The Behind Story of "Once Upon Five Tales"

By the time I began working on Once Upon Five Tales, I had already written and self-published four illustrated short stories. My husband suggested bringing them together into a single collection, so readers could have everything in one place without buying each book separately. It was a practical idea, and I liked it.

Four stories felt unfinished to me though, so I decided to write one more and make it five. That extra story is called Zoom Zoom Zolly, and it's about a sheep who is always in a rush, treating everything as urgent and rarely slowing down. The idea came from my travels to Korea, where I noticed the "ppal-li ppal-li" culture, which translates roughly to "hurry hurry." That part of the culture was oddly fascinating to me, and it became the starting point for Zolly's character and her journey toward learning to pause.

That fifth story ended up being my husband's favorite in the collection, but I don't think I could pick a favorite myself. I put a lot of heart into each one, and I hope that comes through when you read them. Happy reading.

*This book is available on Amazon Kindle.