Covid 19 inspired me personally into writing and illustrating books

The first time I personally noticed someone wearing a protective facial mask in a public setting, rather than a doctor’s office was back in February of 2020. It was such a strange sight.  I couldn’t comprehend why someone would do such a thing.  Little did I realize that a federal mandate would soon state we all needed to take this precaution.   

At the time I was a bookkeeper for a Missouri Public School District.  I had been at this position for over 20 years.  I liked my job, but my personal fulfillment was being part of a school family where I could interact with the children on a daily basis. 

I’ve always enjoyed spring.  To me, it’s the time of year to be reenergized by the warm breezes that melt the winter doldrums away.  However, that March, the breeze was being chilled by a new sneaky little new virus.  The nightly news was broadcasting information about a strain of an infectious disease that we had no treatment or vaccine to combat it with.  The infectious disease was called COVID-19, and it was making its way across the United States. I was shocked when the spread of the illness was officially declared a pandemic.

It was hard to conceive that something which originated from a remote Chinese cave had quickly made its way around the world and had now invaded our community.  As the illness grabbed a hold on us, I was relieved the local officials made the decision to have the students go home for a recess to help stop the virus from spreading.

The teachers did a great job of preparing the children for our planned short absence.  As I watched the little ones board the buses to take them home on that final day, they seemed excited for the new adventure of seeing their educators on the internet.  I could only hope that this separation worked and no one else would get sick.  While everyone was now taking classes away from our building, I took the opportunity to get caught up in the business office on all the paperwork that piles up for the end of each school year.   

On the faithful day of April the 9^th, Governor Mike Parson announced that the Missouri Public Schools would remain closed for the remainder of the year.  That was the day I had to accept the fact that the students would not be returning to celebrate all of our traditional year-end ceremonies.  I walked the hallways of the empty building.  Children’s artwork was left hanging on the walls, ready to be taken home to their families.  Lockers held clothing, waiting to be worn, and personal tokens to the teachers were sitting forlornly neglected on unoccupied desks.  I felt like a lost ghost left behind on an abandoned ship.  Upon leaving the tomb of the building, I found my car sitting eerily all alone in the desolate parking lot. 

I had been looking forward to Easter the following Sunday as it’s the annual holiday I host for my family.  However, by now everyone had been directed not to travel.  My only option was a phone call to my parents.  I smiled upon hearing my mother’s voice when she answered the phone, but when I tried to talk to my dad he could not understand my words due to his severe hearing loss.

Sadly I fell asleep taking a nap as the unsettling news reports continued to blare in the background.  When I woke up I was thinking of how my dad and I are both avid readers.  One author we both enjoy is C.J. Box.  I wondered if I could write a suspense story for him as a way for us to communicate.

Not having a computer at home, I took pen to paper and sat down to work.  At first I worried that my story would just be lame.  But, I kept reminding myself it was for my dad.  It didn’t matter how bad it was, he’d enjoy it just because I wrote it for him.  I finished this first book, which was all written by hand, to give to my dad by Father’s Day that June.

When school started up again in August my friends encouraged me to get it printed it into an actual book.  I decided to do it, and then I passed it out to all of my school family as Christmas gifts.  I eventually turned that first book into a three book trilogy. 

Now that I was enjoying the hobby of writing, I decided to write a children’s Christmas story as a gift to my friends that have a little business just down the road from my house.  After their appreciation of the tale, I really wanted to see it illustrated.  I haven’t tried to draw anything in over 40 years, but by now I felt motivated to try.  So I went to the local dollar store and bought myself a cheap watercolor paint set and completed a book.

I have since retired from that bookkeeping position, and found a way to share my passion of reading as a part-time librarian at a Missouri Public Library.  In my spare time I’m enjoying my new hobbies of writing and illustrating. To date, I’ve written four adult/young adult books and I’ve written and illustrated two children’s books.  I’ve enrolled in an Adult Watercolor Painting Class, and I’ve joined the Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild to work on improving my skills.  It has been so rewarding upon completing these projects and sharing them with others.  I may not be Mark Twain or Dr. Seuss yet, but I remember the saying – You’ll never know if you don’t try!