Hello friends!!!
So, I don't think I've mentioned this project on my blog here at all since I've started it. Man, what a dummy I am!!! Yea, so as you already know (by the title) that I am finally writing my own children's book. It's not the typical children's book your thinking of, one that is only about 10 pages, with more illustrations than words....it's quite the opposite. This book is going to be one that you can read to you 'older' children, I'm writing it to be an experience you can share with your child. My target age range is between 6-13ish. It's simple enough to read to your younger ones, but interesting enough and has deeper meaning for your older ones. This is a book you're going to have to have a conversation about.
The idea for this story came to me on a drive home from college a few years back. It was fall and there's always a good bit of fog around that time of year. Being from Pennsylvania, I am no stranger to hills and valleys. On this day home from school, I was coming down from a rather large hill and towards the bottom I noticed a giant fog cloud just sitting in the middle of trees. There was such a separation between where the fog was and was not. And, this got my gears turning and ever since then (roughly fall of 2013) I have been dreaming up this world within the cloud. Something about seeing that weird little fog cloud instantly had my mind just swirling with thoughts and I couldn't shut it off. I tried a few years before that to write a children's book, but it ended up taking a turn for the 'sad' while I was writing it and I couldn't finish it. I was writing it around the time that my mom got really sick and I think that some how crept it's way into my writing. Since taking a few years to clear my mind, I'm back at it and I think this time around the story is really good. I've learned a lot in between then.
Let's talk about this book....I don't want to give too much away. I'm still writing and I haven't even started on the illustrations or layout yet. But, I'm really happy with where it's going so far. The main character, Helen, is thrown into a new life after a terrible family accident and decides to find a new path on her own. She braves the unknown to find peace and understanding that her new extended family is unwilling to give her. So, Helen runs away and eventually finds Cloud Town deep, deep in the woods where she eventually finds a community that is just as diverse and outcast as she is and they welcome her in with open arms!
I'm hoping to have the entire story, the illustrations and everything done, printed and ready for sale by next spring! It may even come out sooner depending on how quickly I get thru this writing process, that's what is taking me the most time. I feel like I can't really illustrate every thing properly until the story is finished. Now, I must admit...I am no professional writer, I'm a damn illustrator, but I'm doing my best to write the best story I possibly can. And, I have a few friends that are writers that I eventually plan to ask them to help me edit and make the story a million times better, or at least fix my spelling errors.
The story has a lot of under lying themes that aren't right in your face, things that you have to think a little extra about and have conversations about to really understand. A big focus of this project is to gently force you to talk to your kids and provide opportunities to have deeper conversations; instead of just reading a book where the morals are so blatantly in the foreground. I know those books are good for really little ones, but for the older kids, I feel it cheapens the meaning and is an insult to your intelligence. I want you to think and I want you to grow along with your children. Books are meant to be shared and talked about. And I hope this one helps open up more dialog between you.
If you would like to help me make this book and get first looks at the progress and a deeper look at the story, I invite you to check out my Patreon and consider becoming a patron. You'll get small snippets of storyline, first looks at character development and first looks at other projects I'm working on. You can pledge as little as $1 to help out with the book. Every dollar you pledge not only helps me get this book to where it needs to be but it also helps me bring you more content, and you get prizes! It certainly is not an obligation, but if you find it in your heart to help out please do. I appreciate all the support and love each and every one of you that have expressed interest in this project.
I can't wait to officially share this book with you, let you read it and have it just out in the world. This is definitely a passion project and something that has been in my head for a really long time. So, it is a wonderful feeling to finally see it becoming a real thing. Thank you for taking the time to read this incredibly long winded post, and thank you for your continued support and love! You guys don't know how much it means to me that people are even remotely interested in my project. Sending love your way!!
xoxo. holly erinn
