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Writer's pictureValerie

'Embracing All of Her'


Guest Post from Sarah Allison, author, elementary teacher and 'big goals' person from Houston Texas.

 

I’ve always loved picture books, and love how the words and illustrations can engage even our youngest readers. I also love the unique opportunity they provide to share important messages and lessons in an age-appropriate way.


Audrey-Saurus is based on the daily adventures of my 3-year-old daughter, Audrey. During the summer of 2020 she became very interested in dinosaurs and has been so full of personality and confidence since a very young age.


In those months at home, my husband and I found ourselves laughing and being challenged by our very strong-willed toddler. Instead of trying to “get her” to do things a certain way, we embraced all of her upside-down sunglass-wearing, frozen waffle eating, and playing in the rain. She knows exactly what she wants, and she isn’t afraid to do things exactly her own way. I was able to collaborate with an incredible illustrator from Brazil, and she truly captured the personality and style of Audrey.


I chose to self-publish because I wanted to be able to make the decisions about illustration and also have control of the timeline for publishing. As a teacher, my writing time is really concentrated to breaks from the academic school year (summer, spring, Christmas breaks, etc).


The entire process, from the initial draft of the book to published and available in stores, took me 2 years. I created my own publishing company, B+A Stories, which is named after my daughters Brynnlee and Audrey. I had to learn about hiring an editor and illustrator, registering with the Library of Congress, purchasing ISBN’s and barcodes, choosing a printer and then developing a marketing plan. I’ve enjoyed the creative process, the learning curve, and meeting so many other authors and illustrators who are equally as passionate about publishing amazing books.


I hope children and families everywhere enjoy this fun and light-hearted book about embracing what you love and having the confidence to do what makes you happy!


 

Thank you, Sarah for sharing the story behind the story. I'll have an Again and Again Review later this month, and an IGLive interview with Sarah on March 31st at 7pm.





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