WRITING FROM THE
HEART
By Chris Sarracini
My children’s book, Where Wishes Grow…, illustrated by
Pauline Aksay, focuses on the unbreakable bond of love between a young girl
(Maggie), her mother and her grandmother. Maggie’s grandmother is bedridden,
having suffered a stroke, and Maggie has some wishes she desperately wants to
come true; wishes that would help her grandmother enjoy the vibrant life she
once had. And so, Maggie’s mom comes up with a plan to help those wishes to
grow.
Writing Where Wishes Grow… was a very cathartic experience for me. Like
Maggie, the hero of the story, I too was deeply impacted as a young child when
my grandmother suffered a stroke and had to rehabilitate herself physically and
mentally. I think Maggie’s wishes for her grandmother stem from my feelings of
helplessness when I saw my grandmother struggling to return to health. Needless
to say, Where Wishes Grow… is
definitely a story I wrote from the heart.
In writing Where
Wishes Grow… I wanted to tell a story that would have a powerful emotional
impact not just on the kids enjoying the book but also on the parents or
grandparents who might be reading it with them. I hoped that it would remind
readers, young and old, just how powerful the bonds of family are and how
important it is to cherish the shared memories between generations because time
with family is precious. And most of all, I wanted the story to remind readers
of how hope is one of the most powerful emotions of all.
In order to capture the soft and tender emotions that this
story is meant to evoke, the book needed just the right artist. Working with
Pauline Aksay was an incredible experience. Since so much of the book revolves
around Maggie dreaming of bigger and better things for her Nanna, and since so
much of the storytelling happens when Maggie retells her adventures to her
mother after having planted her wishes, the dreaminess of Pauline’s digital
paintings was a perfect fit. There are very few artists who can transport
readers into the vibrant and colorful imagination of a child quite like
Pauline.
We hope you enjoy Where
Wishes Grow… and that this story, written from the heart, touches yours.
About the
Author
Chris
Sarracini has been working in the comic book and film industries for over 15
years. In addition to writing for a number of successful comic book
favorites including TRANSFORMERS, STREET FIGHTER and DARK MINDS, his own
creations include FATE OF THE BLADE and CASA NOSTRA. As a
screenwriter, he has worked with Universal Pictures, Disney and Nasser Entertainment.
His most recent publication is the children's picture book WHERE
WISHES GROW...
Chris
lives with his family in Toronto
where he continues to create and write.
Website
Address: www.chrissarracini.com
Twitter
Address: www.twitter.com/chris_sarracini
About the Book:
Title: WHERE WISHES GROW
Author: Chris Sarracini
Publisher: Brownridge Publishing
Pages: 56
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Author: Chris Sarracini
Publisher: Brownridge Publishing
Pages: 56
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
BOOK BLURB:
Where
Wishes Grow… is the story of eight-year-old Maggie, a pensive and
courageous dreamer, whose big heart starts to break when her grandmother
becomes bedridden and sick with no recovery in sight. Fortunately Maggie has
some wishes in mind to breathe life into Nana and is about to learn the secret
for making them come true.
Watching
Nana’s health fail has been difficult for Maggie and so now much of her time is
spent dreaming up wishes for ways she can help her. Maggie conjures up three
wishes for Nana she desperately wants to come true: for Nana to see again to
enjoy her favorite beautiful things, for her to walk again to visit her
favorite places, and for her to speak again so that she and Maggie can sing
their favorite songs. The problem is, with wishes this important, Maggie wants
to be sure she can realize them; wishing upon stars that may be long dead or
relying on birthday candle hoopla just won’t cut it. Thankfully, Maggie’s
mother knows the secret for turning wishes into reality…you’ve got to write
each wish down and then go plant each one in just the right place. And, as
Maggie discovers, retelling the story of how each wish was planted turns out to
be the most magical part.
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