Have you ever read a book to your children, wishing you had actually seen or visited the place it describes?
Ever wondered if you could actually take your children to that place?
Well, now you can with Heather Davidson's
THE CHOO CHOO PARK
The Choo Choo Park is a picture book for children aged between two and four. What's so special about this book? The fact that you can actually visit the Choo Choo Park mentioned in the book. This particular park is in Claremont.
I have the immense pleasure of knowing Heather personally and I got to ask her a few questions about the process of following her dream of seeing her book published and shared.
So...without further ado I introduce to you, new children's author........HEATHER DAVIDSON.
HD: When my son, James was little he used to love going to the Choo Choo Park and "driving"me to different places. So I wrote the story for him at that time.
BW: What made you decide to publish this book now?
HD: I wasn't confident enough to submit my story to any publishers and I'd never heard of self-publishing at that time. About two years ago, I made the decision to get back into writing and committed to spending time on achieving my writing goals. Shortly after that, I came across James's old copy of the Choo Choo Park and decided that I really liked the story and would like to do something with it. I submitted it to two publishers who weren't interested and later decided to publish it myself.
BW: What has been your favourite and least favourite part of the editing and publishing process and why?
HD: Favourite part - seeing each illustration as it was completed. It's been incredibly exciting seeing my story coming to life. Least favourite - getting my book onto Amazon
BW: Did you find it difficult to find a suitable illustrator?
HD: Not at all. I meet and got to know Celeste (Beckerling) at a couple of workshops and talks held by the Society for Children's Bookwriters and Illustrators. I loved her illustrations and decided to approach her about illustrating my book.
BW: Have you given any thought on writing more children's books?
HD: I definitely plan to write more children's books. My next project is to write a chapter book for (and about) a friend's 9 year old daughter. At the moment, I'm reading a whole lot of books for that age group as research on the type of language to use as well as what 9 year olds like to read about. I'm considering writing the book as part of Nanowrimo in November.
BW: What advice, if any, can you give to aspiring writers who are considering publishing their own books?
HD: Self publishing your book is a very achievable goal. The process is quite straight forward and there are many resources available; from online courses to in-person workshops as well as many freelancers to help with layout and formatting if you would like to put your book on Amazon. So just GO FOR IT!
Unfortunately, I have to wait like everyone else to read and review this book but I have ordered my copies and can't wait to receive them!
For more information on Heather, please visit her website: Stories by Heather
And to order your own copy of her book as well as help her achieve her publishing dream, please visit: The Choo Choo Park Project
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