How did my fairy tale book come to be?

True story. I lived in a country town called Tallangatta with my siblings. As a seven-year-old, I faced almost a year off school, and much of that time was staying with my grandparents in Melbourne. I contracted the measles as all kids do, but mine came with a hearty dose of double pneumonia, and I almost died. It brought on chronic asthma, which also became life threatening at times. To cut a long story short, I was going to be kept down a year unless I learned to read before the last term ended.

For the next four weeks, my teacher stayed back with me every night after school to teach me to read to a seven yr old standard. She was my fairyfay. My teacher may not have had wings, but she was my saviour.

So, to help other children, I have made this a sweet fantasy tale. Far from what it was in real life. This is a tale to help those like me, who returned to school and sat at the back of the classroom feeling so inadequate. We whisper in our minds while hiding behind the kids; “Please don’t pick me! Please don’t ask me!”

My hubby (SJB Indie publisher) released the first book in a six-book series in 2014.

Let’s start at the beginning of this manuscripts publishing journey.

We hired an illustrator, published the first book, then they quit!

Yep! She had to draw a wand and threw a tantrum. I’m talking about a big dummy spit, not just a little one. According to her, wands are witchcraft, and that’s against her beliefs. “Hey, this is a children’s fairy tale book,” I kept saying. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and cried out. “You can’t have fairies without their magic wands.” But got no answer. Just a brick wall up and no way to get through it.

At this stage, most of the artwork for the six remaining books had been prepared and sent to us. Given our inexperience in publishing, her indecision concerning the contract ought to have raised concerns. The document got bogged down because of all the requested changes. The illustrator never signed the agreement to have 20% of the sales. This is what she preferred than us paying for the pictures she had drawn.

In short, she forbade us from using her drawings, both in our existing work and in a book we’d published. We were heartbroken but unpublished our work and abandon the six other formatted books. Understandably, I was completely stunned and quite upset by what happened, a reaction I’m sure any writer in this situation can empathize with.

And there is more. Surprise! The illustrator dropped the bomb. She was writing a fairy book too and said needed to concentrate on her own projects. Hang on! Didn’t religious objections prevent her from working on fairy-themed projects?

So, it’s been a decade since I last opened my fairy book. However, after overcoming the challenges, Shaun and I are back working on the book, giving it a fresh start.

What’s new for the fairy book? Take two?

I originally wrote the story for three-to-five-year-olds. I have re-written the story, and it is now a vibrant and mysterious first reader. Children aged 7-10 will especially enjoy the magical fantasy of a sweet fairy who selflessly helps others. Balancing the demands of her fairy king father and aiding her non-fay best friend results in her facing numerous challenges.

What’s the next step for this fairy adventure?

Well, as you can understand, I will not work with another illustrator. So, we use what we have. And I have decided this uplifting tale will resonate with children who have experienced illness and school absences. So, I spoke to my hubby/publisher at SJB Indie publishing. I asked if he was interested in learning to use AI for pictures and doing the artwork for me. At first, neither of us was a fan of going down this road, but to stay competitive, we needed to understand AI.

With that in mind, Shaun did twelve months of training videos and courses until he finally felt confident and found a program that would suit his requirements.

He’s able to program the story’s characters, making them pose and move within diverse settings to fit my narrative.

AI writing tips for beginners. Yes, you can publish an AI-generated picture book on Amazon. Tick the “AI used” box. We will add AI-adjusted pictures and features a story written by an actual author.

Those who fail to declare their works often find their books mysteriously removed from the platform, leaving them with a sense of violation and injustice.

Follow us on our journey.

Me and Shaun welcome you to follow us. Learn more about how we navigate through creating an AI- adjusted picture book with my much beloved fairy tale. We will give you a sneak look next update.

In the interim, Shaun at SJB publishing is designing the artwork for my new picture book. This publication is for young readers, ages seven to ten.

Thanks for dropping by. We appreciate the support.

From Debbie’s Desk

Mythology inspired

speculative fiction author