“May you always see the world through the eyes of a child.” –C.J. Heck
As an Author, I’ve found my inspiration for writing can come from many different directions. My two best children’s short story ideas actually came directly from a parent, who was going through both things at the same time.
This transpired while I was on a week-long book tour down the east coast and while I was in the middle of a book signing at a bookstore in New Bern, North Carolina.
As I was signing a book for a woman with three young children, she suddenly leaned in and softly asked whether I had written a book to explain divorce to children. I told her I was sorry, but I had not. She confided that she was going through a divorce and didn’t know how best to explain it to her children so they would understand.
She followed that up by asking whether I had written a book about how to explain abuse to children. I again had to tell her I had not, but this time, I thanked her most sincerely for the two great children’s short story ideas.
She again shared her reason for asking. She said her marriage had been abusive and it was why she had filed for divorce. She also didn’t know how to explain abuse in a way her children would be able to understand. I asked for her email address and phone number and promised to let her know when I wrote either book.
When I got back home to New Hampshire, I began writing those two children’s books. They are both done, but not published yet. I saved each of them in a PDF file and sent them to her.