Wellsboro, a small town nestled in the hills of Pennsylvania. I've lived here all my life...well, not yet anyway. I did the big city thing, but home and hearth called me back. I opened a little bookstore with my wife.
It just seemed natural to write a book. I choose to write for children, because if a child doesn't read when they are young, they aren't going to read when they are older.
I've written several children's books. My most recent is "Molly, the Dog with Diabetes" about a local dog. It's the story of how Molly lives a happy and healthy life even though she has diabetes.
During our busy Christmas season, we often have visitors from out of state. Some of our regular customers from Mansfield PA, a nearby small town, were finishing up Christmas shopping.
They shopped, chatted, got their purchases wrapped and left, but their visitor noticed a poster in our window of when I did a signing in a nearby city at a Barnes & Noble.
"Oh, you have a children's author in Wellsboro," said the visitor.
"Yes, you've probably already met him when we were in the store," replied our regular customer.
I had indeed helped this woman while she was shopping. It turned out she was one of the librarians at the Marantz Picturebook Collection for the Study of Picturebook Art in the Reinburger Children's Library Center at Kent State University, and she purchased both of my picture books for the collection: "Hobo Finds a Home" and "Molly, the Dog with Diabetes."
Would this librarian have found these books if she hadn't come into the store in our small town of Wellsboro? The reason to shop local and keep our towns strong is about more than keeping a strong economic base, but also strong in the sense of discovery. Strong in the sense of the arts.
Delightful story!
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