Where Story Ideas Come From - Sometimes

Many of my story ideas come as I ponder childhood memories, but sometimes those sparks come unexpectedly from the cutest of personalities. Enter Harper.

When a good friend of mine shared the entertaining conversations she was having with her granddaughter about how to use her new boots on the farm and the amusing questions she'd asked, a new story just bounced into my head. 

My favorite of our conversation was learning of Harper's excitement when her Papaw told her she didn't have to step around the cow piles in the barnyard. They could easily spray the mess off of her new boots. She quickly learned it was true - as she purposely found several cow piles to test the notion. I think that was the highlight of her time in the barnyard that evening. 

Wanting to give Harper a little credit for the idea that began What Farm Boots are For, I shared the picture above with my illustrator, Hiruni Kariyawasam. I expected she would simply include this photo in the book, but Hiruni took it to the next level and beautifully created Harper and Charli characters. (Charli is Harper's little sister, who now has her own farm boots.) You'll find these two on my dedication page in the front matter of my book. 

While I didn’t have specific memories of my own farm boots, I did have plenty of fond memories playing on my grandparents’ farm. So the two notions, Harper’s inquisitiveness, and my memories, blended perfectly to form the foundation of my new book, What Farm Boots are For.

I hope you'll check it out! 

Carol June Franks