L is for Love

ABC, Adoption and Me – Becoming a Family in Joy

An Adoption Book for Children

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Celebrate the gift of family and with a gentle and safe approach, soothe the authentic losses at adoption’s roots.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Most books serving adoptive families concentrate exclusively on the positives associated and ignore the challenges that adoption presents to kids and their families. This leaves kids struggling on their own, suffering and worrying unnecessarily. ABC, Adoption and Me shines a light on the adoption experience that celebrates the blessings and acknowledges the losses. Parent and child talk about them together. Everyone benefits from this truthful approach.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Adoptive families face unique challenges. Curiosity about birth parents and birth family history, feelings of loss, and fears of abandonment are all normal. They can also be the source of conflicted, scary emotions. Many adopted children have concerns about permanency and worry about how their parents will react to their questions and fears. Some kids struggle alone and in silence because they want to protect their adopted parents.

With a light-hearted touch and engaging illustrations ABC, Adoption and Me helps parents to explore difficult issues with their child. From the safe harbor of a parent’s lap, he can overcome these hurdles. This loving support will help him braid his dual heritage into healthy unity. He will learn to rely on his parents for comfort and the truth. Parents can trust that any stormy feelings can coexist with love for his adopted family and will not diminish his connection to it. Together, they become a family in joy.

What genre does your book fall under?

Non-fiction, ages 4-8 picture book that uses the familiar ABC format

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Quvenzhané Wallis

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self

I will self-publish ABC, Adoption and Me. My young adult novel, That Baby We Borrowed, will follow soon, in the fall of 2013.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It took me most of four months and Paul Griffin, my illustrator, has spent over a year crafting his wonderful drawings that bring the book to life.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Tell Me Again about the Night I Was Born, by Jamie Lee Curtis; A Mother for Choco, by Keiko Kasza; The Family Book, by Todd Parr

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

My daughter collaborated with me and her insights as an adoptee helped to inform the book. The cartoon drawings include multiple ethnicities and family groups.

Meet the authors/bloggers invited to The Next Big Thing on April 13. Check out their blogs and get to know their work.

Amber Garr | Gayle Swift | Chris Hamilton | Celia Lucente, http://www.serenaschreiber.com/

http://www.nowmotivated.blogspot.com/