everyday superhero (noun) :
1) a person that develops superpowers in order to bring change in the places she cares about
2) [becoming an ~] : the desired outcome of reading the anthology “Once Upon the Future. Everyday Adventures that Change the World”
Once out in the world, we hope that our book will inspire its young and not-so-young readers to develop and exercise the everyday superpowers needed to change their little corners of the world for the better. If, in the meantime, you want to start changing the world by making a children’s book on sustainability, here are a couple of superpowers we found useful:
Superpower one: invincible hope
Can you guess the moving force behind a researcher starting to write children’s stories? Yep, it’s hope. Despite our lack of experience with the craft and the sector, and while being in the middle of the all-consuming process of doing a PhD, we had hope that the stories would turn out ok. We hope that they’ll eventually find their readers, and that people will read them with sparkling eyes and tender hearts. We even hope that these stories will inspire our readers to love the forest, the city, the garbage, and the cosmos just a little more.
Superpower two: endless perseverance
When we started the project, we thought that writing the stories would be the toughest part – and it was tough. But even after the never-ending cycles of writing, re-writing and editing, the book was not ready yet. There were illustrations to be drawn, the layout and cover to be designed, decisions on the printing to be made, the front and back matters to be put together, and spells to magically stretch the budget to be invented. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.
Superpower three: loving teamwork
Making the book took work. But we were all in it together, which made the work energising and rewarding. We’ve also had a wonderful editor, Jacqui Lofthouse from the Writing Coach who, together with Nikki Sheehan, guided us through (re-)writing the stories and finishing the book. They supported our project with a touching mix of professionalism, care and belief. Above all, we had each other, which made the creative process so much more joyful and the frustrations so much easier to handle, even the inevitable frustrations amongst each other.
We’re almost there! We expect to be holding the book in our hands very soon – so stay tuned!