There Is Always a Beginning

I began to write a lot after my father passed away in 2020. I have always enjoyed writing, but it became a way for me to synthesize everything I felt during that time. 

It was solidly in the middle of the pandemic. We were all stuck at home. I was reeling from the unexpected loss. At the same time, my three young girls provided constant inspiration. Our twin girls were one, and their sister was four. My mourning mixed with the greatest joys and moments of motherhood. It was a big boiling pot of different emotions. The more I wrote, the quieter the figurative pressure cooker seemed. Writing became a 5:30 AM routine. There was calm before the breakfast requests and the pitter-patter of little feet—just my coffee and computer.

I channeled all of it into several written pieces. Some were for my marketing career - articles about conducting Zoom meetings, branding, etc. But the ones I cherished and enjoyed the most were picture book scripts. I wrote several. Many of them were total crap. Most of them will never leave the folder on my computer that is still dated July 2021. But I learned a ton. I was so inspired. And then I stopped writing. 

My marketing career took me in another direction, and my time became limited. I no longer needed the shortcut icon to the writing folder on my desktop. Instead, I moved the goal of publishing picture books to my mental bucket list. The following two years were super busy. I was working and raising our lovely girls, but the picture book scripts would often pop into my mind like an old friend I needed to call back. 

So, this past summer, I finally picked up the phone. I reopened the folder that had been untouched for over two years. The scripts and I got reacquainted. A few of the many jumped out at me as stories still worthy of being told and shared. With the goal of inspiring kiddos, I worked on revising and editing two of them. Then, I worked some more on building a great team of people - professional editors, illustrators, and book designers - to bring them to life. The Lights That Stay and Piper’s Pet Pursuit will be available in December 2023.

Along the way, I founded Whimspire Books, LLC., a publishing company. I realized these two books are the first two chapters of a much longer story. They are the beginning of something I look forward to building for years to come. I will publish a third picture book in 2024, with other scripts underway. I hope these books foster creativity and fuel inspiration in kiddos around the globe. 

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