Stopping for Books

I’m stopping at storage for some books.

I’ve done this so many different times. My friend asked me how many boxes I had left. Considering I had an entire pallet originally, my answer is not many. I’ll probably be a little sad when they are all gone.

I do love any and all opportunities to send them into the world and here I am with some new ones. When I showed my friends (who were there in the beginning) the sample copy from Amazon, they wondered why the ‘about page’ wasn’t included. I explained that it was only because I didn’t have a copy of it to upload when we were getting the sample set up.

The origin of ‘Peaceful Hearts’ is summed up on that one page. I later came to wonder if parents didn’t want to know that part. It’s a touchy subject. I’ve been in many conversations about emotions, and truly everyone has their own individual approach. I never intended to be controversial, and it was most unexpected when I was, The other part I sort of want to defend..

Shootings have only become more frequent since my experience. That is an unfortunate fact. Writing ‘Peaceful Hearts’ was me trying to move through my own PTSD. Art is good for that. Now that I’ve had so many people suggest that there is a healing message, I believe it’s true. I can still be soothed, and have been while just reformatting Peaceful Hearts recently for Amazon. No one seems to talk about what happens after a shooting, but I can tell you, it’s a whole separate subject.

My intention was to illustrate emotions a little abstractly, (because that is my style, and because emotions can feel that way, plus I’d learned how younger children like abstract). Then simply to suggest the idea of breathing through (as opposed to distracting or ignoring or whatever not acknowledging might look like). It was supposed to be for everyone, not just trauma survivors.

Well. Who could have predicted all the things that have happened in the world since then. I wrote Beatrix for kids during and after COVID. I guess my books are good for healing, I hope the universal message for everyone comes across, also, but I’m happy if one person finds either book regulating or helpful in any manner.

I always hold out for the days when we come together lovingly and kindly in healing supportiveness of each other, regardless of where we land emotionally.