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?