Local author turns family moments into children's books

Walk through any bookstore and you'll find thousands of stories waiting on the shelves, but every once in a while you get the chance to meet the person who wrote one and hear how it all began.

That was the case Saturday afternoon at Coles in Totem Mall, where Fort St. John author Emily Fehr spent the afternoon meeting readers, signing books and sharing the story behind her first children's book, I Like Killer Whales the Best!

Like many good ideas, this one started at home. Fehr said the inspiration came from her son, who became fascinated with killer whales after watching a National Geographic VHS tape over and over, often running upstairs to tell her everything he had just learned about the animals.

"I wrote those things down, like a lot of moms do," Fehr said. Those simple notes slowly became something more. Before long they had grown into a children's book that mixes real facts about killer whales with the imagination of a young boy who wanted to pretend he was one himself.

Getting from those handwritten notes to a finished book wasn't a quick process. Fehr said it took about 14 months to bring everything together, from editing and illustrations to finally seeing the finished product in print.

"The process starts with having the confidence to send it somewhere," she said.

Fehr worked with FriesenPress throughout the publishing process, receiving help with editing, illustrations and distribution while remaining closely involved in bringing the story to life. A recently retired teacher, she said her love of working with children naturally carried over into writing stories of her own.

As shoppers wandered through the store Saturday, many stopped to flip through the colourful pages, ask questions and leave with a signed copy, giving Fehr a chance to talk about the journey that brought her from teacher to first-time author.

She isn't finished writing either, Fehr said her second children's book, I Like to Sing!, is expected to arrive soon and was inspired by her daughter, whose love of music has seen her take part in school musicals and singing competitions. A third book is already in the works, this time inspired by another one of her children. "It's been really fun," she said.

Spending a few minutes talking with Fehr, it became pretty clear that her stories aren't really about killer whales or singing. They're about the little moments families share every day, the ones that usually disappear with time unless somebody decides they're worth writing down.

For anyone interested in picking up a copy of I Like Killer Whales the Best!, the book is available locally through Coles in Totem Mall, the North Peace Cultural Centre Gallery and other retailers in Fort St. John.