Blown Away – Charley and the Big Wind
It is not surprising that after telling stories to my children over the years and writing half a dozen or more that I would self- publish one of these stories. Charley and the Big Wind simply tells the story of how we decided to put a gate in our back fence to let our dog, Charley, become friends with the Husky, Nika next door. I, of course, had to embellish the story to appeal to children as well as add illustrations to help tell the tale. Fortunately, I had literally hundreds of pictures of Charley and a few of Nika to morph into drawings with the help of a computer App called Nexmuse. It allows one to take a photograph and essentially change it into a drawing. I hope the children enjoy the results as much as I do.
I wanted to tell the story from Charley’s point of view since I felt children might more easily identify with him. I geared the writing to children 7 to 10 years of age and tried to have a bit of intrigue as well as the general message of the importance of friendship. I wanted the story to be endearing, as well as fun.
The biggest hassle in this process was working with the self – publishing companies to physically publish the book. The main challenge was in formatting the book, even though I did have help. Trying to communicate with support could be difficult. In the end any battle does leave one stronger, so I guess I am ready for the next undertaking.
My next adventure, of course, will be marketing the book. As opposed to my daughter, Elizabeth, the queen of marketing, this is not my Forte. You can see, I am writing a blog and will endeavor to broach Facebook and other social media platforms. I am trying to set up several book – signing events and feel these should be fun. I doubt you will see Charley on a billboard near you, but who knows what other vehicles the marketing bus will drive. It does remain an exciting journey navigating the marketing milieu. The most menacing and invigorating of these specters involves the other six children’s stories that remain in my desk drawer. As they say, “De ja vu, all over again!’
