There are many times when I think about my family and friends who mean so much to me. I tend to hold them close to my heart.
My little boys would pull away from me when they were toddlers and feel that I was holding them too close. I just wanted to keep on squeezing them and breathing in their 'little boy sweetness/toughness'. There was nothing like it.
I had to release them and let them go on their way to their next adventure as well as let them grow up. As a mother, it is challenging to allow the kiddos to grow up. The hardest part is that sometimes they grow away as they grow up and move on.
The hope is that when they come home for visits, they find love, home, and happy memories. I hope they find a mother and daddy full of the love of God.
I pray that they see that love pulls them into our heart from their first breath and after it is planted, it never goes away. It doesn't matter how many miles or ideas separate us.
I have to admit that I still feel like that young mother who wanted to squeeze tightly and make them submit to my will. Only now, I have to watch as they don't just toddle off to their adventures, but as they make decisions that affect their eternal destiny.
May they always realize that my heart has never let go and my prayers are squeezing them closer. My love is strong, but God's is stronger.
Today I would like to introduce you to another author friend of mine. Meet Aileen Stewart. She has written a delightful children's book that reminds me of the Uncle Wiggley series my boys loved reading years ago.
Aileen Stewart ~ Children’s Author ~ Fern Valley ~ http://aileenw4bobbyg.tripod.com
1. How long have you been an author and when did the desire to write (the writing bug) bite?
I had my first taste of writing when I was in fourth grade and won honorable mention in a poetry contest. This and the fact that my father was a freelance writer for hunting and fishing magazines and both my parents were great story tellers helped form my love of reading and writing. I spent many years writing poems and short stories, which I occasionally entered in contests, before I actually became serious about writing. It was while watching cartoons based on books, with my daughter, that I imagined myself writing a book. My husband was instrumental in encouraging me to follow my dream and FernValley-A Collection of Short Stories was born.
2. Why did you choose the genre you write in? Are there plans to write in another genre?
Basically I never outgrew my enjoyment of children and young adult books, so it seemed natural for me to choose to write a children’s book. To me there is something fresh, innocent, and joyful about writing for children. It is also a way to revisit my childhood and the memories I have from that time and incorporate them into modern day stories.
3. Please tell about each title here:
Let children discover Fern Valley, and they will step back in time to a place where a nineteen fifties small town feel brings a sense of peace and security. A place where no one locks their doors and everyone knows everyone else. A place where above all, the characters know they are loved and supported by their families, friends, and even the surrounding community.
Told through the eyes of youthful farm animals, this work is a series of short stories about children, their feelings, and how they deal with life. Characters such as Roberta and Mildred Cornstalk, two ordinary but imaginative chickens living on a small farm with their parents and brother, display the resiliency of children even when faced with issues such as the loss of a loved one.
A plethora of other colorful characters from goats to rabbits are sure to entertain with their antics and insights. As the readers find out what happens to Roberta and Mildred’s brother Edward when he goes fishing, what birthday surprise is in store for Betsy Woolrich, or what lesson Kimmy Curlytail learns when she keeps something that is not hers, they will be drawn in as surely as if they themselves were present.
4. Do you do speaking engagements? Tell about your subject matter.
I speak at schools, libraries, or clubs to which I am invited. With children, I speak about my book, reading, and writing. With adults, I generally speak about the writing process and my publishing experiences.
5. What has been your most rewarding experience as an author?
I did a book signing at the local Barnes and Noble in my area and shortly thereafter, I received a call stating that they had a mailing tube for me that someone had dropped off at the store. I stopped by the next day to see what it contained and was pleasantly surprised to find a large pencil sketch of my daughter sitting on my lap reading out of my book. With the sketch was a letter from a retired grocery worker who was also an amateur artist. He stated that he had seen a picture of me and my daughter in the news paper and had decided to use it for sketch material. He went on to say that his father had written many books but had never been published and he wished me much success.
I also received letters from two young girls who had read and enjoyed my book. These pieces of fan mail are so special and most humbling. I still have a hard time believing that people are sending “ME” fan mail.
6. Where can your books be purchased?
My books can be purchased almost anywhere online:
Amazonhttp://amzn.com/1617395277
Barnes and Noblehttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fern-valley-aileen-stewart/1100074715
Parable Christian Bookshttp://www.parable.com/i.Fern-Valley-A-Collection-of-Short-Stories-Stewart-Aileen.9781617395277
Tate Publishing http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61739-527-7
7. How can readers reach you through twitter? through facebook? through your blog? through your website?
My website is “Fun For Kids” @ http://aileenw4bobbyg.tripod.com
I blog @ http://www.AileenWStewart.blogspot.com
My FB Fan Page can be found @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fern-Valley/109736815756550
My Twitter Name is @AileenWStewart
8. What was your biggest surprise at being an author?
Although I have a degree in Business and a Certificate in Sales and Marketing, I think the biggest surprise authorhood has brought me is the realization of how difficult marketing really is in practical application.
9. We all know that writing can be a lonely occupation, what do your family and friends do to lift you up when you are down?
Generally speaking, I am an optimistic sort of a person and don’t get down too often; but when I do, my family reminds me of how far the Lord has already brought me in the writing process. Looking back, I can definitely see a pattern of the Lord blessing what I put my hand to and this is usually enough to cause me to shake off any doldrums and be encouraged once again.
10. What was your favorite toy as a child?
I’m not sure that I actually had a favorite toy, but some of my most memorable toys were my Barbies, my Holly Hobby Colorform Country Store, and my Light Bright Set. Not only did my brother and I love our Light Bright, but our cat did as well. She would take a peg and carry it to the top of our staircase and drop it, watching it roll all the way to the bottom. She would then run down, collect the peg, and start all over. Watching her play was very entertaining. When it came to outside toys, I would have to say that the sandbox my dad made out of an old tractor tire was number one on the list of fun toys.
