Have you ever had a vision of a story book
character you would like to create? Have
you ever thought of a story book theme you would like to develop around this
character? Did you develop this idea or
put it to sleep for several years?
 |
| Winner of the Mom's Choice Silver and OneBookAZ Awards! |
This is how Buckaroo Buckeye™-A Little Nut
with Big Dreams was born.
From my life experiences and my family
experiences and my education experiences, I wanted to weave a story book
character and theme around these. I
wanted to tell my personal story which everybody’s story is…a life
journey of self-discovery and overcoming the bumps and bullies and setbacks
along the way. I wanted my story book to
be inspirational to those who face struggles on their pathway to their
self-discovery success. I was inspired
to write this story because of the many struggling readers I had worked with
over the years. They were bullied and
excluded and had low self-esteem until one day with guidance and nurturing and
determination they could read!
Now, what kind of character did I want, to
deliver my message? I thought of my own
background…born and raised in Ohio, the Buckeye State. Then it came to me. A buckeye nut seed! From such a tiny seed that holds all the
dreams to become a mighty tree it starts its journey and must persevere. The challenges it faces to sprout and grow
strong through soil, cold winters, and squirrels eating them, but with proper
nourishment, this tiny little nut seed survives to realize its dream of becoming
a mighty buckeye tree!
WE are born with a tiny little nut seed
that contains our hopes and dreams to one day achieve! OUR pathways are strewn with challenges and
setbacks along the way, but with proper nourishment and guidance from family
and culture, education, and life experiences we can achieve! So, I sat down and
wrote my words to my story. Not too many
words, and not too long of a story but make sure it has the beginning dream,
followed by the journey, ending with the dream achieved! But what was my little
nut seeds dream? Que lástima! You must read the story!
Now, I had to bring this tiny little nut
seed to life and make it relatable, so I decided he needed to transform at some
point into a cute little human like character that was more identifiable to
children and their parents. Well, I had
always loved to daydream about the old wild west and cowboys as a little girl
growing up in rural Ohio. Why not make
him into a cowboy! Cowboys wore
chaps. Let’s give him chaps out of a
buckeye nut husk. Cowboys wore
kerchiefs. How about an oversized red
one? After all he is a teeny, tiny
little nut seed. And of course! Cowboys wore cowboy hats and my character
needs a BIG one, since he’s so tiny!
My story was written, the character was
created, now it was time to bring the two together. What was my character’s name and what is his
story? After some brainstorming with my
husband, he got his name. Buckaroo
Buckeye! And next, his story line: A
Little Nut with Big Dreams! What do
buckeye trees do? They grow more
buckeyes, of course! And more life
journeys for me to write! So three
buckeye nut seed sequels were created.
They all get their start…oops, can’t say because if I do, you will know
the ending to the original story of Buckaroo Buckeye! Happy Trails.
Next starts the most challenging journey
for the writer… getting their book published.
I chose self-publishing, so I could trademark my character and maintain
control over the fidelity of my characters and their stories. Self-publishing is not an easy journey. Perhaps I will share that story another
time.
Buckaroo Buckeye grew out of author Kristin Anderson Cetone's imagination and joy of reading.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, she traveled many miles before putting down roots in the Arizona desert. Influenced by family, education, life experiences, and a desire to teach others, Mrs. Cetone discovered her purpose---just like Buckaroo Buckeye did.
Her true calling and passion is writing and helping others become successful readers. She created Buckaroo to encourage children to believe in themselves and follow their dreams while dodging the bumps and bullies along the way. Reading will help guide the way. Being a Reading Specialist, she has also created Nuts About Reading™ an informal, supplemental, online reading service. She shares her insights and suggestions to help parents strengthen their children's reading process and become successful readers.
Her joy now is to inspire and help kids to find the Buckaroo Buckeye in themselves.
Buy the Book:
Giveaway
