As I sat on the deck watching my daughter and son play on their playset, I began to daydream…  “What would it be like to be a published author?”  This had been a dream of mine for a very long time and I was ready to make it happen.  I looked at the blank page in my notebook and began to write.  Every book begins with a blank page. 

My desire to be a children’s author was there from a young age.  I remember first writing a children’s book in high school.  I didn’t pursue getting published until I was a teacher and a mom.  I needed to find my author’s voice.  I was always a reader as a kid, but not a writer.  My mom was the librarian in my elementary school and it was my favorite place to be.  Before and after school, I would get lost in the shelves of books and stories. 

As I began to write, my ideas poured onto the paper quickly.  All those years of imagining paid off!  I pictured helping a neighbor girl to use her imagination.  I always encouraged my kids (at school and home) to think of the world around them.  There is a story everywhere! 

Think about what you see right now.  I am sitting in my living room and a little brown bird just hopped onto my porch.  Is he looking for food?  When I use my imagination, I can see a story about a lost bird looking for a friend.  Then they have some grand adventures.  What story do you see?