The Story Behind My Completed Children's Book Manuscript

I am a dreamer, a planner, and a notetaker. Friends have told me I am an idea person and when I look at piles of notes I have written for my future self, I have to agree.

I recently took a look back through some of my old notes from the past decade and came across one book idea that caught my eye. I felt an instant connection with this memory from about 5 years ago and suddenly, all at once, I knew it was time to bring this story to life.

The story poured out of me as if it was simmering in my creative subconscious for all these years just waiting to come out. The story was good. It flowed. It had a problem and a lesson. The character had a personality and was emotive. However, like most authors, I knew this was only the beginning of the writing process and that there was serious work to do.

I spent the next while rereading, revising, and cutting out parts altogether until I hit a point where I wasn't sure if my changes were making the story better or worse. It was then that I hired a professional children's book editor. It was also the moment that I realized that this time was going to be different. I was not going to jot down this story and shove it in my desk drawer for another 5 to 10 years. I was going to follow through and bring this story to life.

My book is called "Amelia's Loose Part Art," and it is about a young artist (named Amelia, of course) who discovers an interesting new way to create art when she forgets her art box at home. Themes within the story include resilience, problem-solving, and being open to trying new things.

My editor and I went back and forth with the manuscript until we both just looked at each other with the same feeling that it was done. It was ready. It is now time to choose the illustrator that will show what the text doesn't tell and enhance what the text does say.

Now, here I sit with a finished manuscript that I can't stop reading to myself. A lifetime of reading children's books, including in early childhood and kindergarten classrooms, is how I know that this story is going to be well loved by young children, as well as by the adults who read it to them. It's a fun read, and I can't wait for the day that you can hold it in your hands and read it too.