children book – Wolverine Lily

If you’re curious about what happened before this (how I got the idea for the Elf Ninjas) you can read here.

About three years ago, while packing up for Canada, I found and old, tattered post-it with a pencil scribble: “Elf Ninjas— a story for kids.” I couldn’t recall the story at all, but I remembered writing the note, after inventing a hilarious bedtime story for my kids.

A couple days later, I woke up in Canada at 3:30 am. and I couldn’t fall back asleep. I stared at a wall as the street light crept through the half-open blinds, casting stripes across the ceiling. Everything else was dark and still.

The post-it came to mind. The elves.

But nothing else. No details about what had made my kids laugh so hard that night. My memory had completely failed me.

Then I thought: if I created a story once, why couldn’t I create another?

So I began building a snowy village in my head: How many elves? Three, just like my kids. Are they all boys? No, of course not. What are their names? What made each of them special?

I was afraid I would forget everything again, so I fished out my notebook and began writing in the dark. I could barely see the page, but I jotted down the names and the skills.

Before the morning light spilled inside, I fell asleep with three Elf Ninjas saving Christmas from pre-holiday disasters.

Within a few weeks I had a complete draft. Then a hundred revisions followed. Eventually I hired an editor who loved the story.

Then came the major hurdle for the entire process: illustrations.

I had no idea how expensive professional illustration could be. And I did not have the budget for it. I search everywhere for a professional artists, students, illustrators outside the United States—but nothing seemed to stick.

Two years later, I still had no illustrations. Eventually, I stopped even looking and, honestly, I was beginning to think the book might never happen.

Until one day someone knocked on my door.

My neighbor, a comic book artist who knew about my project, handed me the contact information for his friend—an illustrator in Mexico. The same night, I sent out an email with a manuscript, my notes, and a request for a sample illustration.

Next day I got a picture of Knox—exactly as I have envisioned him!

Although the price exceeded my budget, something told me that I have two choices: hire Marcelo to illustrate the story, or accept the fact that Elf Ninjas might never meet the children.

I hired Marcelo.

The next 18 months I became an editor, book designer, art director, production manager, publisher—and God only knows what else. I learned each task as I went. I secured copyrights, assigned ISBNs, changed my mind a hundred of times, made many mistakes and fixed them… but I did not give up.

The Elf Ninjas Save Christmas is officially published.

And I kept the promise I once scribbled on a small, yellow post it.

Illustrations by Marcelo Rangel Flores. If you want to see more of his work, visit his profile here.

Humor runs in my family. My great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, my brother and I—we all have it. Perhaps it’s been written into our DNA, making our double helix twist into a grin.

When I was little, my grandfather and I could ping-pong lines back and forth, picking at each other. He would say something with his quarter-smile and I would fire back. We kept going until we both cracked up. Those are my favorite memories of him.

I was raised on humor, and I wanted my children to thrive on it too. Fortunately, they inherited the signature strand and Izabella got a double dose.

My need for comedy follows me into everything I read, whether it’s rom-com or a thriller, I crave those moments when characters deliver sharp, witty lines. So naturally, when I began reading to my children, I searched for books that would make them laugh. I found plenty of beautiful books, meaningful books, educational books, and books advertised as hilarious. But very few could satisfy our peculiar appetite for humor. I hunted for stories that would let my children lose themselves in laughter.

At some point, without consciously deciding to, I began slipping my own jokes between the lines. Sometimes I extended a story or invented a sequel. Eventually, my children began asking me to make up stories or continue the adventures of characters I had invented the night before.

One night around Christmas, I created a tale about elves. I no longer remember what I told them that night, but the story turned their darkened room into a circus. Max, who must have been about four, bounced on the mattress, unable to contain his laughter. Nellie screamed and kicked the wall, disturbing our neighbors. I laughed so hard I couldn’t finish my own sentences—completely failing to put them to sleep.

When I finally left their room, I paused behind the door, still laughing. I remember shaking my head, thinking, “This would make one heck of a book!”

A spark warmed my chest, and a thought blazed through my mind:

Maybe I could write it?

But as I stepped into our messy kitchen and saw the pile of dishes in the sink, reality anchored me back to my life. So before getting my hands wet, I found a Post-it and wrote: ELF NINJAS—A FUNNY STORY FOR KIDS. I stuck it to the back of my bedroom door and promised myself I would write that story before I forgot it.

Since I became a mother, every idea, every project, every undertaking had disappeared beneath dishes, laundry, and everybody else’s needs. I didn’t want this one to fizzle out with the others.

But it did.

That note was covered by bags and hats—lost and forgotten for years.

Until three years ago… It found me.

I couldn’t remember the story at all. But I remembered the promise. That scribbled promise eventually became my first children’s book: The Elf Ninjas Save Christmas.

Tag: children book

How I Published My First Children’s Book: The Elf Ninjas Save Christmas

The Promise on the Post-it