Writing my first book

We have all made wishes on birthday candles. But what happens when all the exact elements combine, and instantly, our wish is bestowed? Our first thought is 'Yippee!' but we do not fully realize its effect on us and others, especially those who love us.

Little Uncle Chris embarks on a lovely adventure underneath the blue sea when his wish turns him into a merboy. He meets many sea creatures with charming personalities and abilities; however, the cost to his parents, who are exceedingly worried about his new transformation and spend a lot of exhaustive time looking for him. Sometimes, adventures come at a price, generally someone else's. But those who love us support our choices regardless of the expense and hopefully arm our adventure seekers with all the right tools to help support them or extricate them from their misadventures when they occur. Such is life.

Misadventures often happen in life, and we need rescue. Such is the case with Little Uncle Chris and his best friend, Clownfish. Thank goodness, this time, equipped with all the right tools and a parent there to catch the floundering merboy, the adventure comes to a happy conclusion.  

I wanted to write a story to entertain children, but I felt compelled to include some teachable elements, as the educator in me cannot resist. Therefore, I included a little geography, a few facts about a country and its relevance, adding contemporary concerns, like caring for our planet, and always including the most important of elements, love. And let us not forget curiosity; we need to inspire this gift of wonder.

It was also vital to me to make the book bright and colorful. I wanted every page to captivate and inspire readers to dream and want more. Nothing fills my heart more than seeing the delight on a child's face as they look through excellent books. I wanted my book to do just that, to delight.

The book's narrator is one of my grandsons. I wanted the story to be told through the vision of a child. The grandson has heard the story numerous times about his uncle from the grandmother and retells the tale for the reader. I wanted the story to have a childlike quality, creating an inviting environment for children. And yes, I have made up plenty of bedtime stories for the grandsons, and a few will make it into my following books. So, stay tuned.

This book took me over seven months, from writing the story, researching, and illustrating to editing and publishing. And yet, the time flew, and before I knew it, the book was in the hands of little ones, and they smiled, and my heart grew.

I hope you will enjoy my efforts in creating this loving project, for it was and remains a lovely journey toward the heart of every child.