Sometimes in life, you just need to stop and ask the universe for directions.
That’s what I did, going into my recent trip to Hawaii with my husband and daughter. After years devoted to (and struggling with) two kids’ books near and dear to my heart, I left it up to vacation to provide some meditation and fresh insight.
In exchange I received these three “responses”:
- Encouragement from a mentor to return to the inspiration that sparked this whole journey, Tell Me About Grandma, a book to help teach kids about a special family member they never met.
- A vivid dream about both Sue and Shirley, which woke me (in tears) one balmy Hawaii morning, waves crashing outside my window in the morning sunrise.
- A sleepy request from Szaba to “tell me about Grandma Suzy” and “write me that book.” (For the record, I have never discussed the project with Szaba before. Granted, kids pick up on more we than realize, I know, but it still gave me goose bumps.)
Whether all of that was fate or pure coincidence, I was looking for direction, and I’m not going to ignore what I heard.
I’m moving forward with self publishing Tell Me About Grandma, soon to be followed by The Denim Jungle, another promise to Sue.
I plan to make both stories available as free apps first, with the opportunity to buy hard-cover versions, which will have journaling sections to make it a personalized keepsake for a child.
In the meantime, the hunt is on for an illustrator. Again, with a baby on the way, I can’t promise any time frames, but progress (no matter how small… or slow) is still progress. And for that, I am relieved and rejuvenated.
If you know of any illustrators or app developers you’d particularly recommend, please feel free to list their contact info in the comments below.
In the meantime, off I go, hunting down the next sign post!
Love,
Angela
My Castle Heart Publications 
This makes me very happy! Please keep me posted on your progress. I know so many people (in addition to Szaba) will be very happy to have this book.
Thank you so much, Kerry! Your support and direction on this journey have meant the world to me. I recognize I’m not choosing an easy path (mentally or financially) by attempting the self-publishing route, but when something sticks to your soul this unshakably, I can’t imagine not doing everything possible to see it through. When you witness the death of someone so dear, it puts your own life into perspective and what you want to come out of it. I want this in my “successes” column.