Latest / Adventures in the Heart of Children's Book Authors Podcast / How Life Experiences and Friendships Inspired a Children's Book Author

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How Life Experiences and Friendships Inspired a Children's Book Author · Adventures in the Heart of Children's Book Authors Podcast

• 3:06
  Veronica o' Sullivan Glory B.
• 3:10
  Thanks Veronica, for appearing on the Adventures in the Heart of Children's Book Authors podcast.
• 3:15
  Veronica has written a children's book called Glory B.
• 3:18
  And I look forward to our conversation.
• 3:21
  Veronica, before we jump into the details of your book, can you tell us what being a children's book author means to you?
• 3:29
  Thank you so much, Rafe.
• 3:31
  I'm so happy to be here.
• 3:33
  Being a children's author for me gave a way to share a story that's meaningful honestly in my heart, and it's not easy to put that out there, share a little bit of vulnerability or an experience that you had,
• 3:49
  but knowing that can impact someone else in a positive way.
• 3:54
  I think being a children's author gives you the chance to put that vulnerability that's in your heart and share that with others.
• 4:00
  Tell us the inspiration behind your book and explain to us how did it.
• 4:05
  All start the story?
• 4:08
  Glory B.
• 4:09
  Was inspired by my friendship with a woman named Lisa Mignotta Olson.
• 4:16
  But Lisa and I met in the third grade, so it started out as a childhood friendship by two girls who honestly look very different on the outside.
• 4:28
  In order for me to tell my story, I need to share a little bit of Lisa's.
• 4:31
  And Lisa was born without limbs, so when she was introduced to our third grade class as children, we were really blessed to have the opportunity to get to know her and also learn something about ourselves through those budding
• 4:47
  friendships.
• 4:48
  Was inspired by friendship.
• 4:51
  Wow.
• 4:53
  It goes all the way back to grade three, which is incredible.
• 4:58
  And a friendship that has endured that amount of time and I find that very fascinating.
• 5:05
  When I talk to children's book authors and we talk about how long have they had this book brewing.
• 5:12
  When did you actually think you would turn this friendship into a children's book?
• 5:20
  I guess I would say that's the beauty of friendship because it inspires you to do something that you didn't even think was possible for yourself.
• 5:30
  So despite our friendship of X number of years, I'm not going to give away my age, but despite that decades long friendship, it honestly we both got busy.
• 5:42
  We went into high school, we went into college, we went about our lives and starting families.
• 5:48
  And so there's so much time and learning that happens before it.
• 5:54
  Actually I had a moment between career breaks where I actually just had time to have a little bit of peace to enjoy nature.
• 6:06
  We're all on this treadmill of life trying to accomplish things that we think are what we need to accomplish.
• 6:14
  I'll be honest, being a children's author was not on My checklist of to dos.
• 6:20
  And it really wasn't until I had that opportunity between work to start spending some time out in nature.
• 6:26
  Actually, there was another piece of inspiration in that story, and I'll get to that.
• 6:30
  Share with that later.
• 6:31
  But a teacher of mine who actually captured the photos that are shared in the story just happened to enter my awareness and it was very quick.
• 6:41
  I feel like when the Lord says, hey, I've got a special project I want you to work on, he provides the capability and the equipment there for you to make that happen.
• 6:51
  So it really took about six months of quieting my mind, paying attention to some of the beauty around me, putting that pen to paper and having a finished product.
• 7:02
  And I don't know if that's the normal story for a children's author or if there's a lot more toiling that goes into it, but I just feel that when there's something kind of magical happens and children's books really
• 7:15
  give you the opportunity to feel that magic, that's truly what I experienced.
• 7:19
  And I started that process in 2022 and had that book published in early 2023.
• 7:27
  Wow.
• 7:28
  Now that you've had your book into the marketplace for a little while, I'm curious about your children's book business.
• 7:39
  What did you have in mind when you launched your book?
• 7:42
  Did you see it as a way to build a business?
• 7:45
  Because now you have this product, you have a children's book.
• 7:47
  How to create some revenue and create awareness and build a book business.
• 7:52
  Talk to us about that.
• 7:55
  Yeah, that's definitely been an evolution, Rick.
• 7:58
  When I started writing casually, I was the president of my neighborhood hoa and we started putting out a little newsletter.
• 8:07
  So that gave me the chance to try to put some inspirational word out there and positivity.
• 8:12
  So that was really my first foray into other people reading any of my writing.
• 8:17
  And then during the pandemic, when it was even harder to have face to face conversations with people, I started a blog called Weather the Storms and really just wanted to focus on challenges that we face.
• 8:32
  I had been watching a lot of Little House on the Prairie.
• 8:35
  And in that, in that era, there were just a lot of challenges for people to overcome.
• 8:41
  And with faith and friends and family, it's so possible to do that.
• 8:45
  I think that was maybe brewing under the surface.
• 8:47
  So I started that blog and coined that, that term, Weather the Storms.
• 8:52
  And so I started the LLC with that.
• 8:54
  Not quite sure what, what that would become.
• 8:57
  I was able to tie that into once the book actually was published.
• 9:02
  That's the LLC business that I use to collect the revenue from the sale of the book.
• 9:08
  I do want to highlight that proceeds from the sale of all my books go to help my friend Lisa, because even though she's incredibly independent in many ways, she does require paid caregivers to help her get ready for
• 9:21
  work every day and prepare her meals and get ready for bed.
• 9:24
  So proceeds from the sale of the book go to support Lisa.
• 9:27
  I think being that sort of doer type person, it's still evolving because I think that message of helping others and valuing friendship is something that maybe never gets old and never should be hidden away.
• 9:43
  I do have some ideas brewing that will take that to a wider audience than perhaps initially a children's book.
• 9:50
  So I'm excited to think about the future of this continuing to grow and create that possibility for Lisa, too.
• 9:56
  Terrific.
• 9:56
  And you have your book in a hardcover format and a paperback format on Amazon?
• 10:04
  I do, and we are in the process of releasing an ebook version of it as well that'll be available on Amazon other book retailers online.
• 10:13
  Okay.
• 10:13
  And are you using ingramsparks for the other online retailers?
• 10:18
  Yes, my book's available on ingramsparks.
• 10:20
  Yes, it is.
• 10:21
  Okay, fantastic.
• 10:23
  And to dig a little deeper into the business side of your book, I noticed you offer coaching.
• 10:29
  It's called Balanced Social serving.
• 10:32
  Have I got that correct?
• 10:34
  Yes.
• 10:35
  And it's tied into your book?
• 10:38
  Yes.
• 10:39
  Everybody wants you to give that kind of one sentence pitch.
• 10:43
  What's your book about?
• 10:44
  And I guess it really depends on the audience.
• 10:47
  If I focus on the story of friendship, if I focus on the story of helping others.
• 10:53
  I work in the finance industry too.
• 10:55
  And being a good steward of what we have, whether those are financial resources, time gifts and talents that you possess, I think being a good steward is just so important.
• 11:07
  And when I've used that in my pitch, sometimes people are not familiar with the word steward.
• 11:13
  And I've been challenged in some cases to try to find an alternative for it, but I'm not sure there is one.
• 11:20
  And I think perhaps my mission is to make sure more people understand what it means to be a good steward.
• 11:26
  And so explain that a little more to the audience.
• 11:29
  Being a good steward.
• 11:31
  Being a good steward.
• 11:32
  I refer to First Peter 4:10.
• 11:35
  And we are instructed to use our gifts and talents to serve others in all God's various forms of grace that he gives to us.
• 11:45
  And that could look different for everyone.
• 11:47
  Some people are different, introverted and love to be able to share their gifts widely and loudly from people are more extroverted I think I got those backwards, see.
• 11:55
  Cause I'm the introverted extrovert.
• 11:56
  So I'm a little bit of both.
• 11:58
  And some people have to find a way to do that a little bit more quietly and behind the scenes.
• 12:02
  But either way, we have something within us that can be a blessing to somebody else.
• 12:09
  It doesn't have to be financial resources.
• 12:11
  It could be just your ability to bake cookies or bread for someone in your neighborhood who might be going through a tough time.
• 12:19
  It might be just driving a friend to a doctor's appointment.
• 12:23
  These are little moments that we can do to care for someone else.
• 12:27
  And that is what it means to be a good steward, to use what you have for the benefit of others in a responsible way.
• 12:35
  Our world, our community, our neighborhoods, our families are so much richer when we do that.
• 12:40
  So.
• 12:40
  So I just want to encourage everyone to be a good steward.
• 12:43
  And that doesn't matter if someone looks different than you, if someone believes different.
• 12:48
  Than you, you see that work itself out through your own family.
• 12:53
  Because I know I had a busy career and I have two children, and I tried to stay as active as I could in their lives, but I noticed as I became a grandparent and had more time, more resources,
• 13:10
  and you know what?
• 13:11
  I have five grandchildren.
• 13:12
  So now.
• 13:13
  And their personalities, to your point, Veronica, are.
• 13:17
  They're different.
• 13:18
  They're not all cookie cutter personalities.
• 13:20
  They're all different.
• 13:22
  And how, as you talk about the stewardship, how you handle that stewardship, even with your individual grandchildren, is different because their interests are different and their needs are different.
• 13:33
  So thank you for sharing that.
• 13:35
  You had mentioned that framework and that concept that I created called balanced social serving.
• 13:40
  And that's still an idea that I'm working on developing and writing more about.
• 13:45
  But essentially, like you said, we are busy people, we have busy lives.
• 13:48
  And so often you hear that phrase of the work life balance, right?
• 13:52
  We have these two opposing forces.
• 13:55
  And people feel like if I'm giving my all at work, then I'm not giving my all in my life.
• 13:59
  And if I'm giving my all in my life and my family, then I'm probably sacrificing some opportunities at work.
• 14:05
  And I really want people to feel inspired by the idea that it doesn't have to be this push pull constantly, that you can be giving of yourself in a social setting, in a serving setting, in that kind of
• 14:19
  work, or in just in something that you enjoy as your pastime.
• 14:22
  And that there really can be that feeling of shared accomplishment through all of those tasks.
• 14:29
  And yeah, sure, There'll be seasons where maybe one feels a little more intense than the other.
• 14:35
  But overall, if you're constantly feeling that struggle within you, that's when you feel like you can't share your goodness and gifts with the world because you're so conflicted within yourself.
• 14:46
  I want to encourage people to just feel that enjoyment in what they're doing.
• 14:50
  And I find when I talk to a lot of children's book authors, writing a children's book and bringing it to life definitely brings.
• 14:57
  I can tell as you're talking about stewardship, balance, a lot of that.
• 15:03
  And it ends up being something you give that you didn't even know you were about to give.
• 15:10
  And so that's pretty neat.
• 15:13
  I want to talk to you about your publishing approach.
• 15:16
  So I know you deal with a publisher.
• 15:20
  It's Palmetto, like the tree that is the state tree of South Carolina.
• 15:24
  Palmetto publisher.
• 15:25
  Tell us about your publisher and what kind of publisher are they and how did you come to work with them?
• 15:33
  Yeah, technically I am self published.
• 15:36
  But not knowing that process in producing my first book, I wanted to work with someone local that I could really talk to and know on the phone.
• 15:45
  There's so many resources when you start to look online.
• 15:48
  But I reached out to Palmetto Publishers because I knew they had experience in that big city publishing space initially before becoming Palmetto publishers to really focus on that kind of South Carolina market.
• 16:01
  And they're a hybrid publisher.
• 16:04
  Yes, they were a tremendous help.
• 16:06
  A little bit of maybe a control freak myself.
• 16:08
  So I had a sense of what I wanted the book to look like.
• 16:12
  Some books I was inspired by as a child and they asked those questions like, share with us some books that look how you want yours to look.
• 16:21
  And then I'm only familiar with PowerPoint, a little bit old school, there's.
• 16:24
  But it allowed me to lay out what I had in mind.
• 16:28
  And since I provided photos for my book, I didn't need an illustrator.
• 16:33
  But they will help connect you with an illustrator that can help bring your story to life.
• 16:38
  I provided the story, the manuscript and the photos, and they helped with the layout and have helped with all the distribution through online channels and including providing me with printed copies so that when I go and attend different
• 16:52
  events, I'm able to handle the sales of books there.
• 16:55
  When it came to publishing, it's unique because each one of us comes at publishing differently.
• 17:03
  And generally there's three types of publishing.
• 17:05
  There's independent publishing, where you take on everything, and then there's the hybrid or self publishing, like you did where you actually get some expertise to help you along the way.
• 17:17
  You still have a financial commitment, but you end up still having control how your book comes to market.
• 17:25
  And then, of course, there's traditional publishing where the publisher takes it all on.
• 17:29
  And at the end of the day, you think, was that even my idea or book?
• 17:35
  Yeah, it's always different.
• 17:36
  So it sounded like you got involved.
• 17:39
  What was the biggest frustration or challenge as you started looking into publishing?
• 17:46
  Honestly, it really came together very well for me.
• 17:50
  I think Palmetto Publishers was a great partner for me in my first publishing experience.
• 17:56
  It was important to me that I would retain the rights to my story.
• 18:01
  So if there is an opportunity out there and some big publishing house wants to spread it even further, I would be thrilled and able to still take advantage of an opportunity like that.
• 18:11
  But, yeah, but it worked really well.
• 18:14
  And I will say, since publishing, I've connected with some other children's authors in my local area, and that's been a huge help because you hear what worked well in different scenarios and how we might tweak things for potentially
• 18:30
  a second book or so.
• 18:31
  It's interesting.
• 18:32
  You're almost my hundredth children's book author that I've talked to.
• 18:35
  Oh, wow.
• 18:36
  Yeah.
• 18:37
  And I've only heard one story where someone found a hybrid publishing company and it didn't work out for them, and they changed.
• 18:47
  But for the most part, I don't know if it's good instincts by all my guests.
• 18:52
  You tend to do your research and you find someone that you can work with and you're asking the right questions, and there's a fit, and away you go.
• 19:00
  And it's nice because that's a big part of it, is getting your book published.
• 19:05
  And when you can have a positive experience and have your book completed, that's pretty incredible.
• 19:11
  It does feel very rewarding at the end to be able to see that project through and be proud of the work you put out.
• 19:19
  And through their help with distribution channels, my book has been sold in.
• 19:24
  I think it's seven countries now, which is amazing.
• 19:30
  So it just feels amazing that's even possible.
• 19:32
  So.
• 19:32
  So, yeah.
• 19:33
  Well, I always tell people, and I only mention this because I.
• 19:39
  I'm astounded.
• 19:40
  Our podcast is being listened to in over 43 different countries.
• 19:45
  And.
• 19:45
  And that's when I went, wow.
• 19:47
  Like, I.
• 19:47
  I always thought if we got into, like, a North American audience, I'd be a happy camper.
• 19:53
  And yet, all of a sudden, these countries kept popping up, and I'm thinking, whoa.
• 19:59
  And what was incredible is that most of us go to Amazon as our first go to in terms of distribution of our books.
• 20:08
  And the beautiful thing about Amazon, whether you like Amazon or you don't like Amazon, is they have publishing capabilities in over 50 countries and they also reach out to about 100 countries.
• 20:24
  So when you think about it, as long as you've gone in and set it up that your book's available, worldwide distribution through Amazon, your ability to sell, in your case Veronica, to seven different countries.
• 20:38
  Now I didn't ask you this.
• 20:39
  Maybe you can tell us, did you sell those books in seven different countries through Amazon?
• 20:45
  I'm not sure they were all through Amazon, but probably the vast majority.
• 20:50
  That's where most of the sales have taken place.
• 20:52
  And thank you.
• 20:52
  Because it's the first time I've talked to someone.
• 20:55
  I've talked to different people who have sold books in different countries, but I've never asked them, okay, how were they distributed?
• 21:03
  It just goes to show folks that if you're, if we're getting listened to in over 43 different countries and you have your books on Amazon and they're distributed to a hundred different countries, the chances of you getting worldwide
• 21:18
  sales are.
• 21:19
  Pretty incredible now that they're thinking about it.
• 21:21
  I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to reach your audience too.
• 21:24
  So I'll definitely be paying close attention to see if the number of countries for book sales goes up in the future.
• 21:29
  It's always so incredible.
• 21:32
  The one thing I wanted to talk to you about that I found fascinating because at this point in the interview, I usually start talking about the illustrator and how did you develop this relationship?
• 21:45
  Veronica's done something quite unique and I love it because you're my first children's book authority that has done something this unique.
• 21:54
  And instead of using a illustrator, you used a photographer to bring your story to life.
• 22:02
  And we're going to get into talking about your story.
• 22:04
  But talk to us about this.
• 22:07
  You said it just happened that this person came into your life at the right moment.
• 22:13
  Tell us, did you ever think about illustrating it or how did the whole idea that instead of illustrations we're going to do photography.
• 22:23
  Talk to us about that.
• 22:26
  Okay.
• 22:27
  So when I was in the second grade, my teacher, her name was Ms.
• 22:33
  Bass, I had her, she was my gate teacher in the second grade.
• 22:37
  I had her again in the fifth grade when I went into middle school because she switched roles and had her for geography teacher.
• 22:45
  And she was just the most inspiring, interesting ability to challenge her students teacher that you could have.
• 22:52
  And she just made learning so fun.
• 22:54
  So she was someone who just absolutely, as a teacher, made an impact on my life.
• 22:59
  Fast forward many years later, and thanks to the invention, social media can be a rough place sometimes.
• 23:06
  But we have family and friends spread around the world, and the ability to connect with people in a positive way is really one of the benefits of it.
• 23:16
  So many years later that teacher Christine Bass and I were able to reconnect through Facebook and she was still posting the most interesting factoid bits of information.
• 23:29
  We reached out, we chatted, whatever, and then after being Facebook friends, she shared the picture of the butterfly.
• 23:37
  And I know we'll get into the story of the butterfly, but essentially she found this little damaged chrysalis that had fallen, and she's a grandmother now.
• 23:48
  And she said, oh, I'm going to keep this little chrysalis and show my grandson when he comes over.
• 23:53
  The next morning, the chrysalis had hatched and this little butterfly had emerged.
• 23:59
  But because it had fallen to the ground, his wing was crumpled and didn't fully form as his wing started to dry.
• 24:07
  So she captured this picture and again, just being this person who just inspires wonder in the things she sees all around, she captured the picture and just was magical, really.
• 24:20
  I reached out and said, I'm really inspired by this story.
• 24:22
  I'd love to write a book about this.
• 24:25
  And of course, because we had been through elementary school and middle school together, she knew of Lisa's story as well.
• 24:30
  And she said, absolutely.
• 24:32
  How can I get these pictures to you?
• 24:34
  Where are you?
• 24:35
  And turns out this is just one of those blessings and how God works.
• 24:41
  Her sister lives in the same town as me in South Carolina.
• 24:46
  My teacher's all the way up in Maine, all the way up the East Coast.
• 24:49
  So she said, I'm coming down to visit my sister.
• 24:52
  Let's meet up.
• 24:52
  And you can download the photos from my phone and use what you want.
• 24:56
  I know that's such a long story, but it's almost.
• 24:59
  You can't believe it.
• 25:00
  Like, this friendship with Lisa started in elementary school.
• 25:02
  This relationship with the teacher started in elementary school.
• 25:06
  And it's just given me such an appreciation for this wonderful fabric that we weave throughout our lives with people we impact and we don't even know.
• 25:17
  I'll probably get emotional.
• 25:19
  You don't even know what's going to come of that.
• 25:21
  And it's just so beautiful if we accept those moments when they come.
• 25:28
  It's incredible now in the digital age, because like you said, sometimes social media can be brutal.
• 25:35
  But if you can look for the beauty in it.
• 25:38
  And our whole children's book authorship started because my oldest granddaughter, Kira, and I love to go.
• 25:48
  And we had so many adventures in the Rocky Mountains.
• 25:51
  And what ended up happening is I always call her our first digital baby, because when she came along, there was no such thing as film or negatives.
• 26:04
  Everything was captured on your smartphone.
• 26:07
  And most of us have thousands and thousands of pictures on our smartphone sitting in this digital treasure trove.
• 26:15
  Most of the time, we don't do anything with them.
• 26:18
  If it wasn't for them popping up every once in a while, you probably wouldn't look at them.
• 26:23
  And my granddaughter said to me, papa, oh, we've got so many pictures of our adventure.
• 26:30
  Can we sit down and write a children's book?
• 26:34
  And that's how it all started.
• 26:36
  And that's how we came up with the idea of our book and our book series called the Adventures of Caboose the Rocky Mountain Bear.
• 26:43
  But what's incredible is we took the digital pictures and created illustrations and found an illustrator.
• 26:51
  You saw the pictures, which were digital, and said, oh, this is pretty cool.
• 27:00
  Let's take the actual photographs and create a children's book.
• 27:05
  So what made you not think about, oh, you know what?
• 27:09
  I'll just get an illustrator, and we'll illustrate the story from the photograph.
• 27:14
  Tell us why you weren't motivated to do that.
• 27:18
  There was a series of books that I really enjoyed as a child, and they all had photographs.
• 27:24
  One was a little girl that had a baby bunny that grew up, and it made me feel like, hey, that could be me.
• 27:30
  This little girl, she had little blonde pigtails, and it was pictures of her and her rabbit.
• 27:34
  And then the next one in the series was a little girl with her baby duck, and the duck hatched and grew up.
• 27:39
  There was another one with her puppy being born.
• 27:41
  So I think just remembering how that book made me feel like I was looking at a friend.
• 27:47
  Right.
• 27:48
  We didn't have social media then.
• 27:49
  So here I got to enjoy this book as though I was looking at a friend, not a cartoon of a friend.
• 27:55
  And I think that made me realize that, hey, these are photos.
• 27:59
  I can work with that.
• 28:00
  And I also liked that there was a bit of a science aspect to those books by having the photographs and, you know, using words in the book like chrysalis and proboscis, the little tongue of the butterfly.
• 28:13
  There's a little bit of science education for kids, too, and I think that's a nice addition to it.
• 28:18
  I will say, Rick, it is one of the things that worries me about doing Another book is, jeez, I might not have photos next time.
• 28:25
  So I will have to find an illustrator to work with or whatever the next concept is that comes along.
• 28:31
  That's okay, too.
• 28:32
  That's the beautiful thing about children's books.
• 28:35
  If it's a different topic or idea.
• 28:39
  In our case, we have a children's book series, so we have an illustrator that's been able to capture.
• 28:45
  Because our second book is called Hijinks from the Big Head Folk Music Festival.
• 28:50
  It's co authored by not only my oldest granddaughter, but my middle granddaughter, and they both are characters in the book.
• 29:00
  The idea and then the illustration or the photography, and the photography isn't available.
• 29:05
  So then you go to an illustration route.
• 29:08
  But I think you can approach it from any way you want.
• 29:13
  That's a beautiful thing.
• 29:14
  Think about publishing a children's book.
• 29:17
  Yep, yep.
• 29:18
  And it will.
• 29:18
  I truly believe it will find the right audience.
• 29:20
  Some kids may be more attracted to a cartoon book or comedy or different themes like that that are going to interest certain children more than others.
• 29:30
  That's what I love about your book, is that I don't want to say it totally caught me off guard.
• 29:36
  It was something because I had interviewed so many children's book authors that all use illustrators.
• 29:43
  It hadn't even crossed my mind.
• 29:45
  It's nice that you can actually take your roots back to thinking about yourself as a child.
• 29:53
  And telling us about a little girl and a bunny allows people to know that you can stretch your imagination, your creativity.
• 30:03
  And the other beautiful thing about it is that it's a monarch butterfly.
• 30:09
  We didn't mention that yet, but the butterfly is very colorful.
• 30:13
  I want to talk about the photographs for a bit more because did the teacher actually use a camera or did she capture it on a smartphone?
• 30:25
  The pictures, I believe she captured them all on her smartphone.
• 30:30
  Okay.
• 30:30
  She's not a professional photographer in that way.
• 30:34
  She has a great eye and appreciation for beauty.
• 30:37
  But, yeah, I believe she captured them all on her smartphone.
• 30:40
  Terrific.
• 30:41
  And the reason I asked that is because I don't have the latest version of the Apple iPhone, but I've got a pretty current version.
• 30:50
  And a lot of people always say, wow, who took this picture?
• 30:55
  I'm thinking, yeah, I took it.
• 30:58
  And I've never had a lesson on photography.
• 31:01
  It's just I've got great equipment, digital equipment, to help me.
• 31:05
  That's fantastic to hear that story that you got these beautiful pictures that captured the whole story.
• 31:13
  We'll get into the story in a second.
• 31:15
  I want to talk to you about Your website, because you mentioned you started this blog and your blog was called Weather the Storm.
• 31:30
  Did you create the website first or the blog first?
• 31:34
  This was another learning experience for me, but I created the website first so that I would have a place to post some writings that primarily started, I said before, during the pandemic when it was really hard to reach
• 31:51
  the team members I was working with.
• 31:53
  At the time, I was just having, I don't know, just all these other thoughts about things shutting down and access to people we wanted to see and spend time with and getting through this and being able to like,
• 32:05
  tough it out because some people had to get to work regardless.
• 32:08
  They didn't have the flexibility to just stay home and turn things off.
• 32:12
  I started the website first so that I would have a place to post these blog stories.
• 32:19
  And then depending on if they were more professional focused, I could then share them to like a LinkedIn platform.
• 32:28
  If they were a little bit more maybe spiritual and thoughtful focused, I could share them on my Facebook page so that it was touching different audiences depending on the topic.
• 32:38
  You never really know what's going to resonate, you bet.
• 32:41
  But I will say that I sometimes overthinking how perfectly you're putting it all together right, keep you completely stuck in inaction.
• 32:52
  And this was a way for.
• 32:54
  Even though I maybe I didn't do it in quite the right order, whenever it was a way for me to get that process moving and take some.
• 33:00
  Action and a good transition.
• 33:02
  Because I always ask people about their websites.
• 33:05
  When we first started our children's book authorship, I went to one of those services and you have them capture your name and you register it.
• 33:19
  That didn't mean I had a website.
• 33:20
  I had a web address, but it didn't have a website.
• 33:23
  Right.
• 33:24
  When we first started out for us, people would say, where's your home?
• 33:27
  And I'd say, what do you mean, home?
• 33:29
  And they'd say, where's your website for your book?
• 33:31
  And I'd say, oh, I didn't really think I needed one.
• 33:35
  I talked to our graphic designer and he said, you know what you could do?
• 33:39
  You can just set up your website, but the only thing you have on it is your link to your Amazon page.
• 33:46
  I said, oh, that sounds good.
• 33:48
  Let's do that.
• 33:49
  That's how we did start.
• 33:51
  If you went to the website, it just took you to the Amazon link to purchase the book.
• 33:55
  That's how we started.
• 33:57
  It's always neat because in your case, you started probably in about 2020, I'm guessing, with your blog and your website.
• 34:05
  And then.
• 34:07
  And then it grew from there.
• 34:08
  And then you were able to add out your tabs as your website grew.
• 34:13
  That's right.
• 34:13
  That is right.
• 34:14
  It was not intended to be a spot for book purchases because it definitely preceded the writing of the book.
• 34:21
  I have been working with an amazing marketing coordinator for the last couple of months that's helped me rethink that and clean it up a little.
• 34:30
  Now it's intended as a place people can go to weatherthestorms.org and they can, yes, find the link there to purchase the book.
• 34:39
  They can also read about the story of my friendship with Lisa and the inspiration behind the book.
• 34:45
  They can also read about those other concepts I talked about in balance social serving and helping others and also subscribe or send some comments or ideas to me, which I always like to receive too.
• 34:58
  Fantastic.
• 35:00
  And talk to about the development of your social media because you talked about Facebook and Instagram or I know you talked about Facebook.
• 35:10
  I'm not sure if we talked about Instagram, but talk to us about your social media and how you're using that to build out book sales.
• 35:19
  Yeah.
• 35:19
  And that's definitely a learning curve too.
• 35:21
  So Facebook, I was already on Facebook with my personal page, sharing family photos and whatnot.
• 35:27
  Once I became a published author, I did change that page so that would become a public page.
• 35:33
  Not sure how that helps other than I think it makes it easier for people to find me.
• 35:39
  So that evolved.
• 35:40
  I did also add another page, not just my Veronica Jagger o' Sullivan page, but a Weather the storms page.
• 35:49
  I don't post as often there, but it is place that I think will grow in the future.
• 35:54
  Are you still blogging regularly or not?
• 36:32
  I'm not.
• 36:33
  I'm not.
• 36:33
  But stop putting the pressure on because I do feel that inkling.
• 36:37
  I do feel that inkling to want to do it.
• 36:39
  And sometimes when you put something on Facebook or LinkedIn, again, it might.
• 36:43
  And I do use Instagram as well.
• 36:45
  I have a Weather the Storms by Veronica page on Instagram.
• 36:49
  That one eludes me a little more because it's more photos, I think, and visual.
• 36:53
  So nobody wants to read a long story on Instagram.
• 36:56
  It's just a place to link it.
• 36:58
  But again, when you put stuff out and you don't maybe hit the quite right audience for that particular social media platform, the blog gives you a place where you're like, this is mine.
• 37:06
  This is what I want me to feel like.
• 37:09
  And then you can just share the link to that on those other platforms.
• 37:13
  And if people think, ah, Maybe her full page overall isn't right for me, then fine.
• 37:18
  But it gives you something that feels like you're.
• 37:21
  I don't want to say brand, but like a more authentic voice that you hope to have regardless of the topic.
• 37:26
  Absolutely.
• 37:27
  I'm not very active with our Facebook page for Caboose the Rocky Mountain Bear, but what I do is with every podcast episode, I do social media posts about the author, their book, and I also do a little audio
• 37:43
  clip and then I post that and it ends up as a post on the website.
• 37:49
  It keeps the website active, but I'm not working very hard at it.
• 37:53
  I think about your blogging, you could do the same thing.
• 37:56
  Is that the beautiful thing about it is you almost kill two birds with one stone.
• 38:01
  Because once you post to your website, if you've got it linked up to your Facebook site, then you're killing two birds with one stone.
• 38:10
  Throw that out there.
• 38:11
  And no pressure.
• 38:13
  Yeah.
• 38:13
  No, please.
• 38:14
  I put the pressure on myself.
• 38:15
  No problem.
• 38:16
  But I think a special message to want to put out and the more platforms you are using to do that, the better.
• 38:25
  It definitely pushes me to be creative in other ways, like when it comes to doing a little video or photo montage.
• 38:33
  That's where I really lean on my marketing coordinator, Amanda.
• 38:37
  She does an amazing job of putting that together.
• 38:39
  Whereas I can get frustrated with the cropping and cutting and she's really helped unleash another ability for me to reach an audience without stressing out too much.
• 38:49
  No.
• 38:49
  And that's terrific.
• 38:50
  You had mentioned.
• 38:51
  I didn't originally have this question, but you had mentioned LinkedIn.
• 38:56
  So talk to us about LinkedIn.
• 38:57
  I'd just like to get into a little deeper conversation.
• 39:01
  How are you using LinkedIn?
• 39:03
  LinkedIn, again, I will say that being in the financial services industry, my socials in a professional context are moderated.
• 39:12
  I'm not always able to share as per creatively as I might want to in some of those types of platforms.
• 39:19
  But I think that thread of serving others, helping others, being a good steward, those are just general like principles and values that I think are important.
• 39:31
  I think they're important to the industry in which I work.
• 39:36
  And so I'm able to toe that line on being able to share something that is.
• 39:42
  Is valuable and has meaning without getting too.
• 39:45
  And here's where you have to watch out with LinkedIn because it is a professional setting.
• 39:48
  And yes, I don't know, people have different opinions on it.
• 39:51
  Some people are happy to put pictures of their brand newborn baby or their wife having a C section or like all these other more intimate moments on LinkedIn.
• 39:59
  I think I'm not quite that comfortable with being that level of vulnerable on there.
• 40:05
  And that's okay.
• 40:05
  I've been on LinkedIn since the existence of LinkedIn and but like you said, on a professional manner.
• 40:13
  And then I realized that that profile didn't quite fit a children's book author and children's book authors podcaster.
• 40:24
  It just didn't make sense.
• 40:25
  So I actually set up a separate profile on LinkedIn for my.
• 40:32
  I don't want to say Dr.
• 40:33
  Jekyll and Mr.
• 40:34
  Hyde, but I set up a different profile under a different name.
• 40:39
  I added Papa Rick Harris instead of Rick Harris and set up two different profiles and away I went.
• 40:46
  That could be a way for you to do it, is set up a profile on LinkedIn for your children's book, especially if you are going to write another one or whatever your journey is and keep it separate.
• 41:00
  That way you can also target.
• 41:02
  The reason I ask you about LinkedIn is I always tell people a lot of our guests have been either teachers or retired teachers or early childhood educators.
• 41:15
  And there is so many groups on LinkedIn that are principal and teachers groups and all that, and they're always looking for great books to bring into their schools.
• 41:26
  I've been mentioning that to some of our guests as, you know what, go and have a look.
• 41:31
  There's so many great groups.
• 41:33
  You've got all these teacher groups on there and they're looking for new children's books.
• 41:38
  You should be posting there.
• 41:40
  And you'll find that once we're finished our interview, I always do a blog post on LinkedIn and share your story and a link to the podcast show on LinkedIn into four different groups that had that interested in children's
• 41:58
  group in children's books.
• 42:00
  That's wonderful.
• 42:01
  That's wonderful.
• 42:02
  Thank you.
• 42:03
  Yeah.
• 42:03
  Cause it has been a little bit more challenging to sort of tie that one identity on that particular platform.
• 42:11
  If you went to my other business platform, it's all about investment real estate.
• 42:16
  And you'd say, how the heck does this guy have investment, real estate and children's books?
• 42:20
  It wasn't going to work.
• 42:21
  I needed to separate the brand.
• 42:24
  And that's what I may be suggesting to you, is that it doesn't cost you anything to set up another profile on LinkedIn, but if it's somewhere that you can ultimately build out your children's book business, it's just a
• 42:36
  nice avenue and it's still professional.
• 42:39
  And you're going after teaching professionals for the most part to consider your book.
• 42:45
  Yeah, I love that idea.
• 42:46
  No, thank you so much for that.
• 42:47
  Cause we.
• 42:48
  I do.
• 42:48
  I've always been pretty good at compartmentalizing things in life.
• 42:51
  Okay.
• 42:51
  I'm in family mode now.
• 42:52
  I'm in business mode now.
• 42:54
  And I really want to be intentional in this stage of life.
• 42:56
  To be able to, like I said, feel balanced.
• 42:59
  And that I'm enjoying all of that together doesn't necessarily have to be on the same social media platform.
• 43:05
  And that will push me to reach further.
• 43:07
  And I always feel so blessed because each event I've done, whether it was a reading at a library, a reading at a school, a reading in a park, it's been incredible to me that each of those opportunities has
• 43:19
  led to another.
• 43:21
  You meet a mom there that writes for a newsletter.
• 43:23
  You meet a teacher there that graduated from this college.
• 43:26
  So I'm just, like, so thrilled for those opportunities, and I'm 100% confident that there'll be more opportunities that'll come from this.
• 43:33
  So I'm so happy.
• 43:34
  I totally agree with you.
• 43:36
  Let's jump into your book, Glory B.
• 43:39
  We know this friendship that you talked about since grade three, and I'm curious about the motivation behind the book.
• 43:48
  Book.
• 43:48
  I know you talked about how you saw a picture from your teacher posted.
• 43:54
  I'm sure there had to be.
• 43:56
  You just didn't see.
• 43:57
  Or maybe you did.
• 43:59
  You just didn't see the picture and say, oh, I've saw this picture that my teacher from grade two and five posted, and I've now got this children's story that I'm going to write.
• 44:11
  That's how it happens.
• 44:14
  I saw that she had posted this story and, like, little snippets.
• 44:18
  And I thought to myself, this would be a great story.
• 44:22
  And I think I even posted her a picture.
• 44:24
  This would make a great story.
• 44:26
  And then I'm like, veronica, what are you doing?
• 44:28
  You do it, you silly.
• 44:30
  So that's when I reached out to her and said, I do think this would make a good story.
• 44:35
  And by the way, I would really like to frame this in the context of my friendship with Lisa.
• 44:40
  Someone who looks maybe a little different on the outside or a little bit delicate and fragile on the outside.
• 44:48
  Yet this sort of friendship that transpired between the farmer that gently cared for this butterfly until the butterfly was able to fly itself.
• 45:00
  I said, not only do I want to turn this into an actual story, I would like to be able to incorporate this into something with a bigger purse to help know our friend Lisa.
• 45:08
  And she said, yes, do it.
• 45:11
  What do you need from me?
• 45:12
  That's incredible, really.
• 45:14
  Actually, to have that one moment or spark that just drove this whole thing.
• 45:20
  So congratulations.
• 45:22
  How many of us are are scrolling on Facebook?
• 45:26
  Maybe people are listening to the show and scrolling on Facebook and they're not even thinking about, oh, that's such a cool picture, man.
• 45:34
  That would make a great story.
• 45:37
  I hope anyone listening might be motivated to think about, oh, the next time I go scrolling, there might be a story there.
• 45:46
  And that can convict me because there are some times where I am scrolling because doing the work is hard and following through on a commitment that you made either to yourself or to someone else is hard.
• 45:59
  And sometimes it's easier to just go to a movie or flick on the tv, scroll and absorb somebody else's, but you're really robbing yourself and the world of opportunity to hear something that's in you that can benefit this
• 46:13
  place.
• 46:13
  Right.
• 46:14
  I hope that I will continue to recognize those sparks when they come.
• 46:18
  And I remember exactly where I was.
• 46:20
  I was.
• 46:20
  I think I was walking my dog.
• 46:22
  I don't usually walk outdoors without him.
• 46:25
  And it was just a beautiful day in nature and it was just, boom, yeah, I'm going to do this.
• 46:30
  Why wouldn't I do that?
• 46:31
  Yeah.
• 46:32
  Pay attention to those.
• 46:33
  Let's talk about the main character, Glory, the monarch butterfly.
• 46:38
  Talk to us about the character development and then talk about your unique relationship with the butterfly.
• 46:49
  Even though it was through the photographs.
• 46:51
  Yeah.
• 46:52
  Glory is the name of the little monarch butterfly that hatched and its wings wouldn't fully unshurl.
• 47:01
  I recognized desire to protect and honor that.
• 47:10
  That butterfly.
• 47:11
  I think one of my favorite lines in the book is just when the farmer realizes that this butterfly is one of God's perfect creations in this magical and mysterious world, we don't understand it all and how it all
• 47:30
  fits together.
• 47:31
  We try, and we want to think that we do, but we really don't.
• 47:34
  When someone's born with a difference or someone's born with a challenge, or someone's diagnosed with a difficulty, why is this happening?
• 47:44
  Honestly, it doesn't matter as much as it matters that we gained something from that lived experience, whether we're living it or we're observing someone else experiencing it.
• 47:59
  And I think I just wanted to be able to honor this delicate butterfly.
• 48:04
  Now, at the same time, the farmer in the story, which of course is my teacher, and I love telling that when I read the story to children, there's this.
• 48:13
  My favorite scenes when the butterfly starts to fly around her house and lands on the House plans and even lands on her head.
• 48:20
  And there's a picture of this butterfly on the farmer's head.
• 48:22
  And the kids all giggle.
• 48:24
  And sometimes I'll give out little stickers that they can stick on their head.
• 48:27
  And that's the moment that sort of friendship and that bond between them is honored and recognized, but also that they have two separate missions in this world.
• 48:42
  So I think as much as the butterfly is the star of the story, and maybe especially for children, I also feel an especial affinity to the farmer that recognized the need for care and gentleness and release of that
• 48:59
  butterfly.
• 48:59
  Ultimately, one out of four people in the United States will serve in a caregiving role in their lifetime.
• 49:08
  So that could be care of children, that could be care of aging parents, that could be care of someone with a disability.
• 49:14
  Heck, it could be all of those things at one time, which in my kind of stage of life, you see that happening for people.
• 49:21
  And that there's.
• 49:23
  That farmer is that caregiver to me, and someone who is selflessly spending their time to help someone else.
• 49:33
  And I want to honor that piece as well.
• 49:35
  Okay.
• 49:37
  Did the thought of Lisa, did that evolve or how did that happen when you developed the theme of the book and then your understanding of what you wanted to do with the book in supporting Lisa?
• 49:54
  Talk to us about that.
• 49:56
  Thanks for asking that question, because Lisa's story is her own, and it's very unique.
• 50:01
  And I wanted to be very sensitive in not trying to take away her story, but to truly have a way that I could amplify her story or her message or how it's positively impacted my life by knowing her.
• 50:16
  Once I had the concept for the book and the photos and had things laid out, um, Lisa will often spend Thanksgiving holiday with her family.
• 50:26
  So she came down over Thanksgiving and I showed her the draft of the book, and I asked for her blessing in moving forward with publishing that, because there is a piece at the end of the book where I
• 50:40
  share a little bit more specifically about Lisa's situation in her life.
• 50:44
  And.
• 50:45
  And she said yes.
• 50:46
  Again, I think when you have a friendship that long, hopefully you're not misreading how you can work together to support one another, but at the same time, it's sensitive and it's her story, and I wouldn't want to be
• 51:01
  disrespectful of that.
• 51:02
  So I was really grateful that she gave me the go ahead to move forward with that.
• 51:06
  Did you talk to her about the lesson you wanted to happen because of the book?
• 51:13
  That's a great Question, Rick.
• 51:15
  I.
• 51:15
  I don't think I did.
• 51:17
  I think at that point I was more in the creator mode of it and not so much thinking about how was I going to market it and message it around it.
• 51:31
  I think I just trusted that knowing my heart was in the right place on this project and her believing that to be true, that the messaging and the branding.
• 51:44
  And again, it varies depending on audiences that I might be speaking to as well.
• 51:48
  I probably don't get it perfectly every time with a particular group, but I think that part came later as to how I was going to.
• 51:56
  Strategically.
• 51:57
  I just knew that I wanted it to be respectful of our friendship, share a little bit about her story to an audience that she might not otherwise be able to reach, and ultimately raise some sort of funds for
• 52:09
  her caregiving, which will never go away in her life.
• 52:12
  She will need that caregiving permanently.
• 52:15
  I want to talk to you about your writing process, because I know you talked about a blog that you started with during COVID and how you aren't as active with that, but I also sense that you do have
• 52:30
  an idea or two about writing another children's book.
• 52:33
  I'm trying to get a sense of.
• 52:35
  Of the development and your writing process.
• 52:39
  Now, are you active or what's going on with the writing in your life right now?
• 52:47
  I need to knuckle down and do it because you really do have to have the discipline to shut down distractions in order to be able to do it.
• 52:57
  And full disclosure, I think that's something that I really need to focus on so that I can put work force in that next stage.
• 53:07
  You think it's because when you saw the photographs posted by your teacher, it triggered something deep because it.
• 53:19
  And when I say it, it went deep because guess what?
• 53:24
  You took action.
• 53:25
  So if it was superficial, you would just glaze at it and keep scrolling.
• 53:31
  In this case, it went deeper for you and it motivated you to take action.
• 53:36
  So do you think there's a lack of an idea for you to take writing action?
• 53:43
  You just haven't found that passion yet or that idea?
• 53:48
  I'd say in my case, I'm probably overthinking it and just by wanting to compile so much into the next work.
• 53:59
  So I think that's just something.
• 54:01
  I'm actually a member of Toastmasters.
• 54:04
  I don't know.
• 54:04
  Are you familiar with Toastmasters?
• 54:05
  Yes, I was in Toastmasters for years.
• 54:09
  Yeah.
• 54:10
  So Toastmasters, for anyone that's not familiar, is an international public speaking group, and it allows people the opportunity to practice their public speaking.
• 54:20
  I am in a couple of clubs locally, and that gives me a chance to be accountable if I have an idea and I want to share about that idea.
• 54:29
  I know that on Wednesday at 7am we're meeting as a group, and I need to have something ready if I've signed up to share.
• 54:36
  So that for me, was a way that I can start my stories.
• 54:42
  And in fact, that is how I started Glory B Story.
• 54:45
  It was a very rough kind of outline of what I wanted to do, and I shared it in a toastmaster meeting in a story form.
• 54:52
  And people were like, yeah, that's cute.
• 54:54
  Tell us more.
• 54:54
  Work on this.
• 54:55
  And it.
• 54:55
  That was the very first time anyone had ever heard a rendition of it.
• 55:01
  So I think that's.
• 55:02
  That could be different for everyone.
• 55:04
  Some people might want to talk out their story first.
• 55:07
  Some people might want to write out that story first.
• 55:10
  The important thing is that you do it.
• 55:12
  And I really have no excuse, Rick, is what I'm saying, because I do have no excuse.
• 55:18
  Veronica, you search out a platform, but maybe you got to ask one of those folks to become your accountability person to just to drive a little bit more, whatever you've got bouncing around in your head, to be more
• 55:33
  systematic about it, like you did with Glory B.
• 55:36
  I've added that platform.
• 55:37
  I think I mentioned that we rounded up a group of local children's authors in my area as well.
• 55:44
  So that's another place too.
• 55:46
  Not only do we talk about marketing ideas and publishing ideas and illustration ideas, but even just talking about that kernel of, hey, here's my.
• 55:54
  Where my next idea lands when you're testing it out.
• 55:56
  I'm done testing.
• 55:57
  I think I've thrown enough little darts at the wall to see what sticks, and I really just need to take some quiet time and put some pen to paper and see some progress there.
• 56:06
  Right on.
• 56:07
  I want to talk to you now about success.
• 56:12
  I know we talked about a book business plan, but I'm more interested in delving into, deeper into.
• 56:17
  When you're getting close to publishing your book, can you remember what your vision of success looked like and what the reality of what that success looks like now?
• 56:32
  Take us through that journey.
• 56:34
  Ultimately, I would like to be able to generate enough revenue from the sale of the book to be able to establish a trust that would be able to be used to help supplement some of Lisa's caregiving needs, or
• 56:54
  tires for her accessible van or a new cushion for her wheelchair seat that she sits on every day.
• 57:02
  So ultimately, I do see success in those financial terms because realistically, there's a cost, and it'll get me started on eligibility for support that is challenging for people who are disabled who really need that.
• 57:18
  I think I measure the success that way so that when she says, hey, I need, I'm having trouble paying my rent this month or I needed extra hours for a caregiver that we would be able to have a
• 57:28
  trust that could help fund that.
• 57:30
  And that was your vision right from the get go.
• 57:33
  Yes, it was.
• 57:34
  I do think that has evolved as I'm thinking about a second book and tying that in with just my life's purpose here.
• 57:43
  Because what happens right, Lisa and I aren't going to be here forever.
• 57:46
  So what happens beyond that?
• 57:49
  And it's a matter of sharing her story, reminding other people to be accepting of people who are maybe different than us and finding a way that we can use our talents to help them.
• 58:01
  So I think there is a more spiritual purpose behind that and I don't want to lose sight of that because in the long term, that truly is the most important thing of that legacy that we're able to leave
• 58:13
  here on earth.
• 58:14
  But initially at least, it was really like, Lisa needs help and what can I do?
• 58:18
  I don't have money to give her, so I need to create something that can help create that for sure.
• 58:25
  And I know we talked about your writing process, but let's dig a little deeper into how you see the role of writing in your future.
• 58:37
  Have you thought about that much?
• 58:39
  I have.
• 58:40
  I would like to.
• 58:41
  And I have a plan.
• 58:42
  So now I just have to do it now that I'm putting it out here in the world on podcast.
• 58:46
  Rick.
• 58:47
  But yes, I would like to write another book that's not so much character driven about the butterfly and the farmer, but really educational about the concept of stewardship and helping and still do that in a children friendly manner.
• 59:02
  And then from there transition that into something that has a similar message, but about more for adults and even in the workplace or in leadership.
• 59:14
  Okay.
• 59:14
  And what I've been finding more and more because I've had a lot of teachers on as guests, more and more have been mentioning developing curriculum with their children's book.
• 59:26
  So I'm just planting that seed for you that to think as you.
• 59:31
  You said it, you wanted to be more educational as you're writing the book.
• 59:35
  Just think about curriculum.
• 59:36
  Or if you don't know how to put curriculum together, you do have a friend, your teacher, ask her about how would curriculum look to support your next book.
• 59:48
  So that might be an avenue.
• 59:50
  Yeah.
• 59:51
  Oh, I love that.
• 59:51
  Actually, I had not really thought about that, but.
• 59:54
  No, that's great.
• 59:55
  I love to share when people.
• 59:57
  It's not my idea.
• 59:58
  It's our guest's idea.
• 59:59
  Yeah, no, that's a great.
• 1:00:01
  That's a great one.
• 1:00:01
  Iron.
• 1:00:02
  Not to toot my own horn, but I actually do have a master's degree in education.
• 1:00:06
  I went to school for teaching English to speakers of other languages.
• 1:00:10
  And I always explain when I'm talking finance with people, sometimes that feels like a second language.
• 1:00:14
  So I like to tell my mom, don't worry.
• 1:00:15
  I truly am using my degree.
• 1:00:17
  But yeah, that's a great point.
• 1:00:19
  Like coming up with lesson plans and how to incorporate that.
• 1:00:22
  It was actually one of my favorite things during my student teaching time.
• 1:00:26
  It's a way to add value, and it's also a way to hopefully drive some more revenue, because you know, the cost of.
• 1:00:35
  Whether you're independently published or hybrid published, you still have to take the funds from your own pocket to fund your children's book.
• 1:00:44
  So any way that you can source additional revenue is always a nice thing.
• 1:00:49
  The other thing that I hear all the time, and you may be hearing this yourself, is that a lot of children's book authors now tell me when they go out and do a reading, and it sounds like you've
• 1:01:01
  done several readings, is that at the end of the reading, if there's adults in the room, a lot of times those adults will come up to the children's book author and say, oh, you know what, Veronica?
• 1:01:14
  That's me.
• 1:01:15
  That's me.
• 1:01:16
  I see myself in your book.
• 1:01:18
  It's neat, too, to understand that as you're doing a children's book reading, a lot of times if there's adults in the room, you know what?
• 1:01:27
  Children's books last forever in our psyche.
• 1:01:31
  I just throw that out there, that when you think you're reading to children in a group, that's children and adults, you're probably also speaking to adults.
• 1:01:43
  That's so true.
• 1:01:44
  And thanks for pointing that out.
• 1:01:46
  I.
• 1:01:46
  You're actually right.
• 1:01:47
  There have been kids.
• 1:01:48
  I finish the story, and then they go work on a little butterfly pasta craft.
• 1:01:52
  But you're right that oftentimes parents will come up and say, hey, that was beautiful, or how to tell me more about your friend, or I had someone with a limb difference when I was in school in my class.
• 1:02:03
  Yeah, you're very right.
• 1:02:06
  Advice for aspiring authors.
• 1:02:09
  What kind of advice would you give to someone who is trying to get started, not quite sure what to do?
• 1:02:16
  What advice would you give them?
• 1:02:19
  Make the time to work on it.
• 1:02:21
  I didn't give it enough kind of credits or discipline around it early on when I was working, building a family, trying to climb up that ladder, that kind of stuff.
• 1:02:34
  So I never would have even thought of writing a book because it just.
• 1:02:37
  There was no space in my life to be able to focus on that.
• 1:02:41
  And it wasn't until that space was intentionally made that it came together.
• 1:02:47
  And it came together quickly and beautifully and really without a lot of hand wringing and head scratching.
• 1:02:55
  But you can't do that if you don't make that time.
• 1:02:57
  So do that.
• 1:02:59
  You've talked about a second book and you got some ideas floating around.
• 1:03:03
  But what's keeping you going as a children's book authority?
• 1:03:07
  It's meeting people like you.
• 1:03:11
  Meeting people in my Low Country Storytellers Network, which again, is that group we just came up with, just because I don't think I really thought of myself as a creative person.
• 1:03:23
  It was black and white and on a clear path.
• 1:03:26
  And now I'm getting this chance to tap into my creative side and really enjoy hearing other people's creative sides again.
• 1:03:34
  We have so many different facets to our life, so that's been very rewarding, truly, to just meet people and talk about that and inspiring to keep moving forward.
• 1:03:45
  Encouragement for readers.
• 1:03:47
  So why should children's book readers purchase your book?
• 1:03:51
  Children's book readers should purchase my book, glory be, because there is something in it for every reader.
• 1:04:04
  It reaches a wide range of ages, whether you're focused on just the magic of how a butterfly hatches or how what we do in our life impacts somebody else.
• 1:04:19
  That caregiving and stewardship piece, it also has that science element to it as well.
• 1:04:27
  So it's not just necessarily for kids who might like stories about princesses or spiders or whatever.
• 1:04:34
  There's that science piece to it and a thing of beauty that I think anybody can appreciate.
• 1:04:40
  There's something that can be found in that story that can impact any reader.
• 1:04:45
  That's one piece that I would say, if you're not sure what that is, that's where I would love people to go to my weatherthestorms.org and fill out that feedback form, you know, and just say, hey, I have a
• 1:04:55
  classroom of kids this age and I'm not sure how to use your book.
• 1:04:59
  Or, hey, I've got a child with a limb difference.
• 1:05:02
  Is there a way I can use your book to reach their classmates who might have trouble relating or understanding?
• 1:05:09
  Because I'd love to be able to walk through that with people who can find a practical application to spread that impact of Lisa's amazing story and glories?
• 1:05:18
  Is there something you are thinking?
• 1:05:21
  Oh, I wish Rick would have asked me that question.
• 1:05:25
  Any final thoughts?
• 1:05:26
  I want to put that thought out there that in order for this book to have the impact on other people's lives or specifically Lisa's life that I would envision it having is that I want people to share it.
• 1:05:44
  There are so many different books and stories I have.
• 1:05:49
  The closet at the end of my hall is full of all the books that I loved reading as a child and I would hope that my book someday could be on somebody else's shelf.
• 1:06:02
  That hey, this one made me feel something inside and gave me a message that resonated and made me a better person.
• 1:06:11
  I would just want to get my book out to as many people as possible and to make sure that it has the greatest chance of impacting others in a positive way.
• 1:06:22
  And Lisa, of course, in a positive way.
• 1:06:24
  Veronica, thanks so much for being a guest on the Adventures in the Heart of Children's Book Authors Podcast.
• 1:06:30
  Your generosity of time, your insights will significantly benefit aspiring authors and readers.
• 1:06:38
  We promise to provide our audience with links to Veronica's social media website and her book.
• 1:06:44
  And if you've enjoyed this episode, please hit the subscribe button to listen to our future episodes and feel free to share this episode with anyone inspired by or who enjoys hearing about Veronica and her children's book.
• 1:07:00
  Glory be.
• 1:07:01
  Thanks Veronica.
• 1:07:03
  Thank you so much Rick.
• 1:07:05
  This has been an honor and such a great experience.
• 1:07:07
  Thank you so much than.