I had to remind myself that for years I fantasized about holding a book I'd written in my hands. Well, now I have held book one, "Puddles" and today book two, "Bjoyfl" and yesterday....my sister DeeDee's first book, "Taking Arthritis to School."
I tell you, it doesn't get any better than that.
DeeDee and I played in our imaginary village 40 years ago creating all kinds of fiction orally, not knowing that is what were doing.
I kept making up stories through the years and finally realized I was meant to write fiction.
DeeDee went on to be an Elementary school teacher and seems to have been on a mission to inspire her students to be good readers and writers...how best to do that...write a book and get it published..I am so proud of her...
Not only did she get a children's book published, it is dedicated to her son, Eric. Eric grew up with JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) and DeeDee's book is designed to be an easy reader for kids and at the same time a tool to help them understand what kids go through when they have to live with this condition.
I got choked up when I saw her book. The illustrator drew the boy in the book with Eric in mind and even put a beagle in several of the pictures; like Butch, the beagle they owned when he was growing up.
Thanks for listening to a 49 year old woman, feeling like a nine year old kid with a new bike, oh, make that book!