11 Jun Kelly Roberts and SHAKY QUAKY JAKE and A GIVEAWAY!

Hello everyone!  I want to welcome Kelly D. Robers to Writing Outside the Lines. Kelly’s debut picture book is Shaky Quaky Jake, illustrated by Jveria Gauhar. This lovely book introduces the reader to a child with Essential Tremor. Sometimes Jake gets overwhelmed and needs time to regroup. That’s where an afternoon with Gramma, who completely understands him comes in. Through this sweet story, children will learn about this little-known neurological condition and understand that people may do things differently, and that’s ok. One thing I especially liked about this story is that the other children in the class helped Jake. Many books like this show children bullying those who are different, and this is a refreshing change. Another great thing about this book is the backmatter where the reader will learn how to respect others and learn more about ET. Don’tmissit!

EL: Welcome, Kelly! Before we get into the story, will you tell us a little about yourself?

KR: I live in SE Washington state, the eastern desert not the green west side. It’s about 4 hours from Seattle and 2 hours south of Spokane. I have a  little Shorkie, Freyja, that I like to take to the park to meet kiddos and walk around my senior apartment complex. I like to play games with my only grandson and spend time with him. He plays hockey so I get in some time watching him skate and enjoy family holiday times. We just moved my Mom to assisted living, and I am still going through the children’s books I had in the basement at my parent’s house. They lived there 54 years and I had some books from when I was a kid that I had to save and now I am squeezing them into my little apartment. I read a lot of PBs and nonfiction, biographies, and magazines about the brain. I also have Parkinson’s in addition to ET so I try to stay up on what’s new in treatments and exercise for that.

EL: I can tell that this story came from your heart. Will you expand on that?

KR: I have been diagnosed with Essential Tremor (ET) since 2013, although I started really shaking at least 5 years before that. ET is a neurological condition that causes a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs, or trunk. It is often confused with Parkinson’s disease although ET is eight times more common, affecting an estimated ten million people. Not just an adult condition, recent research shows that 5 out of every 100 children under the age of 20 have ET and 20% of adults with the condition remember they had the condition as youngsters. It is not fatal but worsens over time and significantly affects day-to-day living. I understand only too well the frustration and isolation ET causes. The more we talk about disabilities and accept every child as unique and complete as they are, the more we reduce the stigma and isolation disabled children feel.

I had started a story about a Gramma with ET but as soon as I found out about children having it too, I changed the course of my story and wrote it from Jake, an elementary student’s, perspective. Just like with Jake, life is difficult with ET at times. I don’t cook, no pots and pans, no baking, Jake had his Gramma to help him, and I live alone and burn myself too easily. Just like Jake, as I am writing this, I am holding onto my mouse with both hands. Writing, cutting with scissors, even brushing my teeth, and putting on make-up are incredibly difficult some days. I take the maximum dose of the same medicine that has been used for 50 years. Some new medicines are being developed but as ET is not fatal, there wasn’t really a focus on it until a few years ago. There are other treatment options but right now I am not eligible for them, including brain surgery!

EL: And with all that, you’ve still managed to write a book. I think that’s impressive!  The illustrations are perfect for your book. Did you get to communicate with your illustrator?

KR: I actually was able to zoom with Jveria and get her ideas. She gave the Gramma bunny slippers and a cane that matched mine from a picture I sent her! The spread in the middle of the book has ALL kinds of shaky items and things She designed with me, the Shaky Quaky Gramma, in mind. She is a gifted illustrator, and it is her debut also!

EL: Will you talk a bit about your road to publication?

There is a story there. I went to a webinar with Danielle Davis, for a whole month 4 summers ago. We spent 3 hours every Saturday during that month having a lecture and then critiquing other people’s manuscripts in our group. There were only 6 of us so we got to know each other better than on some webinars. We also worked on just one manuscript the whole time. One of the other participants was my publisher before she started Global Bookshelves International. She loved my story. We stayed in touch and when she opened her publishing company she asked for JAKE. I ended up signing with her and the rest is history! The lesson is to make as many contacts as possible in the kidlit world if you are an author. You never know where it may lead

EL: I totally agree! What inspires you?

KR: The kiddos! They just are so special and precious, each one of them. They get thrilled when Jake solves the problem at the end of the book. I want all the children to believe they are unique and what that really means. That they are perfect just as they are. And that has a flip side, it means everyone else they come into contact with is too and deserves to be treated with respect and as the precious person they are. No matter what, whether they play the banjo or have 6 arms! If even one little one gets it I am ecstatic!

EL: I get that! What do you think is the best part about writing for kids? 

KR: Getting to meet the kiddos! But I also really enjoy when the message is clear in something I had a hand in making. I sometimes get excited about a really great idea and how I will make it come to life. I LOVE being in the moment when I write, and it makes me feel very fulfilled. It’s my way to change the world, one word, one sentence, one book, one child at a time.

EL: Do you have anything else in the pipeline you can talk about?

KR: I recently attended a workshop on mental illness and children’s literature. The moderator had a grown son who had Bipolar Disorder, and she told a little about how his childhood had been. As I also have the disorder, I wanted to hear his experiences. He was 5 when he was diagnosed and had suicidal ideations. Mental health is just now starting to be recognized as something children are struggling with and that breaks my heart. There have been children as young as 8 who died by suicide. There are many good middle-grade novels about struggling teenagers but not as many for younger readers, so I am working on a chapter book with a child struggling with a mental illness and how they cope in daily life and find hope. I guess I remember the alienation and bullying I experienced in my early childhood, kindergarten was very tough. EVERY CHILD IS UNIQUE AND DESERVES TO BE ACCEPTED FOR WHO THEY ARE AS THEY ARE. Unique, in the dictionary means, “The ONLY ONE of its kind…” NOT one-of-a-kind, but THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND! Each child is precious and valuable as they are, they shouldn’t have to change to be accepted, appreciated, and loved. I have a t-shirt with a unicorn on it that says “Essential Tremor Warriors Are Magical” I tell kids they are unique like a unicorn in assemblies when I get a chance to read JAKE. I tell them they are not just one-of-a-kind like Jake’s Gramma says, she’s wrong. They are more than that!

EL: Great thoughts. Thank you for articulating this and for visiting with us today, Kelly.

And now….

Kelly is offering a copy of Shaky, Quaky Jake AND a PB critique (non-rhyming) to one lucky winner. As always, please comment on this post to get in the running for this prize. Let me know if you are a subscriber or shared the post to get an extra chance to win. GOOD LUCK!

Until next time,

Ellen