Tilly's Great Adventure

In my last post I wrote a little about myself, and what inspired me to write The Adventures of Hatchie and Friends: Hatchie Makes a Difference. In this post I thought I'd write a little about Tilly and how I got started.

First...

I have always wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. My mom always told me when I was little, I would copy stories from the Reader's Digest. This was before I was even in school. I probably didn't know what I was writing; I just wanted to write. In elementary school, anytime our class had a writing assignment, I was happy. We once had to write a story about a Thanksgiving turkey. My story was very vivid. I actually remember most of it. A turkey was being chased by a father and son who were hunting for a turkey to eat at Thanksgiving. They caught up with the turkey, and he had this whole dramatic scene where he was wearing glasses and said, "You wouldn't shoot a guy with glasses, would you?" He later became the family pet. The glasses bit was probably something I had seen in a cartoon. In middle school, we had to write a journal every day in class. We would be given a topic and maybe twenty minutes to write at least a paragraph. I would fill the entire page and sometimes several. My teacher would take a few minutes to glance over them to make sure we did the assignment. She would stop and read my entries every day. I could always tell when she got to mine. She told me she always looked forward to reading mine. English and Agriculture were always my favorite subjects in school. (I really liked history as well!) English, because of my love for literature, whether reading or writing, and agriculture because it included everything outdoors. I had some amazing teachers!

The Museum...

The Tipton County Museum is one of my favorite places. It started as a place I could take my kids to get fresh air, exercise, and enjoy the outdoors. We went often. I have pictures of my youngest there from when he was a toddler up until high school graduation. I went for years and hardly even stepped inside. As my children became adults, I went more and more by myself or with my husband. I took up photography and started finding myself there almost every day. There was always something interesting to see.

From turtles in the wetlands and ponds, bees and insects in the butterfly garden, to dozens of species of birds, I learned so much about nature. Before I started photographing the insects, I had no idea there were so many different kinds. Through the pictures, I could see all the details. Honestly, I thought bugs were gross before I started seeing them up close.

Now, I love them. Birds, to me, in the beginning, were just red, blue, or black. I could name the common ones like the Cardinal, Blue Jay, or Crow.

I had no idea what a warbler or a bunting was. Now, I realize there are hundreds of different kinds of birds. There are over 250 different ones that can be seen along the Hatchie River and throughout the county. The museum is a great place to see them. It's a 15-acre haven in the middle of a city that gives them a place to rest.

As I spent more time at the museum, I got to know the people who worked there and started to volunteer. I began by helping Sherri in the archives and by painting and making decorations for the escape room. Since then, I have helped make displays and exhibits, helped at nature camp, the community garden, and different events,

started the bird fest, and so much more! I have really gotten to know the ladies at the museum now, and even their families. They are all really great people. It's been a lot of fun. I have been volunteering there for years now, and I'm now a member of the board of directors.

I encourage everyone to go to the museum. Walk the trail, visit the butterfly garden in the spring, visit the turtles in the pond, sit on the back porch and birdwatch, and take a minute to step back and enjoy the little things in nature. Go inside, check out the exhibits, ask for a tour, learn about Tipton County history, nature, and our amazing veterans. Ask for a volunteer form and get to know the wonderful people of the museum!

Tilly....

So how did Tilly come about? You know I have always wanted to write and love the museum. Being at the museum, hanging out in nature, gives you time to just take a break and breathe. When it's warm, it's a great place to hang out on the back porch or lounge area out front behind the wildflowers and relax. In the last few years, my desire to write a book has really been in the back of my mind almost daily.

Last spring and summer, while hanging out in the front lounge watching the monarchs, hoverflies, bumblebees, and goldfinches visit the zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, and other wildflowers, I started thinking, "This is what I want to write about. The outdoors, the insects, the animals, everything outside." I made up my mind to write and decided on the theme, but I still wasn't sure of the story.

My husband and I love to travel and visit parks and nature areas. Last year, we decided to visit the salt flats in Nebraska and check out the birds and wildlife there. I had never been. While we were there, we visited a park to stop and eat our lunch. We almost always picnic when traveling. It's so much better than the bustle and noise of restaurants, and we don't have to stop what we are doing or leave the park! We can peacefully eat while watching the birds. After we ate, we decided to walk the trail. Their trail was a storybook trail. It was so cute. The story made you want to keep going around the trail. I told Dexter we need this at the museum.

That was when I decided that the story I wrote needed to be something that could go on a storybook trail. I brought my idea back to Katherine at the museum. She liked the idea but didn't realize at first how serious I was. I also told my friend, Liz. She sometimes volunteers at the museum, too. She also didn't realize how serious I was. Even though I always wanted to write, I never really talked about it, and most people didn't know.

A few weeks later, I was home by myself, and it was really quiet. I didn't have much to do that day and decided to try to come up with a story. I had actually been thinking about writing a story for the Hatchie River Conservancy as well, which could be used as something educational for children and maybe as a fundraiser. Over the next few weeks, I wrote and illustrated The Adventures of Hatchie and Friends: Hatchie Makes a Difference and Tilly's Great Adventure. In Tilly's Great Adventure, I decided to use the animals I frequently saw on the trail, along with a few other local animals. I even used the names we had started calling our regular visitors at the museum. Blue the Blue Heron, Edgar the Crow, Harold the Raccoon, and Gary the Groundhog are regulars.

The turtles are regulars, too. There are two snapping turtles named Tootsie and Roll after the Tootsie Roll factory in my hometown, but we had not named any of our box turtles. So, I decided on Tilly.

Maggie the Monarch is named after my niece, Maggie, and Joey the Dragonfly is named after my late mom, Johanna. Her aunts and older relatives often called her Joey, and the personality just fit. Bunnies and foxes were my mom's favorite animals and common in Tipton County, so I wanted to include them in my story. We have a pet bunny named Freddie, and I had a childhood pet named Sunny. Freddie the Fox and Sunnie the Bunny fit better than the other way around.

While doing the illustrations, I looked back at the thousands of pictures I have taken of the trail over the past 20 years and decided that if it was going to be part of the storybook trail, it would be neat if the illustrations matched the actual trail. So, as you follow along with the story, you feel as though you are part of it.

I kept all of this to myself until I finished my story and then took it to the museum to show everyone. They loved it, and I believe they were surprised. Sherl told me I should try to get it published. I also presented my other book to some of the board members of the Conservancy, and they loved it as well. So, I decided to try to publish them both. It was not an easy process, but it was worth it. I finally could call myself a writer and author! I am now hooked and can't wait to write more!

What's Next...

We are in the process of getting the storybook trail signs made. As soon as they are done, we will put them on the trail with Tilly's Great Adventure for all to enjoy. You can also purchase a copy in paperback or hardback on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and soon in the gift shop at the museum! They are also available through me and coming to other stores soon! Thank you for reading my blog and visiting my website! I hope you enjoy reading about Hatchie, Tilly, and all my other characters. There is more to come! I am working on a chapter book series for middle school-aged kids that will be full of mystery, nature, humor, and much more! I am very excited about this next venture and can't wait to share it with everyone!

Here's a few pictures of volunteers working on different events and project.