My Writing Journey Begins

My journey of writing a children's book began about two years ago. My husband and I went on vacation to Europe. For us this was a very big deal because neither one of us had ever been before. It was a 16 day trip, and we wanted to squeeze as much excitement into our 16 days as possible. At the time my parents were living in Austria, serving a mission for our church, so of course, we planned several days in Innsbruck, Austria and Southern Germany, to spend time with them.  Those days with my Dad and Mom were the highlight of our trip. The country side and mountains were breath-taking and my parents knew all the most wonderful places to take us. We were in awe at the castles that dotted the lush green hills, it was such a contrast from the beautiful, yet brown, Arizona desert that we see every day. Basically we were on cloud nine, almost literally. 
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One afternoon while in Innsbruck, we were invited to go with my parents to one of their friends homes for dinner. While at their home my parents shared with me that this friend had just written and published a children's book. Their friend took out her book and handed it to me. It was a very touching and beautifully illustrated children's story that helped to teach children how to cope with death. As she told me her story about why and how she wrote her book I was inspired to tears. My whole life I had thought about writing children's books but had never been in a position to do it. I bought one of her books on the spot and thanked her profusely.

A week and half later we returned home. I sat down and wrote "The Tiniest Little Star," and then began the endeavor of illustrating. It has been an amazing experience!