to Sarasota in 2012, because he loved the culture and community — and where he's since become a member of the Bird Key Yacht Club.
Along with writing books, jingles and music, Lowe has written two short stories, “Adam on Eve” and “American Jugs.”
One short story, yet to be published, still sits on his shelf. When asked why he hasn't published “Tin Windows,” Lowe looked out onto the bay.
“It’s my wife’s favorite story. I write for style and humor, and this one is different,” said Lowe.
When Lowe was 8 years old, he lived in Philadelphia. He was out with some friends, playing on a warm August afternoon. They were nearly abducted in broad daylight.
“We got away, but if we hadn’t run, who knows what could have happened. ('Tin Windows' is) a fictionalized version of what actually happened,” said Lowe.
Lowe’s biggest regret as a writer was turning down the opportunity to appear on Oprah Winfrey’s show for his book, “The Cheapskate’s Handbook,” which sold over 230,000 copies in several languages.
This was before Oprah launched her book club.
“Her producers called me on a Monday around 2 p.m. and asked if I could be in Chicago on Tuesday from Rhode Island. I would have had to scramble to make flying arrangements, and I asked, ‘tomorrow?’ I ended up telling them I couldn’t do it. I was doing 'Drive Time Radio' at the time,” said Mifflin. “That was the biggest professional mistake of my life.”
Lowe has another unfinished project, this one on the lighter side, that he'd love to see come to fruition.
Lowe hopes to see "Cowboy Howie,” a self-published picture book, become an animated film.
“I’ve written a script for it. The illustrator for the book version, Martina Crepulja, who is terrific, graduated from the Ringling College of Art and Design,” said Lowe.
In the meantime, Lowe is working on a book called, “50 Famous Artists Every Child (and Adult) Should Know,” which will be released in September of this year.
Lowe said he is writing constantly, and that he has never had writer’s block.
He explained that he creates a world that captivates young readers and then simply writes it down.
“It’s just so cool to see kids having fun with my work,” said Lowe.
