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Local author puts faith in ‘Grand-Mom’
Trend Leader, by Aaron Becker
Children’s book author Marie Elena Gordon isn’t waiting for kids to go to her books, she’s bringing the books right to them. Gordon is marketing the books directly to where kids spend most of their time — school. With her first newly released book, she is hoping her “My Grand-Mom Told Me…” series will be a hit with both little and big readers.
And she’s not just crossing her fingers. Gordon has already received enthusiastic acceptance for the first ‘Grand-Mom’ book by school districts like Bensalem Township and Easton Area. She will also be reading her book at the Goddard School, located in Doylestown on July 23 and the Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown on Sept. 6.
The positive response has enlivened the Doylestown native Gordon, who went through a six-year struggle to find a publisher, before going independent through Publish America.
“My background was not in writing, it was technical,” said Gordon. “I was a system engineer before I began writing professionally.”
There is an additional challenge for Gordon when taking her book directly to the school districts because it is rarely done.
“When marketing to educators, their interest in my book is quite different from those in the normal book chain,” said Gordon. “It is a very interesting learning process, with the rewards far out-weighing the negatives.”
Gordon began as a poet and naturally, the ‘Grand-Mom’ series is a collection of short stories written in a poetic format.
“I didn’t really think about it. It just came out like that,” said Gordon. “Children seem to [better] retain it.”
Gordon focuses on education as the prime purpose for her collections of short stories, which bring to life nostalgia that kids and parents can find interesting.
“I remain focused on keeping my stories light and educational,” said Gordon. “The stories are light conversations that children will enjoy reading.”
And the children love reading.
One young reader in the sixth grade, Julia of Belmont Hills writes in a letter to Gordon, “My only grand-mom is sort of far away. That is still okay because it makes me appreciate her even more! I called her and read her one of my favorite stories in the book, ‘Washing Day.’ We spoke about how different things were back in the days.”
Letters like Julia’s are what Gordon has strived for in her series, which began very simply.
“It began with a coffee conversation I had with my mother,” said Gordon, recounting the talk that led to researching the common sayings, “raining like cats and dogs” that make up the basis for the books.
Finding the nostalgia and history behind the small, interesting aspects of the past is one of the most appealing parts of Gordon’s writings.
“I love ‘The Lamplighter’ [a short story withing ‘Grand-Mom’] because of where I was born and raised,” said Gordon. “My mother remembers a lamplighter coming to a lot near our home - it’s real. Personally, I have never seen one, so I had to speak with a lot of people.”
Another person involved in the ‘Grand-Mom’ series is illustrator Kelly Thompson. Thomspon first joined in on Gordon’s project with the illustrations for ‘The Lamplighter. According to Gordon Thompson got the image spot-on on the first attempt.
Thompson and Gordon didn’t meet because of their love of children’s books however, but because of their love of heroes.
Gordon is also the North American Coordinator for International Firefighter’s Day, held May 4. Thompson had lost her nephew, a firefighter, while he was fighting a fire. Through the Internet, Gordon and Thompson became confidants and through their friendship, joined forces for the series.
“We became e-mail buds,” said Gordon. “After about six months or so we asked each other what we enjoy doing. I write. She draws. I had a children’s book and was searching for an illustrator. I sent her my first story and she drew how she envisioned Grand-Mom Jenny and Whipper Snapper [the grandson character in the series] should look like. That first picture is now the cover.”
From heroes to washing clothes to lighting lamps and wowing schools, Gordon is putting faith in Grand-Mom and hoping to light the lamp of reading inside more and more children everyday.
Gordon will be reading and signing “My Grand-Mom Told Me Book 1” at the Doylestown Bookshop on September 10, which is National Grandparents Day.
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