Once upon a time, in a small county in North Carolina, there lived a little girl surrounded by stories. She didn’t live in a castle, she didn’t have a dragon, and she didn’t have magical powers, but she had something better. 

What did she have?

She had parents who read to her every day. The pages of her favorite books carried her away to the magical world of imagination.

Who was this little girl?

Me! I was surrounded by book lovers and storytellers. They encouraged me to be the same, and this was the beginning of my writing adventures. 

The Magic of Books

In elementary school, I discovered my favorite place, and I bet you can guess what that room was?

You’re right! I loved the library.

I read every single book many times over, making friends with characters who would stay with me forever. When summer break came, it wasn’t about beach trips (though those were nice too); it was about the bookmobile rumbling up to our house, bringing me new worlds to explore. I can still hear that horn tooting all these years later.

But I wanted to do more than just read stories! The magic wasn’t just in reading. I wanted to create them and take other people to the places my imagination took me. With crayons and pencils, I’d write my own tales and draw pictures to match. 

From Bedtime Stories to Books

Time passed (as it tends to do in all good stories), and I became a mother to two wonderful children. Now I was the one reading bedtime stories! I made sure to introduce them to all my childhood favorites, but I also created special stories just for them.

Sometimes they’d tell me adventures, and I’d write them down. Other times, I’d surprise them with stories I made up and show them the pictures I’d drawn. Watching their eyes light up as they went on magical adventures with me was pure magic.

Then one day, while trying to write a short story for my grandson’s birthday gift, something clicked. I realized how much I missed creating stories. I started asking myself a question. 

Could other children enjoy these tales too? 

I hoped so, and that’s when my journey as a children’s author began. (And that short story became the start of Edward the Dragon Hearted.)

Where Stories Come to Life

Would you like to know a secret about where my stories are born? Well, in my world, they pop up everywhere! I never know when or where an idea might hit me. 

But when they do, you might find me typing away at my dining table with papers spread out all around me. Other days, I’m curled up on the couch with my laptop. When the weather is nice, I love sitting on my backyard swing, watching the birds flit between trees as characters take shape in my mind. 

My front porch rocking chair is my special spot for illustrating. There’s something about sipping coffee, hearing the world wake up, and bringing characters to life with colors and lines that feels just right.

And that’s not even counting all the time I spend in my office. The nice thing about being retired is that I have plenty of time to write.

The funniest thing about my writing is that the stories play like movies in my head before I write them down. Once I’ve “seen” the whole story, I’ll make a quick outline and story bible to keep track of everything. But I always listen when my characters start talking to me, because sometimes they have better ideas than I do!

For tricky scenes, I go old-school with pen and paper. There’s something about writing by hand that helps unstick stuck stories.

When I’m Not Making Stories

Stories fill a big part of my life, but not all of it! When I’m not writing or drawing, you might find me:

• Crocheting cozy things (maybe blankets for dragons?)
• Baking treats (I have a sweet tooth that never gets full!)
• Watching birds through my window
• Traveling to new places that might end up in future books
• Learning to animate simple cartoons (because seeing characters move is amazing!)
• Playing video games with my grandson

I share my home with some furry friends, too. I have two cats. Zen and Tigger like to “help” me write by walking across my keyboard, and I’m always trying to dust their fur off the laptop screen. And there’s also Grayson, a stray cat I’m slowly befriending. He doesn’t run away anymore, which I count as progress, though he still won’t let me pet him. Maybe someday!

The Next Chapter

Every good story makes the reader wonder what happens next, but I don’t want you to have to guess in my story. Save that for when you think about my characters. 

This is what is happening next in my world:.

I’m super excited that my second book, “Charles the Chuckling Chicken,” will be hatching on September 22, 2025. (I’ll tell you more about it in upcoming posts.)

Right now, I’m also working on three special projects:

1. A mysterious, magical lighthouse adventure,
2. a cozy story with just a touch of magic, and 
3. the second book about Edward the Dragon Hearted. (His story is going to be a trilogy!)

The best part of being a writer is sharing my stories and meeting the readers who enjoy them. Thank you for joining me on my adventures. 

I’d love for you to tell me what you think about my stories. Did you laugh? Do you want to know what happens next? Have you ever experienced any of the things my characters do? 

Your thoughts act like the magic that sparks my imagination, and I never know when something you tell me will inspire my next story.

You can always reach me through my website, where you’ll find my email address and links to my social media accounts (I’m working on posting more interesting content there, too).

Your Turn

Now I have a question for you: What was the first book that made you fall in love with reading? Was it about dragons, space explorers, or maybe a regular kid having an extraordinary adventure? Drop me a comment below – I can’t wait to hear your story!

The End… or really, just the beginning!

Lots of love and happiness to you,

Arden (and Zen and Tigger)