Letter to Parents

Welcome all blog hop readers! Today we have a letter from the author of the Sassy Pants Series!

Dear Parents,

(But it is okay if you kids read too!) Now that you have met some of the characters in the Sassy Pants Series I would like to give you some of the background on the writing of these books--why I wrote them. I was hit with MS in 1995 and my husband's way of coping with my disability and fragil health was to go into denial and workaholism to kill the pain of "loosing" me. He worked himself into burnout by 2002 and we needed a place to hide where he could recover. At the same time my elderly mother, a widow, started to have a series of strokes and needed someone to stay with her in her home. It was a win/win situation. However, one of the effects of strokes is memory loss--as I am sure many of you know! For a period of time Mom's exercise consisted of trips up and down memory lane and the repeated telling of "pig stories"and then forgetting that she had just told that one! I came to the place where if I heard another pig story I was going to tear out my hair--instead I whipped out my pen and began to fashion all these pig stories into one fantastic tale. And that is how Sassy Pants was born! Evidently there were enough facts in it that when one of my brothers heard it he looked at me quizically and asked, "Now that didn't all happen, did it?" On the title page the subtitle reads, "An almost true story based very loosely on some facts!" A few facts and all the rest is a sheer flight of fancy! I thought it would be a fun way to share my childhood with my grandchildren and save my sanity in the process. Amazingly when the book arrived, the pig stories stopped! They were safe now, all written down. Mom no longer compulsively told the same story over and over.

The next thing that happened was that my husband began to lobby for a sequel. He said I had to give Sassy Pants an opportunity to redeem herself after being so naughty. I leaned forward and in a conspiritorial voice said, "But this is it. That's the story. There. is. no. more!" He would not have it and then his colleagues joined the chorus. One day we were in the car and my husband was listening to some guy on a CD. I zoned out and turned to God and asked, "What should I tell them?" A few seconds went by and then "boom," exploding in my mind were the titles and story lines for three more stories. Sassy Pants Makes Amends is the second book in the series of four. The third is Sassy Pants and The Strange Creature--about getting along with and appreciating those who are different from yourself. The fourth is Sassy Pants and Borus Hog--about finding her place in her father's heart and the herd. About destiny, really.

I said, "Okay, God. I will write them, but these are Your stories so you gotta help me, all right?" I would sit down to write, not really knowing where the story was going and watch it flow out on the computer screen. When I would come to a scene where I didn't know how to describe the action He would give me the idea of who to talk to for that information. It was an amazing experience--and lots of fun!

It is my hope and prayer that this blog site can become a safe place for kids. I hope to keep developing it as time goes on. It is also my prayer that these stories will open conversations between parents and children about the issues the stories raise and you will have the opportunity to share your values with your children. And since each book comes with a download code in the back, you can download an audio recording of me reading the stories and doing all the voices. The audio can be used for reading practice if a child is having trouble reading aloud. It can also be a great help on trips to entertain. The books can be purchased at Amazon, in most major bookstores or from my website. I have also written a parent/teacher manual with home schoolers in mind--it is also a free download from my website. 

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them. If I don't know the answer I will say so instead of trying to look like I know everything! Or, if you would share your child's reaction to the book, I would love to hear!  Looking forward to "meeting" you!

Be sure to hop on over to my other blog, click here, and leave your name and email address in the Giveaway box to enter the drawing for a set of the Sassy Pants books or a set of the burden bearin books.

Blessings, Carol Brown