Q: What’s the story about?
Strong Strings is a picture book about a little boy who learns the importance of maintaining strong relationships while strengthening the friendship he has with his grandmother.
Q: Who is the target audience?
The story is intended for ages 6-9, but it is my sincere hope that both children and adults will connect with it and carry the message with them for years to come.
Q: What do you want readers to take away from the story?
Strong relationships require time, mutual effort, and communication. The main message of Strong Strings isn’t limited to children, and that’s why I wrote the story from the perspective of a grandparent and a grandchild. Grandparents are often very wise and full of life lessons that we don’t fully appreciate until we’re older. But you’re never too old or too young, to learn how to take care of your heart.
Q: Who are the characters based on?
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t picture my grandma (‘Grams’) when I wrote the story. She loved to build jigsaw puzzles, knit afghans, and play solitaire. She taught me “Clock Solitaire,” “Double Deck Solitaire,” and a host of others via the Hoyle Classic Card Games computer game. Yes… she had a computer AND the internet… so she was far more tech savvy than the grandma in Strong Strings.
My Grams was also an incredible communicator and taught me a lot about what it means to really listen to someone. She was always very present when we were together. I never felt like we were two generations apart. She would give me her full attention while we worked on puzzles or played cards and snacked on chips, chocolate, or macaroni and cheese.
The little boy in the story represents the struggle that many children (and adults) face today: technology can be all-consuming and steal our attention away from forming healthy relationships and strong friendships.
Q: What inspired Strong Strings?
About 10 years ago, I was driving down the road I used to take to my grandma’s house, and the memory of her brought a tear to my eye. The phrase “tugging at my heartstrings” came to mind, and I smiled when I thought about how a child would interpret that idiom. I pictured a massive tangle of string in my chest, flying every which way, and wrapping around people… pets… places… a “network” of relationships personified in string. From a child’s perspective, it wasn’t hard to imagine how those strings could pull on my heart and affect my emotions. I decided to embrace that concept in Strong Strings.