ATHABASCA — Sometimes you wake up from a deep sleep and don’t know where you are, and other times you wake up and feel a burning desire to write a children’s book.
At least that was the case for Athabasca native Nicole Kerr, whose first book, Esther and Chester Create Their Day was published Aug. 11 and is available locally at the Athabasca Home Hardware, Athabasca Health Foods and online at Amazon and Chapters/Indigo in both e-edition and print.
“I woke up and this thought came to me, ‘You can create your day’ and then (the names) Esther and Chester, and I just started writing,” she said in a Nov. 10 interview.
She says she read the draft version to her children, then two-and-a-half and five years old, who wanted more added.
“I read them the book and they said, ‘Mommy, where are the pictures?’” said Kerr. “They loved it.”
Kerr comes by writing naturally from her grandmother Maxine Kerr who was an editor for Alberta Government Telephones (AGT) back in the day before it became Telus. Maxine has since passed away, but Kerr memorialized her.
“She actually edited my book the first time, the first draft when I wrote it. I brought it to her, and she edited it,” said Kerr. “And I dedicated my book to her and my children.”
She also credits a few teachers who encouraged her throughout school, Rhonda Anderson and Rita Sequeria, her senior high English teachers, and Terry Korman, her social studies teacher.
“They helped me stay engaged in English. I really appreciated them as English teachers and I think back to them often when I write,” she said. “And Mr. Korman, he was my social teacher, but he really helped me stay in school.”
It wasn’t a quick process though, with the initial writing taking place in 2007, then it was set aside for nine years before Kerr set about finding an illustrator.
“I just put a little shout out on Facebook and my friend’s sister actually was tagged,” she said. "We got a hold of each other and long story short, she was amazing and illustrated it for me.”
The story, illustrated by Cynthia Michaud, is about staying cheerful and even if you have a bad moment, you can choose to move past it. The layout was done by Kerr’s sister Yolande, a graphic designer.
“The message is basically when you think of one happy thought, it'll grow,” said Kerr.
And it’s a message resonating with people of all ages, according to the reviews on Amazon, and she will be signing her books during Moonlight Madness at the Athabasca Home Hardware store during the evening on Nov. 26.
“I always love seeing a book that discusses subjects like mood and depression with kids, as someone who experienced depression from a very young age,” one reviewer said. “This book talks about being mindful and kind with yourself while navigating very normal bouts of sadness. It respects a child's ability to know their own feelings and gives them a good way to be present with them. And the illustrations are so sweet and full of whimsy.”
Kerr’s next step was to approach Balboa Press and they quickly picked her up and she is now working on a second book, hoping to turn the lives of the imaginary twins Esther and Chester into a series to help others.
