How or why did I choose the name of my website?
Child literacy is important to me. I hope that I can promote an interest in reading.
Initially, I only had writing one book in mind using photos that I had collected over several years.
There are other books that I am aware of that I feel are worthy of more readership than they have obtained. My thought is that I would provide some information in a blog and then include the books as recommended reading.
I plan to include several of my interests—children’s literacy, caregiving support, grief support, health and humor, and art as medicine. It also includes books that promote the US Coast Guard, an organization that my family has been involved in for several generations.
This is a new venture for me. I have heard of an example of someone asking a photographer what their favorite picture was. They answered that it was one they had not taken yet. I think I can relate.
I have received some encouraging comments for my first book, “What do you see? Please come walk with me.” The book seems to be meeting my goals in encouraging people to slow down and observe the simple nature around them. I am currently working on two more books. What can I do to make my upcoming books even better?
There is another saying, Cherish Yesterday, Live Today, Dream Tomorrow.
Writing might fit all three. I don’t think that I would enjoy being an athlete focused on one act of glory in the past. (There’s actually about a zero chance of that happening, so no worries.) Memories can be brought into today; today’s writing might inspire someone tomorrow. And where will my books take me?
When I shared my first Snapfish version of my book with another children’s author, she suggested that I add more rhyming words. She also suggested that I read through other children’s books to get some ideas. This led me to subscribing to Kindle Unlimited. I am thoroughly enjoying it. You can literally read some children’s books in a couple of minutes. Cost per page, even for Kindle, which is often cheaper than a paper back book, can add up quickly. (I wonder if there is a support group called Kindle Anonymous?) Instant gratification is fun, too. So is enlarging the illuminated font for aging eyes.
I haven’t read with a child using a tablet. And even though my daughter has spent more time gaming than I care to admit, she still prefers reading a physical book. Maybe it harkens back to earlier bed times of reading together. I don’t know how quickly that may be changing for some families.
As with TV streaming options, when using Kindle, suggested books come up as a result of past choices. I found my way to two books that took quite a while to read because I kept diverting to information in other books or websites.
The Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, by Maria Popova and Claudia Bedrick and The Book of Awesome Women Writers: Medieval Mystics, Pioneering Poets, Fierce Feminists and First Ladies of Literature, by Becca Anderson.
