My Labor of Love

Several years ago, I got a story idea that ultimately turned into my book, Willie's Dad. A few dozen people have seen the story, as I progressed through the writing and editing stages. I was buoyed by their positive reaction to the story, which was almost unanimous. I was also humbled by the emotions it brought out in me. It was somewhat disconcerting to not be able to find an interested publisher. I believe to this day that this is a story worth telling. I self-published it, as opposed to waiting for someone else's approval. The book business is similar to the record and movie business in that people's creative work is viewed mainly in terms of it's perceived profitability, and the experts get it wrong about 9 out of 10 times. These are the experts we take our creative works to, hat in hand, hoping they will make some sharecroppers deal with us. I took the position that I would write from the heart, and then try to find my market. If you stumble across my unusual little, illustrated realistic urban fiction children's story, please let someone know that it is mainly a story of unselfish love. It happens to be set in a prison visiting room, but the themes are even bigger, when you stop and look at it. You can identify with it easily if you know someone who has to deal with incarcerated family members, but you can still find a way to identify with it, if it just makes you count your blessings, or hold your kids a little tighter.