Celebrating a Wonderful Writer in My Life

My mother inspired my passion for writing because she taught me that anyone can be a writer as long as they have a story worth telling. She exemplified this, of course, by writing several books of her own — one of which has just been republished! And, of course, I have to celebrate it on my website!

“The Elephant Who Couldn’t Eat Peanuts” was my mother’s second children’s book, and was originally published in 2009 — back when I was barely seven. She published it using a “vanity press,” which was a service that allowed anyone to publish their writing for a price. These types of presses eventually faded in popularity as self-publishing became more the norm for many indie authors. Although this has resulted in many more books being published of varying quality, it has allowed people to share their stories with others at a lower cost. Since the press my mother originally published with wasn’t making her book as available on Amazon as she would’ve liked, she recently decided to cancel her contract and reacquire the rights to her book so she could self-publish!

I worked with her to implement some new updates to the book while formatting it for publication on Kindle Direct Publishing. Even though self-published authors (myself included) can have a tough time growing their audience, we both knew that the only way to start growing an audience is to get your writing out there! I’m so happy that “Elephant” is republished and can’t wait for more people to read it!

This book, set in the jungle, follows a young monkey (Pam) who befriends an elephant (J.J.) that is allergic to peanuts. Pam, along with the reader, learns more about what allergies are and how to deal with them safely. The book includes crisp and vibrant illustrations by Kathy Kerber, and is a sweet and educational story for young readers to enjoy.

When this book was written, information about allergies and allergy attacks wasn’t presented to children as often as it is today. Still, the book serves as an educational tale for children who want to learn more about allergies. When writing this book, my mother drew from her own experiences with allergies — both as someone who has them and as a physician assistant who works in an allergy office — in order to craft an important and heartfelt story. I’m also happy that she’s gotten back into writing and look forward to supporting her in every way I can!

My mother's writing played a key role in inspiring me to become a writer myself, and her constant love and support is the ultimate blessing. Congratulations Mom!

If you know a child with allergies or who would want to learn more about them, I recommend checking out this book! Click here for more!