In her mother’s basement, surrounded by boxes of books from her youth, Middletown author Annette M. Clayton rediscovered her love for children’s literature.
A mother of twins herself, Clayton felt a sense of deja vu as she flipped through the familiar pages. She remembers having particularly appreciated the collection “The Berenstain Bears” when she was a child.
“You open a page and you’re like, I remember how I felt when my mom read them to me,” Clayton said. “That’s kind of when I fell in love with children’s books.”
About seven years after that basement excursion, Clayton has been published twice in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books and has her own books on the way.
In “Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Clever, Curious, Caring Cat”, Clayton’s short story “Pick Me” illustrates how a fuzzy kitten found in a hoarding situation literally jumped into Clayton’s arms and became a member of the family. The story marks its first publication.
“I held the kitten close to my chest, her soft fur brushing against my arms,” Clayton writes. “I looked into her ocean blue eyes. She let out the slightest meow and I was finished.
Clayton’s daughters nicknamed the kitten Marshmallow for her mostly white fur. More than a year later, the feline spends its days trying to climb the family Christmas tree and snuggling up with the girls in bed at night.
The marshmallow came at a time when the girls’ activities kept getting canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It really gave their lives a sense of normalcy and something to look forward to,” Clayton said.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Clever, Curious, Caring Cat” released in September.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Blessings of Christmas” came shortly after. In the Christmas book, Clayton talks about his family’s celebration of the Three Kings Day, a tradition his grandmother celebrated in Puerto Rico and passed on to him. The feast falls on January 6 and is a day that represents the arrival of the three kings in Bethlehem. In Puerto Rican tradition, according to Clayton, grass is placed in a shoebox under the bed for kings’ camels to eat, like leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus or carrots for his reindeer. . When you wake up, you will find gifts in your box.
Wanting to continue the tradition with her daughters, Clayton went to the library looking for books on the subject that she could read to her children at bedtime and was dismayed when she couldn’t find any, so she decided to write her own. -even a children’s book, in addition to his story “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. Although it took him over a year to write, it only took publisher Familius three weeks to offer him a book deal. The Three Kings Day picture book is set to be released in 2024.
Before she started working on children’s books, Clayton was determined to write books for young adults. After having children of her own, she pursued a master’s degree at McDaniel College in writing and literature, which she earned in 2017.
“I think as a writer, I don’t necessarily like to focus on one thing. I really like exploring different avenues. Some of my books are really silly. Some of them are sweet. Some of them are sincere. I’m always interested in trying something new,” she said.
Employed in human resources, Clayton gets up early to write before work, coffee in hand, and continues her job once her daughters go to bed.
With the publishing industry experiencing a number of delays due to COVID, it was particularly gratifying when Clayton finally got his own copy of “Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Clever, Curious, Caring Cat.”
“I’ve had so many author friends who have had their books delayed by a year, some by 18 months,” Clayton explained. “So to finally have it in your hands was wonderful.”
She hopes that the happiness that writing brings her will show up in readers.
“Writing fills me with happiness and creativity, even though the publishing world is difficult and filled with rejection,” she said. “But when someone reads something I’ve written and it sparks their imagination or brings them joy, that’s the most rewarding thing I could ask for.”
Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller
