My New Children's Picture Book is "The Bunny Who Found Some Money"

If you would have asked me a few back if I would have published my 7th nursery rhymes for children by now, I might have thought it would certainly be a challenge. Luckily I stopped believing all those lies I kept telling myself that publishing kids books online was very difficult. When I wrote The Bunny Who Found Some Money, it hit me that when you are doing what you love, you never ave to work another day for the rest of your life. I feel like I have finally found my calling, and I am going to continue to write these fun little rhyming picture books for many years to come.

Looking back to when I released "The Unicorn Who Lost Her Horn" and "The Dinosaur That Lost His Roar", those were some really challenging times. When you begin any journey, the unknown can really stop any progress you made and cause you to fall back on old comfortable routines. It wasn't until I pushed myself through that barrier and received an e-mail from a customer that really changed the way that I felt about pushing through. The letter read in part, "I read this story with my daughter before we go to sleep last night and she really loves the illustrations presented in this book, she really likes the story about Trixie, I couldn't get rid of laughing when she said that she wants to draw a picture of Trixie before she go to sleep." It got me thinking that the audience I am really trying to connect with are actually getting the message and connecting to the characters in these nursery rhymes for children. It was at that moment that I realized that I had a real responsibility to these little kids, and that I was going to push hard and develop fun baby animals they could all relate to.

When I came up with the idea for Blossom the bunny in "The Bunny Who Found Some Money", I wanted to develop a cute baby animal that would face a very troubling decision, and into the mix she had her friends putting added pressure on her to do what they thought was best. In this classic children's book, I decided that Blossom was going to find a large bag of money, and introduce a problem that kids of all ages are faced with. When you have a choice in front of you to do what is right or to do what feels good, which way do you go? Blossom has to listen to all her friends give her advice on where the money should be spent, when deep inside she knew all along what was the right thing to do. The right decision can often be the hardest, but it also comes with great reward!

Introducing my New Children's Book About "The Flamingo Who Loved Playing BINGO"

Hard to believe that we are already talking about my 6th rhyming books for children already! When I decided to take this writing journey I was afraid at first about all the hurdles that would be ahead of me. I have to tell you that once you have those kids books online, everything changes. It isn't about the struggles of getting the books out there anymore, it is about trying to slow down all these ideas in my head and trying to get them illustrated. My commitment is always going to be from here out to create the best rhyming picture books for kids of all ages.

When I started to develop the idea for this book, "The Flamingo Who Loved Playing BINGO", I knew what the concept was going to be about from the beginning. The trouble I had was relating this issue to little kids. It wasn't until I saw how kids in kindergarten today are better on mobile devices than many of us adults that the idea was born. For this nursery rhymes for children book, I wanted to memorialize the passing of my favorite Uncle Frank, so the little flamingo was called Frank as a way to keep the memory of my uncle alive in my books. Living here in Florida, the flamingo is a staple of every zoo. So the idea was in place, now I had to tell the story of Frank and his love for playing BINGO online.

I don't think many children today realize how they are separating themselves at an early age from enjoying being a kid because too many parents are either addicted to their mobile devices and the kids follow, or they have found an electronic babysitter for cheap. The story of Frank the flamingo is about a cute little bird who is completely obsessed with playing games on his phone. What I wanted the kids to see in this children's picture book was how destructive it can be to always be on those mobile devices. The connection with friends is lost, the connection with family is lost, and it will have a negative impact on school if the issue gets too far. I understand many kids are extremely responsible when it comes to mobile devices, but I also understand gambling addictions is one of those hidden diseases that gets far too less attention these days. My hopes is that the kids of today do not fall victim to compulsive behaviors that can easily start with online gaming.

Frank has to learn the hard way what can happen if you play too many video games and don't listen to when your parents tell you it is time to take a break. Hopefully little ones will see the struggles Frank has in this rhyming kids book and how he has to turn things around or he could be in for a very challenging school year.

My New Rhyming Picture Book for Kids is "The Lizard Stuck in a Blizzard"

Once the ball got rolling, I was able to start bringing my rhyming kids books to life more easily. For what seemed like an eternity, I would delay bringing these children's books online because I thought the marketing and formatting of the books was too difficult. Now that I knocked four preschool rhyming books, I can finally see me getting some traction.

When I came up with the idea for Lizzy in "The Lizard Stuck in a Blizzard", it was based on a small little lizard my daughter Amber won at the carnival games in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. We never thought Lizzy was going to live very long, but my daughter took extra special care with her. Three years later, that little lizard was still eating crickets and playing in my office while I worked at night. It was her destiny I guess to become a cute baby animals character for my latest kids books online.

The story of Lizzy the lizard is about persistence and determination. Little Amber was not going to let anyone tell her a lizard she won at the boardwalk would not live long, so Lizzy was not going to let her friends stop her from finding snow even though she lived in Florida. Lizzy teaches children that no matter what your friends may say, if you believe in something strong enough, you will find a way to make it happen. Lizzy made her way to New Jersey but found more snow than she anticipated.

Children will love how this little lizard makes the impossible possible! This is the perfect picture book for children who have trouble with their confidence, as Lizzy will show them you can make anything a reality if you believe in yourself.

My Latest Kids Bedtime Story "The Whale That Broke the Scale"

Looking back to my first kids book, The Unicorn That Lost Her Horn, I wonder why it took me so long to really get this ball rolling. Now that my 4th children's picture book is available for purchase, I wanted to talk about two thinks in this blog post. First I wanted to talk about the idea behind The Whale That Broke the Scale and secondly something for all those would-be authors out there.

The idea for Wendy the whale came about when my daughter was telling me about how some kids in school pick on others for a number of reasons. She has always been raised to be compassionate to others, and to never judge someone on the outside because you never know what is going on inside. I wasn't concerned about putting out popular children's books, I wanted the message to reach those children who will eventually take over the world. Wendy the whale was ridiculed because of her weight, something many kids struggle with in school. My hope when I develop rhyming children's books is these young minds see how hurtful words can be and learn to care for one another as equals as we all spin around on this planet each day.

The other thing I wanted to talk about was something that may kick start the efforts of other authors struggling to get their words to print. Looking back at the children's books I have written, I have to admit the first one was the hardest. I beat myself up daily because it was talking too long, wasn't perfect, needed work, and each day my excuses delayed the inevitable. If you were born to be a classic children's books writer, then just go for it. We all make mistakes, and I can tell you that once you get over that first hurdle, these rhyming picture books seem to take on a life of their own. Although I started my campaign trying to work on the best books for toddlers age 2-3, I am expanding my reach for all little kids because the positive message has a universal appeal.

If one of my books can help one child to unleash their own unique imagination, then I really am a success! Regardless what you want to write about, get your first one out there and the magic will follow. If you are finally going to launch a book of any kind, comment here on my website and I will try to help get you some exposure!