How a plushie changed a grown man’s life. Where do the many blessings begin, thanks to a plushie bear?
Before I go too far down the rabbit hole and tell my journey to become a children’s book author and podcaster, I can’t emphasize the importance of Children’s book readers. Additionally, bringing a children’s book to life is almost impossible without your support.
Adventures in the Heart of Children’s Book Authors Podcast
Our podcast show will concentrate on first-time children’s book authors. We will give you, as readers, the value behind children’s book authors’ stories and how they brought their children’s books to life.
Even though that would be nice, we cannot expect you to buy every children’s book.
However, through our podcast show, Adventures in the Heart of Children’s Book Authors, we can introduce you to many children’s book authors and the stories behind their books.
The podcast helps lower your investment risk as a reader; you can decide if this is an author and children’s book you want to support.
As children’s book readers, we would love for you to support our book series, The Adventures of Kaboose the Rocky Mountain Bear. Absolutely.
However, like every children’s book author, we interview, we would love for you to get to know us and decide if we are the right choice for you and your family.
We are children’s book authors Papa Rick, granddaughters Kyra, Bailey and Kaitlyn; grandsons Leland and Cooper and Nana Brendalee.
How a Plushie Changed a Grown Man’s Life
Our first grandchild, Kyra, started an avalanche of adventures that still rush down our lives’ mountainsides.
Kyra’s daycare introduced Kyra to a relationship with two sibling plushie animals: Georgia, a Rabbit, and George, a Bear.
These plushie animal relationships lead to the development of the main character in our book series, The Adventures of Kaboose, the Rocky Mountain Bear.
Who knew our three granddaughters and two grandsons later would motivate me to change the trajectory of my life?
Golden Years, What Do You Want Yours to Look Like?
Society calls retirement The Golden Years.
At 59, I received a funding gift to test-drive retirement—wow!
But this gift of early retirement came far too soon for me.
Golden years take much effort to mine; however, there is gold in the years ahead.
My golden adventures with my grandkids led to a new career filled with self-directed learning as a blogger, author, podcaster, coach, triathlete and lifelong learner.
Today, I’m a children’s book author and podcaster on a mission to write children’s books that celebrate the great outdoors, live in harmony with Mother Nature and wildlife, and teach young children the adventurous magic that unfolds when humans, wildlife, and nature come together as a community.
Never Stop Setting Goals
However, my goal is to do much more; it is to reach out to children’s book readers to introduce you as readers to as many children’s book authors as possible.
To open up the children’s book authors’ hearts, you decide who you will let into your reading home and library.
Through my life lessons, I wish to share and help other Children’s book authors demystify how to generate the ideas and characters for a Children’s book, write and format the book, self-publish, and promote their books. (These highlighted words link to a post about inspiration to become a children’s book author.)
Questions for Children’s Book Authors
As a children’s book reader, you might ask these questions:
Why support this children’s book, and how did it come to life?
Are there lessons or a moral to the story the author shares with children and perhaps their parents and grandparents? Do I wish to share this lesson or moral with my family?
Is the author trying to inspire children or parents and grandparents or entertain them?
How do I develop a connection between myself as a reader and the children’s book story and the main character?
Is the main character and story helping me interact with my child or grandchild, whom I have purchased and read this book to?
In our case, we want to build a connection with wildlife through our main character, an adventurous bear, her life with Mother Nature and her community.
As a grandpa nicknamed by my grandkids as Papa, I look at each book’s content to build a connection with Mother Nature, wildlife, and the community, creating lessons to inspire and entertain.
As Cindi Lauper says in her song, Girls Just Want to Have Fun.
In our Children’s books 📚 Kids Want to Have Outdoor Fun is our message.
In addition, we have activity pages at the end of each of our children’s books. We encourage children to write about their adventures ✍️, draw their adventures, and create a main character, supporting characters, and community.
How a Plushie Changed a Grown Man’s Life
Along my journey as a self-published children’s book author and a podcaster, I have embraced new skills and am sharing these skills with my grandkids.
I am proof that you can possess the skills of a Children’s book author and podcaster at any age.
You don’t have to dip yourself in the fountain of youth.
All you have to do is surround yourself with youth.
Keep Adding Friendships at Any Age
Research on longevity has been done, and acquiring younger friends can help one live longer.
Likewise, age-gap friendships are about differences rather than similarities.
‘The prevailing idea of friendship is that it should be based on equality and likeness,’ says Mark Vernon, author of The Meaning of Friendship.
Mark says, “Age-difference relationships are quite unlike that because you occupy different spheres of existence. But perhaps they’re all the more valuable for those polarities.”
What does Mark mean by polarities? The way I interpret polarities is that opposites attract and that there are tendencies toward common sharing.
How a Plushie Changed a Grown Man’s Life
I have been strategic with my grandkids; my parents’ love for my children laid the foundation for my grandchildren.
I consciously decided to teach all my grandkids to ski, a sport I could do forever with them.
Teaching them to ski has driven multiple stories with Mother Nature and the great outdoors.
With my grandkids, we have been more than a one-sport family; however, you need to embrace each grandkid’s sport and interest of choice.
I went deep into the youth pool; some of my best friends were my grandkids.
If you are a parent, please share with your mom and dad and encourage them to listen.
Are You Friends with Your Grandkids?
You might say, da. I am friends with my grandkids.
I don’t want to diminish your love for your grandkids, but this is not friendship; it might be a love-ship.
Do you live in the same city or near your grandkids?
Are you absent three to six months of the year as you escape winter?
Do you miss most spring, fall and winter sports and activities with your grandkids?
Do you vacation regularly with your grandkids?
Have you taught them a skill that you regularly practice together? Have you also created a piece of art, written, drawn, narrated, played a sport, or engaged in some other activity you take pride in?
What is UYP?
Part of my new education is from UYP. Where is UYP? It is everywhere: the University of Younger People.
Moreover, my grandkids have brought a different perspective to my life and to each of the thirty-eight books we have written and recorded together.
Several of my grandkids are narrators of our children’s books. When recording each book, we also use narration to edit each story. If the words are not right for our audience or don’t sound right, we will rewrite part of the sentence or paragraph. Use this method in editing your children’s books, and you will learn what we mean.
New Educational Areas of Learning
Writing, editing, and narrating are skills that are learned together through the practice of storytelling.
I expect their interests will change as my grandchildren age; however, having several common bonds through outdoor activities will contribute to more stories in the future.
As mentioned before, our goal of developing children’s stories in our Adventures of Kaboose the Rocky Mountain Bear is not only about us. We want to improve children’s book writing, publishing, and marketing to help other inspiring authors launch 🚀 their children’s books.
Finding Your Audience
However, most children’s book authors would not exist without the children’s book readers.
As mentioned, we aim to introduce children’s book readers and provide them with a variety and endless supply of books to share with their children and grandchildren. Our podcast show is more important for you. Without your support, most children’s books would never come to life.
Therefore, finding children’s book readers is the most challenging task for an author.
Look around the World Wide Web. In addition, you will find hundreds, perhaps thousands, of groups of authors, illustrators, publishers, and marketers. However, few are dedicated to reading children’s books.
We hope you will support our podcast show and encourage your community of children’s book authors to listen.
If you have a favourite children’s book author you believe should be on our podcast, please send me as much author information as possible. You can reach me at paparick@kaboosetherockymountainbear.com.
Cheers to Awesome Read and a Fantastic Home Library!
