Q: First tell us something about yourself ?
Hi my name is Sharon and I am a mom, and self-published children’s author. I grew up in the large City of Danbury, CT on the border of New York State. I currently live in a very small town in New England which I love, but it did take some getting used to. As a child, I spent a lot of time reading and writing. I also love all types of music. I grew up in a musical household and music is my comfort. My father is a singer and songwriter and my brother is a percussionist, so I was always surrounded by music. I love spending time with my husband, two children, and our lovable Boston Terrier named Scarlett. I enjoy fitness and anything creative. I also love to cook and always have music playing. You can catch me singing along while I cook, clean, drive, anytime really. My audience is usually my family, including my dog who doesn’t seem to mind too much, even when I sing out of tune.
Q: How and when your journey started as a writer?
My journey as a writer began in 2016 when I decided to pursue my first story idea which was inspired by my son. After countless rewrites and edits, I submitted my work the traditional way. I fell in love with my story idea and thought the publishers would too. Unfortunately I was rejected numerous times. I started to feel hopeful again when I began researching self-publishing as an option. I thought what do I have to lose? It was quite challenging but I had a lot of fun throughout the process. I also had a lot of guidance and encouragement along the way.
Q: When did you write your first story? Is it published or not?
I started writing my debut picture book in 2016 and self-published it in October of 2020. I spent a lot of time researching how to go about self-publishing. I went back and forth for a while on whether or not I really wanted to self-publish. I even tried pitching my work to editors at book fairs, but with no luck. In 2019, after major surgery and a bit more back and forth, I decided to go for it!
Q: Tell us something more about your books?
My book is entitled “Just Imagine” A Story about Imagination and the Power of Persistence. This book is based on a conversation I had with my son when he was just five years old. I was tucking him into bed one night and he asked me if he could “taste the clouds.” I thought to myself Wow! what an interesting question and also what a great story idea!! I wrote down my first paragraph that evening and tucked it away. Life got busy, but I came across that first paragraph several years later and decided to develop it. I love children’s books that foster the imagination. I included the concept of persistence in my story to show kids that you can achieve anything, even when you face obstacles.
Q: Why do you choose kids as your reader ? is there any specific reason?
I like writing for kids because it is so important to teach lessons early on. It is a fun challenge to incorporate lessons into a story in a simple way in order to get your point across strongly.
Q: How did these stories and characters come to your mind?
The main character in “Just Imagine” is based on my son, so I took pieces of him at five years old, and used those characteristics to build my character’s personality. I built the rest of the story around the conversation that started it all. The conversation is actually towards the middle of my book. I took all of the obstacles my main character faces and just worked them around those two pages.
Q: Do you want to give any message for your readers?
Work hard and never give up on what your goals are! We all face challenges in life, but do your best to not let those challenges discourage you. Keep pushing forward ; be persistent and you can do whatever you set your mind to!
Your little ones will fall in love with my main character Jack. They will be rooting for him all the way through my story about Imagination and the Power of Persistence! They will also enjoy the beautifully whimsical watercolor illustrations.
