Mother pens book about, for daughters
Inspired by family
A Martinez mother became a published author with the recent release of her first children's book.
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Tanya McLain said her own experiences and being the mother of two daughters were the inspiration for the children's chapter book titled, A Different Kind of Summer. The book was recently released through Pleasant Word, the print-on-demand branch of WinePress Publishing for Christian writers.
McLain said she wrote the book while at the beach in the summer of 2006 and reflected on when her daughters, Sarah, 11, and Rachel, 8, brought home library books when they were younger that contained content not appropriate for their ages.
"I wanted something that they could read before they go to bed at night, something positive and uplifting" McLain said. "It is just real mild and positive. It is a good family story. It is mainly written to be I think a good bedtime story, something you could read together every night."
The story revolves around Nicole, a shy girl who just finished the fourth grade. As every summer, Nicole is headed to the beach with her parents. She desperately wants to make a new friend, but is too shy and afraid to talk to anyone new.
"I was painfully shy," McLain said, adding she used many of her own experiences and the many obstacles that accompanied her shyness as a real-life inspiration for Nicole's adventures.
McLain said she hopes reading about Nicole overcoming her shyness will encourage other shy children to try new things and not let fear hold them back.
A Different Kind of Summer is the first of what McLain hopes will be many published children's books to come. She and her husband, Denny, co-own Affinity Flooring in Martinez.
The couple are working on a series of picture books she calls the Little Denny series, based on her husband's mishaps as a child. The series is currently being illustrated.
McLain said she also has plans to write another Nicole book.
A Different Kind of Summer is currently available online through www.pleasantwordbooks.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.christianbooks.com.
It also is available at several area retail locations including Martina's Flowers and Gifts, 3830 Washington Road, in Martinez; and The Bloom Closet, 103 Maple Drive, in Martinez.