My Author Adventure: How a Childhood Memory Became Four Books and Counting

Welcome, friends, to one of my new blog posts. I’ll try to write something at least each week and maybe more often if there’s any interest in what I have to say. As you can see on my website, there’s lots of information about my previous writing endeavors from years ago that birthed a four-book, historical fiction series about the year of 1955 in El Monte, California, where I spent part of my childhood. It was a great time to be alive, to remember what I experienced in the fabulous fifties, then to write about those memories.

Looking back, at the very beginning of my author adventure, I wrote my first book, SCARY SPRING, for a writing class I was taking at The Institute of Children’s Literature. When I prayed for inspiration for what to write about, my mind filled with childhood memories that encompassed the four seasons, but I was only writing one book! After jotting down each experience, I zeroed in on April 1955 when the polio vaccine was being released to the public and important background information I remembered. My Aunt and Uncle were pathologists who worked on the vaccine! I knew there was a tragedy associated with it that almost affected our family. That story became the inspiration for my first book.

I went on to write three more books based on the original notes I’d written down. That’s how THE 1950s ADVENTURES OF PETE AND CAROL ANN series was born. You can see all four chapter books, for kids eight and up, here on my website along with a couple of activity books I created. They’re available to purchase here or at www.amazon.com.

I was never going to write another chapter book. But I did say that if I was crazy enough to write one I’d move my characters to 1956 then write about valentines and love because those 1950s kid’s valentines were so cute! But I was never, ever going to write another chapter book . . . until I did. My newest book is titled UFO FEBRUARY and it’s about way more than kid’s valentines and messages of love.

1. Don’t say you’ll “never” do something.
2. If you’re interested in writing a book, know that it’s hours and hours of hard work, but totally worth it.
3. Do your “homework” by going to writer’s conferences, buying books that teach you how to write, and looking for that inspirational idea that makes a good story.

In my next blog post, I’ll take you on a blast to the past by introducing you to my early years. So stay tuned for the next installment in my author adventures.