My Mind Over Matter
children’s books are an extension of me. More specifically, they are an
extension of my counseling and educating children which has been my career for
over 20 years. The entire writing process was fun and positive with few
challenges or headaches a lot like my career!
The brainstorming
stage was done with my niece, Jackie Kennedy, who was five at the time that I
originally began writing this series. I questioned, prodded, guided and
brainstormed with her… through MUCH giggling. Because there was “no wrong
answer” when brainstorming, my niece had quite some fun with this process!
My funniest memory
is when we were brainstorming pages for my LAUGH book. She said that
“Canadians” made her laugh. When I questioned her, she informed me rather
matter-of-factly that there were NO wrong answers and to just list it on our
brainstorming page! After a few minutes more of sharing ideas I just had to
revisit this “Canadian” thought. I prodded and questioned and she just insisted
that Canadians make her laugh. They are funny, you know…They always make her
laugh…They are always saying silly things…She sees them on TV….They even have
their own TV shows. THAT’S when it hit
me! In her infinite wisdom, Jackie was referring to COMEDIANS!!! Well, that was
the end of that brainstorming session!
Because I am a
creature of structure and symmetry, each of the five books had to be similar in
format, pages and set up. Some books were easier to brainstorm a set number of
concepts that were concrete enough for a young child to comprehend. Other books
were quite a challenge. My illustrator and
editor and I had to revisit a lot of the original ideas and revamp them to
better meet the needs of the intended readers. This would be the challenging
part!
I have been referred to as one who
never just dips her toe into the water, but instead, always jumps in head
first. This certainly applied to my first set of children’s books. I couldn’t
just write one book on resiliency skills, I had to do them all at once. As a result, I felt the need for a catchy and meaningful name to describe the
books and my book company. This was a bit of a challenge as I wanted a name
that not only describes the purpose of these books: Resiliency, but also
included my late mother who always encouraged me to write books! After much
deliberation, it came to me like an epiphany: “Mind Over Matter Books.” MOM Books!
Although Believe is the only book
on the market at this time, I am eagerly ready to go to print on the remaining
four: Love, Laugh, Relax and Dream. Knowing I am at this point in the process
is a positive reward in itself!
Kasey Crawford
Kellem, a School Counselor and former Special Education Teacher, has devoted
her life to helping children facing adversity be resilient. Kasey created Mind
Over Matter (M.O.M.) books to teach children skills to overcome life’s
challenges. She has earned a Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree in Special
Education and an Educational Specialist Degree in Counseling. She is a devoted
wife, stepmother, sister, daughter, friend and counselor.
Kasey
Crawford Kellem
Author: Mind Over Matter (M.O.M.) Books
B.S., M.S., Ed.S.
Author: Mind Over Matter (M.O.M.) Books
B.S., M.S., Ed.S.
Website: www.mindovermatterbooks.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/kaseyc7
YouTube (Children’s Authors Show Interview): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_PPnSHXzzY
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