Some of you have asked where I've been because I haven't written in my blog in a while. When not with clients I've 
been immersed in writing a children's book. I'd describe it as a cross between intro-to-nature and "Where's Waldo?" except in my case it's "Where's Wildlife?" Sunny is a Green Frog and the narrator is asking the local wildlife if they have seen him. In some of the photos, the reader must find the wildlife in its natural setting, and in other photos, a detail is revealed. Who finds Sunny? You'll have to read the book to find out!
“Where’s Sunny?” emerged from my desire to share my love of nature and photography with my grandchildren in a way that was fun and educational.
When I started getting into wildlife photography there were times where I'd upload a photo onto my laptop and wonder why I had taken it. I might initially see a big pine tree or some pretty scenery, but it didn't ring a bell until I'd zoom in and find an eagle perched in a tree or a heron flying below the tree line. These photos had a "Where's Waldo?" feel to me. My grandchildren enjoyed finding the wildlife in the photos so I began taking photos such as these intentionally.
This year some of these photos transformed into "Where's Sunny?" I was so pleased with the results that I decided to fine-tune it a little and make copies for my cousins who have grandkids. Reading it to my cousin's 3 and 6-year-old grandchildren gave me more ideas so I continued tweaking.
I read it to my crafting group. Showed it to some friends in my book club. Got great feedback and did more tweaking. I decided to make it available for purchase to my FB friends and got a wonderful response. Since I was self-publishing I could still tweak and fuss.
I've since read it to the children at our local library for storytime and for my granddaughter's 4th grade class as a mystery reader. It was well received by both groups. I'm at a point where I can't think of anything I'd want to change.
The genre is faction: fiction with some fun facts sprinkled in. The wildlife featured are local to most of New England.
As of right now I am only selling my book on my website. I'm having it printed in small batches for those who appreciate my photography and hearing about life through my lens.
My hope is for children to develop an appreciation, respect, and reverence for the nature with which we share our lives.
It is available on my "Shop" Page for $24, but for a limited time it will be available here for the pre-issue price of $20. I hope you'll check it out!
Friends in this Love,
Trish
