This post features the original book cover for Up to Bat for Nana's Place when first published in 2019. The cover was updated when this book became the first in the Shea Nature Camp Series.
Summertime in our family always included a much-anticipated vacation trip and plenty of St. Louis Cardinals' baseball. The story of Bret Collier and Jami Shea began to take shape during our first family trip to Sanibel Island in Florida when our children were young. As I began to develop the characters and plot, it was easy to imagine the island setting of "Nana's Place" while blending in the fictitious "PSK team" connected to the Boston Red Sox spring training location in nearby Fort Myers.
During our Sanibel trip, our children were in awe of and perhaps a bit wary of a small alligator hanging around our condo complex. We nicknamed the creature "Olly Alligator" and soon the idea of the story's infamous "Humphrey" was born. The bike paths around the island also became an integral part of the story.
With the help of my husband who played college baseball at the University of Missouri-Columbia and who patiently coached our two daughters and son, I perfected my baseball references and weaved in the back story of Carson Wills.
Since I created the original draft of Up to Bat for Nana's Place some twenty years ago then left it buried in my computer archives, I smiled at the memories of those summer vacations as I reread it for the first time about two years ago. Then I got to work on a variety of minor edits, bringing the story up to date, especially with technology references (or lack thereof). I also confirmed the story still applies to the struggles kids have with parental expectations and attitudes today.
Up to Bat for Nana's Place is published on Amazon along with my first children's chapter book, All Because of Addie Elsewhere. It's been a blessing to see my work officially in print and available digitally. I have paper copies on my shelf for my young grandchildren to read as they grow up!
Onward to my next rewrite! Stay tuned and thank you for your interest in my writing.
READ A SYNOPSIS.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON.
During our Sanibel trip, our children were in awe of and perhaps a bit wary of a small alligator hanging around our condo complex. We nicknamed the creature "Olly Alligator" and soon the idea of the story's infamous "Humphrey" was born. The bike paths around the island also became an integral part of the story.
With the help of my husband who played college baseball at the University of Missouri-Columbia and who patiently coached our two daughters and son, I perfected my baseball references and weaved in the back story of Carson Wills.
Since I created the original draft of Up to Bat for Nana's Place some twenty years ago then left it buried in my computer archives, I smiled at the memories of those summer vacations as I reread it for the first time about two years ago. Then I got to work on a variety of minor edits, bringing the story up to date, especially with technology references (or lack thereof). I also confirmed the story still applies to the struggles kids have with parental expectations and attitudes today.
Onward to my next rewrite! Stay tuned and thank you for your interest in my writing.
READ A SYNOPSIS.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON.
