Dear Reader,
The beginning of summer marks the end of the school year and a host of opportunities on the horizon for graduates of all ages. A new season always offers hope and a chance for us all to reflect upon our dreams and ambitions, no matter what age we may be.
From the pre-school graduate to the proud possessor of a new Ph.D., all of us wish to fulfill our dreams.
Dreams and possibilities are the subject of this newsletter as I share the page with award-winning children’s author Jill Roman Lord. Today she talks about her own dreams and her books Dream Big, My Precious One and You’re More Than a Sprout. Look for surprises at the end of the interview as well as a chance to win copies of these two books.
Welcome to the home of The Literary Lyonesse, Jill!
Q: I understand you have been a nurse anesthetist for over twenty-five years, but you have also written more than twenty children’s books. When did you begin your writing career, and when do you find time to write?
A: Ah, yes. Back to where it all began. I’ve always loved writing, but I wanted a job that could support my family, if the need should arise, as I wasn’t sure of what writing opportunities were out there. (My father had been unemployed for awhile when I was growing up so I wanted a solid career.) I followed my other passion and went into nursing then obtained my MSN and anesthesia certification. I love that career, but God wouldn’t let my writing sit dormant. In 1996 when my girls were one and three years old, He lit a fire under me to write for publication. I had no idea what to write but knew I had to write something. Once the idea of writing a children’s devotional book hit me, I laughed and told God if He wanted me to write, He’d have to provide the time. I worked three days a week and didn’t want to take time away from being with my children on my days home. Sure enough, on my days off I found myself wide awake in the early hours of the morning. So I’d hop out of bed, make a cup of coffee and write until the girls woke up. I never set my alarm clock, but I believe the Lord woke me to write. This happened until I had it complete and was able to send it to publishers. I also wrote during naptimes and when they were in preschool. I received a year’s worth of rejection letters on that one, but when one publisher requested the full manuscript, I was nine months pregnant with my third child and went into labor. I was tweaking that manuscript in the hospital between contractions. My baby boy’s first outing was to the post office to send off the final draft. I received a contract, and that was my first published book.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked two to three days a week and block days to write or do writing-related activities each week.
Q: In recent blogs you have written about your own personal dreams and how God has helped you to fulfill those dreams. You said, “It seems like God gifted each of us with different dreams and also with the talents and abilities to make these dreams come true, with His help. . . . He must have embedded His desires, His dreams for me, deep in my heart that pushed me to pursue them.” How did God help you discover those dreams embedded within you, and how did you make your dreams as a children’s author come true?
A: I think you may be referring to a ‘dream list’ I made back in my college days and then tucked it away in a box. I didn’t keep it taped to a mirror to read every day. In fact, I had forgotten I even had that list until I found it a few years ago and realized most of my dreams had been met. I feel at certain times God has brought into my life people who have prompted a pursuit of a dream. For example, I always had a dream, since I began running in college, to run a marathon someday. It was just a dream out there to accomplish ‘someday’. I was at a church dinner talking to a friend who told me about the Charlotte marathon he had recently run and that it was moving to April of the next year. This was December. The same kind of ‘fire’ I mentioned above lit within me. I knew I had to begin training for that marathon. This was the one. Now I had a five, three, and nearly one-year-old. Thank heavens for jogging strollers. So, that’s how I ran a marathon. God seems to bring people, events, occurrences at the right time as if to say, “Now.”
Some friends in college found a great deal for Spring Break to go to Hawaii. Hawaii for spring break? Sure, why not. It was so cheap, we couldn’t go anywhere else for much cheaper, at that time. So, my dream of traveling to Hawaii was met. It’s crazy. I’m not sure why we get certain desires, dreams in our hearts. But we don’t want to grow old wishing we had pursued those dreams, even if they don’t make sense to us. We never know whose life we may touch, who may grow because they saw us pursuing our dreams, or who may be inspired to follow their own dreams.
Q: Your new book Dream big, My Precious One (Worthy Kids) certainly encourages young people to “go for the gold” and realize their dreams. What or who inspired you to write this book, and were you trying to send a message specifically to someone precious in your own life?
A: In all honesty, I had written a story and wanted to make it a series. So, the idea of Dream Big came to me as a second book in the series. However, the first book was rejected. The first book displayed a tenderness between a parent or caregiver and a child, and I wanted to continue that tenderness of a parent/caregiver believing in the child and God’s amazing plans for that child. As parents, my husband and I wanted to give our kids every opportunity to find their ‘thing’, like other parents do. You make opportunities available to them and see where they take off. Each of my three kids all had different giftings and ways of pursuing their interests. It is so cool to see how God truly placed different talents within each of them. I learned, looking back on my children’s pursuits, that while playing on a team and having the goal of being a star player may not amount to anything, the lessons learned, the character building, the obedience learned, the time-management learned, the opportunity to encourage other players, the chance to give 100% and see the difference one can make on a team, are all part of the dream. It’s God’s way of molding us and growing us to pursue the next dream. It builds self-confidence to grow into the person God knows we can be. It’s about learning not to give up when we strike out, miss the goal, mess up in a recital, or do poorly on an exam. It’s wanting something bad enough to pick ourselves up and try again. I would have loved a book like this to read to my children, so I’m thrilled to have been able to write this to encourage other children to pursue their God-given dreams.
Q: I love your reference to 1 Chronicles 28:20 at the end. Which came first, the scripture or the story?
A: I think the scripture came first. I came across that one morning while reading the Bible. I was struggling with a new skill I had to learn. That fit perfectly. It became my mantra. “Be strong and courageous and do the work.” When I was deciding on a scripture to sum up this story, that came to mind. Whatever it is we may be doing, we just need to be strong and courageous and do the work and know that God is with us and will not forsake us. Isn’t that comforting? Even if we mess up, we are doing our best and trusting God.
Q: Brittany E. Lakin has provided beautiful images for this book. I can almost hear the wind chimes tinkling in the night air, and I can certainly imagine chatting with a little one in that porch swing. How did you collaborate with the illustrator for the scenes in this book?
A: I actually didn’t have any communication with her. That was all between the publisher and the illustrator. But I was completely blown away when I first saw the illustrations. She totally nailed it!
Q: Sarah Demonteverde has illustrated your book You’re More Than a Sprout (B&H Kids), an inspirational story about a little bamboo seed with big dreams for his future. This book also has beautiful illustrations, and the artist has done a great job capturing the emotions of the characters. For example, even a child who can’t yet read can see the frustration on the little sprout’s face, and the moon’s expression clearly offers empathy and encouragement. So, again, how did you collaborate with this illustrator to set the overall tone of the book?
A: I had very little to do with these illustrations again, but I saw that it is the same with illustrations as it is with writing. When the editor asks us to rewrite a section, to make it stronger or tighter we rewrite until we get it right. It seems like it works the same with the illustrator. It goes back and forth until each page is perfect. She did an amazing job bringing the characters to life with so much personality. She totally nailed it, as well.
Q: Is the village of Bin-binka-boo a real place, and what inspired you to set your story here?
A: No, it is a fictional village that fit with the rhyming scheme. I wanted it to reflect an Asian place where bamboo might grow.
Q: This book contains a wonderful “Parent Connection” page that encourages children to reflect upon God’s plans for their lives. Why did you choose to add this page to this particular book?
A: The publisher incorporated these “Parent Connections” on their website to relate to their books. I was so pleased that they chose to include it in this book.
Q: What would you like children and their parents to take away from engaging with these books?
A: I would love for them to see that dreams are real, that God places them in our hearts at early ages, and it is our joy and duty to pursue them. I want them to see that others are affected by our pursuing our God-given dreams and that dreams aren’t all about us, but that others are touched when we pursue our dreams. Our pursuit of our dreams somehow helps advance God’s Kingdom here on earth.
Q: How can my readers learn more about you and your other books, and where can they purchase Dream Big, My Precious One and You’re More Than a Sprout?
A: Others can learn more about me on my website at https://jillromanlord.com. They can connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The books may be purchased on Amazon and most of their favorite online bookstores. Barnes and Noble and Books a Million may carry them as well.
Activity sheets are available for both of the books through the publisher websites.
Here is a link to see the full reading of Dream Big, My Precious One. http://bit.ly/ReadingArk
Thank you, Jill! It has been a pleasure to learn more about you and your books!
Readers, please encourage your children to dream big this summer. Have some quality discussions with them about their plans for the future. Use this wordsearch featuring dreams from Jill’s book as a starting point for your discussion, and don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win one of these awesome books! See details below.
Contest entry rules: 1. Subscribe to my newsletter. Scroll to the bottom of any post and enter your information. If you’re already a subscriber, you already have a chance to win! 2. Share this post and tag one of my former students. All entrants must have a physical street address in the U.S. The giveaway will be open until Sunday, June 20, at 4:00 p.m. Central Time. That’s it!
As an added bonus, our local Sprout Children’s Shop is giving away a copy of You’re More Than a Sprout.
Check out their website at https://www.facebook.com/
Summer blessings,
The Literary Lyonesse
“How like a dream is this I see and hear”!–William Shakespeare
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”–Proverbs 16:3
