My name is Rachel Stafford. I am many things: a mother, a wife, an employee, an author, an illustrator, a book nerd... a little of everything I guess.
First of all, I would like to welcome you to my new blog. As I'm writing this, I'm still not sure what all I will be adding here, but it's safe to say that there will probably be things like: art, sneak peeks of upcoming books, looks into how I do my illustrations, silly anecdotes about my children, etc.
My first children's book, The Greasy Opossum, has been a long time in the making - even before I knew I was going to write it. My mom used to make up silly bedtime stories for my sister and me. When we were little, she made up this story about a opossum that was SO greasy that you had to use dish soap to get him all clean. It was so silly, and she'd add the funniest sound effects, which REALLY made it great for us. So, for Mother's Day this year, I decided that I would make her story come to life. Originally, I was just going to use a service like Snapfish or something to make my own photobook and add captions.
As friends, coworkers, and family started inquiring on my progress and asking to see my work, I was urged to publish. Upon some research, I decided to self-publish through Amazon. My book is currently available in paperback and ebook formats, and so far I've received a great deal of positive feedback.... which is a good thing because I lost a lot of sleep over the silly thing.
My experience with writing and publishing my first book has been exhausting and rewarding, and I'm eager to begin another tale! I know, I know... chances are that I won't be the next big thing in Children's literature, but that isn't why I'm doing this in the first place.
My goal in writing is to create some tangible history for my children. And their children. And so forth. So that, one day, my kids and look back and share silly stories that Meme used to tell them. Maybe, great-grandchildren I may never meet will still be holding copies of my book and say, "Wow! Grandma Rachel was so silly!" And in future books, I intend to broach more serious topics and maybe expand a little. Time and audience permitting, of course.
SO with all of that said, I hope that you're interested in sharing this journey with me. It's been really fun so far, and I can't wait to create even more memories!
First of all, I would like to welcome you to my new blog. As I'm writing this, I'm still not sure what all I will be adding here, but it's safe to say that there will probably be things like: art, sneak peeks of upcoming books, looks into how I do my illustrations, silly anecdotes about my children, etc.
My first children's book, The Greasy Opossum, has been a long time in the making - even before I knew I was going to write it. My mom used to make up silly bedtime stories for my sister and me. When we were little, she made up this story about a opossum that was SO greasy that you had to use dish soap to get him all clean. It was so silly, and she'd add the funniest sound effects, which REALLY made it great for us. So, for Mother's Day this year, I decided that I would make her story come to life. Originally, I was just going to use a service like Snapfish or something to make my own photobook and add captions.
As friends, coworkers, and family started inquiring on my progress and asking to see my work, I was urged to publish. Upon some research, I decided to self-publish through Amazon. My book is currently available in paperback and ebook formats, and so far I've received a great deal of positive feedback.... which is a good thing because I lost a lot of sleep over the silly thing.
My experience with writing and publishing my first book has been exhausting and rewarding, and I'm eager to begin another tale! I know, I know... chances are that I won't be the next big thing in Children's literature, but that isn't why I'm doing this in the first place.
My goal in writing is to create some tangible history for my children. And their children. And so forth. So that, one day, my kids and look back and share silly stories that Meme used to tell them. Maybe, great-grandchildren I may never meet will still be holding copies of my book and say, "Wow! Grandma Rachel was so silly!" And in future books, I intend to broach more serious topics and maybe expand a little. Time and audience permitting, of course.
SO with all of that said, I hope that you're interested in sharing this journey with me. It's been really fun so far, and I can't wait to create even more memories!
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