Lynbrook writer co-authors book series

Lynbrook resident Joe Delia and his family friend Susan Willis, of Bridgehampton, have launched their newest children’s book series, “Land of Lots.”

“We’ve been in development for this book series for eight years,” said Willis, owner of Gattie & Lopez, a Manhattan-based TV advertising company. “It’s been a very long, methodical labor putting these books together.”

Willis and her husband, Chuck Willis, co-created the books with a colleague, Christian Carl, who has been in advertising for 30 years as a writer and has worked closely with the Willises. He now lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three children. Susan Willis referred to him as “highly artistic.” “He’s the kind of person who if he’s bored for one minute, something is going to come out of it,” she said, “a sketch, a drawing, an idea, a painting.”

So, when Carl approached them and Delia, an office manager at Gattie & Lopez, with a sketch that he doodled at Ikea, they put their heads together to create “Land of Lots.” The series focuses on a character named Lovelot who travels to the Land of Lots. There she meets many different creatures that she needs to help nurture and guide.

“It all kind of stemmed from this silly little visual,” Carl said. “My job is basically walking around the world and noticing things and finding interesting ideas that are all around me.”

While creation of the books began years ago, Willis and Delia took advantage of the lull caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to slingshot the series forward.

“Two Long Island natives, family friends, from the crazy, wild, ‘Mad Men’ advertising world pause, stop for a minute, look at each other and say, ‘This is the next step for us,’” Delia said.

Carl said he thoroughly enjoyed working with Willis, Delia and the rest of the creative team to collaborate on this passion project.

Although Carl has done a variety of writing for the advertising world, this will be his first children’s book, and he called himself a child at heart. As a father himself, Carl said he not only wrote the book for children, but also for parents.

“In many ways, this book is a lot for parents so that they can have something to look at and remind them that parenting is hard and the kids can put you through a lot,” Carl said, “but at the end of the day, you’ve got to have patience.”

Willis has a similar aspiration for the impact that the books will have on young children. She said she hoped children would see themselves in the books’ characters.

The first three books are set for release Nov. 2 on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. Delia and Willis said they plan to visit many different libraries across Long Island to host readings of the books and hear feedback from parents and children.

The series comprises 13 books, and Carl said he is excited for their launch and is hoping that parents and children will connect through the books.

“We say, ‘Here in the Land of Lots, we have our ups and downs,’” Willis said, “‘but in the end, everything comes around.’”