www.amazon.com/dp/0991059336/
Can you tell us about Freddie Fear Not?
Freddie is a young boy of elementary age. His story begins
with his terrible struggle at night. He is having a repeated dream about a
silly fear dream monster, with a very weird name. Even when he wakes up and goes about his day his fear seems
to follow him and he is afraid of almost everything. His family tries to encourage him, his older sister gets
frustrated with him, and his dad gives him the nickname of “Freddie Fear Not”. Then one afternoon, his best friend José sees his distress
and shares how God helps him when he is afraid.
Freddie doesn’t know anything about God, but he feels
hopeless, so he takes his friends advice, and asks God for help. Little does he know, but that very night something
extraordinary would happen. Something powerful happens and he is filled with
courage and his life is changed forever.
How were the Illustrations done?
We hired a professional artist who we thought was perfect
for the book! His gift and style of illustration gave the characters so much
life. He has years of experience in the industry and is a writer too. It was a
great experience for us.
What inspired you when writing Freddie Fear Not?
My first book “What do you see? What does God see?” is about
helping kids see themselves the way God does. One of the strongest messages I
learned as a child was fear. My whole life’s foundation was built on fear. I
wanted to give kids and parents a book that could introduce a character that
kids could relate to.
As a child I could not identify my emotion as being fear and
children are more likely to discuss their emotions, when it is not directed at
them. With the connection to a storybook character it can help them see they
are not alone in their feelings. My son also had a very supernatural experience
when he was young, and that adventure was weaved into the book, which becomes
the highest point of Freddie’s story.
Did anything stick out particularly challenging when
writing Freddie Fear Not?
The book was one of the hardest things my husband Gary and I
have ever done. It began as me writing a 32-page picture book about fear and
ended up with my husband co-authoring and finishing as a 64-page short chapter
book. I am sure we broke every publishing rule! Writing a book about fear for
kids can be one of the most difficult topics. You have this fine line and
responsibility to bring a solution and at the same time not to create fear. We
came up against so many
obstacles that tried to stop us from finishing the book. But
anything really worth doing usually does. The book took us over two years to
write and publish.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I never thought I would become a writer. It was not a
lifelong dream. I always saw myself as an idea person; an artist that loves to
create. About ten years ago I felt a tug on my heart to write my first book for
children. I was involved at the time in an organization that worked with inner
city kids and their families.
That was one of many things that gave me the idea for the
book. I realized a book was something that could continue speaking into their
hearts, even if I wasn’t there. I didn’t create the book to publish to the
masses, but when friends saw it, they loved it and wanted a copy. The book
received the 2016 CSPA Children’s Book of the Year Award. We have now published
“Freddie Fear Not” and my husband and I are working on two other projects for
future books. It is very important for us to leave something that we feel will
affect others. We lean in and try to listen to what God has put inside of us
that can benefit others.
Readers can reach us and find our work at: