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Q: What inspired me to
write The Dragonfly Door and to form Feather Rock
Books?
A:
The inspiration for
the first book, The Dragonfly Door, was really
two-fold. I lost a grandmother who was an important part of
my life when I was young. She was killed in a terrible car
accident in the early 1970s, and to this day, I clearly
remember her last words to me. Where I lived, there were no
books available to help children cope with loss, at least
that I was aware of. So, I had to deal with my own emotional
struggles the best way I could. I’ve carried that with me
most of my life. Then on Tuesday, May 18, 2004, Clea, my
wife, and I were sitting at the kitchen table reading the
morning newspaper. Midway through the paper, we came across
an article about a 13- year-old girl, Anne Marquardt
Brooker, who touched the lives of strangers grieving the
loss of family members, friends and loved ones. For us, it
was a simple yet remarkable story of kindness and
compassion. Through her leadership, Anne was showing a
community that simple acts of kindness can have a profound
impact on people in need, most of them strangers.
Q: What was Anne doing?
A: In 2001, an 11-year-old boy and friend of Anne’s died
from a brain tumor. The boy’s family grieved the passing of a very
special child.
Six months went by. It was the boy’s birthday. The mother continued to struggle with
her family’s loss and the passing of time had not comforted
her. She prayed for a sign that her departed son was okay.
Then the mail arrived and in it was a small miracle for this
family. There, among the bills and junk mail, was a card
from Anne and Anne’s mother. It contained a short dragonfly
story written by the late Walter Dudley Cavert in the 1940s. The story was simple but direct. It described some grubs
who, one by one, felt an urge to leave their underwater home
in a pond, never to be seen again. The remaining grubs
decided to make a pact to solve the mystery of their
disappearing friends. The next one to leave, they decided,
would return to the pond to tell of its adventures. But when
the next grub climbed a lily stem and left the pond, it
transformed into a dragonfly above the water and was unable
to return to the water below to tell his friends what
happened, no matter how hard he tried. Then the dragonfly
realized that even if he could return his friends would not
recognize him or understand what he had become. The story
ended with a reminder that there is no proof that those who
have died no longer exist, just because we can not see or
communicate with them.
For the boy’s mother, the message was an unexpected “gift of
hope” on her son’s birthday. It marked the turning point in
her grieving and in her family’s lives. When Anne learned of
this, she was inspired to form a nonprofit called The
Dragonfly Project (http://www.dragonflyproject.org)
to reach out to those grieving the loss of a loved one.
The
organization was established in 2002. Its volunteers review
obituaries and news stories, looking for people who may
benefit from the Cavert story. Packets are assembled, which
include a card, the Cavert story and a dragonfly key chain. The Dragonfly Project has mailed these packets to thousands
of people throughout the United States and to other parts of
the world.
Q: How did this lead to a children’s book and a
company?
A: In 2004, when Clea and I read about Anne and The
Dragonfly Project, we were reminded that a simple act of
kindness can sometimes mean more to others than we realize. We immediately
began to think of other ways to support grieving families.
We came up with several ideas, one of
which was to try to write a children’s book using a
dragonfly metaphor which not only helped parents express
their views about life and death but also showed children
that their feelings of loss are normal. I felt an
illustrated book might encourage grieving children to talk more about their
unique
feelings. As the author, I spent a year developing,
reviewing and editing the story. It then took another year
for Barbara Gibson to illustrate it. In the meantime,
Clea and I became volunteers for The Dragonfly Project
Q: Where does Feather Rock Books come into this?
A: Part of the motivation in
forming the company was that we looked at other publishers
and realized it would have been a slow process of finding
one that fit our niche and with an interest in our work. Our
initial focus has been on life-lessons and universal
feelings of loss and change.
While I was writing The Dragonfly Door,
I had the opportunity to listen to other publishers talk
about the publishing business. Clearly, some publisher’s are
focused on other worthwhile genres. One particular editor,
however, who spoke before a large group of writers at a
meeting that I attended, emphasized the need for silly, fun
books for children. She was adamant that there wasn’t a need
for books that teach children life-lessons because children
were demanding fun books with characters doing crazy,
nonsensical things. According to this editor, parents have
very little to say about what children read, so to be a
successful publisher, they only look for books that children
will demand. I believe that was the day Feather Rock Books
was born. Clea and I believe books about life-lessons are
important to our future generations.
Feather Rock Books was organized in 2005 with a single
mission – “to publish literature for all age groups,
transforming life’s bumps and bruises into uplifting
stories.”
It is our hope that our first book, The Dragonfly
Door, will offer parents and other adults with a tool to
help grieving children. With that said, please understand
that no book is a substitute for one-on-one interaction and
dialogue that children need from family, friends and in some
instances from professional counselors.
John Adams, CEO
Feather Rock Books, Inc.
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