[StBernard] St. Bernard native launches storybook app

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard native launches storybook app

Published: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 7:00 AM

 By The Times-Picayune 

While a resident of St. Bernard Parish, Julie Landry Laviolette was most
known for her writing. The St. Bernard native and journalist worked as a
writer, columnist and  editor of The St. Bernard Picayune between 1992 and
2005, sharing the news of the area and the accomplishments of its people.

The app, created to target an audience of 8- through 12-year-old readers,
takes the idea of an ebook one step further by allowing the user to interact
with the text and affect the outcome of the story.

Story Bayou, of course, is a play on "story by you" and Laviolette's own
recognition of her Louisiana heritage.

"I liked the word 'bayou' because to me, a bayou is meandering and
mysterious," she said. "I wanted an element of mystery to be part of these
stories so that the kids would really get into them."

The app's first book in its series, "Brush of Truth," centers on two young
children who find a medieval sorcerer's magical paintbrush while playing on
a beach. Together with the reader, the two children will discover the powers
of this paintbrush.

"The app is written in second person, so the user becomes cast as the main
character," Laviolette said. "Along the way, they face 65 decision points,
which will lead to 20 possible endings."

Keeping the reader intrigued and coming back for more was one of the main
focuses of this type of interactive story, Laviolette said. Giving a reader
an opportunity to go back, make a new choice and see something different
adds to that element of intrigue.

Story Bayou was really an attempt to forge a union between a generation with
a love for technology and a writer with a passion for reading.

For help with the technical side, Laviolette partnered with Linxter, a
software company.

"The development of this app came from two main reasons," Laviolette said.
"First, I have always been a big reader, and I wanted to foster that love
for reading. And second, there are so many video game apps out there, but
there was definitely room for a reading app. I wanted to make use of the
technology that children are so fascinated by and give them an option for
entertainment that is more constructive."

Laviolette also credits her two children - Ian, 11, and Chloe, 9 - with
helping to inspire this endeavor.

"As a mom, I look for tools that will help my kids become lifelong readers,"
Laviolette said. "It makes sense to harness the technology they love and
offer books in a format they are comfortable using."

The app was launched at a Ft. Lauderdale area elementary school, where
students and teachers were able to give firsthand feedback about their
experiences.

"It has gotten a lot of positive feedback from teachers, mainly about how it
gets kids excited about reading," Laviolette said. "There has also been
another, sort of unintended benefit: It has inspired kids in their creative
writing."

"Brush of Truth," which is available for $1.99, is intended to be the first
in the series of books Laviolette will write and then transform into a
smartphone and tablet-friendly app. She has already started laying the
groundwork for her second in the series, a story to be set in her hometown
of New Orleans.

"We have been in Florida for several years, but we visit New Orleans each
year for three to four weeks to visit and to eat," Laviolette said. "On my
last visit, I spent a lot of time visiting our favorite places to take
photos and make notes for the story I am working on now."

 
- By Alison Schroeder