ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN DE MODE JAN V1 2024 VOL VII. ISSUE XXXIX | LITERATURE
Article Published on: 04TH FEB 2024 | www.demodemagazine.com
"KELLY AT THE SEASIDE" -BY AUTHOR ALISON PUTMAN
Kelly At The Seaside, a beautiful seaside adventure with Kelly and her dad. The story shows the lovely bond between father and daughter, who is a cat but is part of the family and the love they have for each other. The story is reminding people in difficult times, that fun can still be had without spending a lot of money. Paddling in the sea, and making sandcastles but safety was always on Dad’s mind. Because the story is not too long, it is a lovely story for bedtime, quiet time as children can get fidgety or bored.
The story takes you away to a lovely sunny beach, the way it is written makes you think you are there as well, with your feet in the sea, building the biggest sandcastle, tasting the sandwiches, on a sunny day. Hoping the other people on the beach are having fun, helping the reader to remember special times, they have had on a trip to the seaside. The beautiful illustrations that go side by side with the story, can be followed when reading the adventure, or a child can look at them as somebody else is reading the story to them, making the book interactive for the child as well.
Kelly At The Seaside, has been written on purpose with no long difficult words, as the author knows not everybody finds it easy to read and children learn at different stages. With great spacing between the sentences as well, making the story easier to follow.
Even though Kelly is a cat and human like, you could imagine yourself on that beach, playing with a child, animal. It is about making memories and after reading the story, the adult could speak about their childhood memories of going on trips out and then ask the child, what they like to do and their best trip. You don’t have to be an animal lover to enjoy this book, it is for everybody.
To sum up Kelly At The Seaside Adventure, it is about having fun, quality time with a parent, not doing everything in one trip but planning on doing them, the next time with both parent’s and a trip does not have to cost a lot of money.
BOOK REVIEW
This is a cute story about the joy of the seaside and the simple things that make us happy! Lovely illustrations as well!
DIRECT LINK TO BUY 'KELLY AT THE SEASIDE' IN INDIA - CLICK HERE
DIRECT LINK TO BUY 'KELLY AT THE SEASIDE' IN ALL COUNTRIES - CLICK HERE
JOURNEY OF THE AUTHOR ALISON PUTMAN
Alison started her journey to being an author, during Covid times. The only other writing she had done, was a blog about her father who had mixed dementia, sadly passing away in 2022. During her employed working career, Alison has worked in office environments and for the last 19 years in the financial industry.
Like a lot of other people, Alison was working from home instead of being in an office environment during the COVID-19 times and knew how important family, friends, and people around her were. It was about being there for each other, keeping in touch with each other, remembering it is the little things in life that can make a difference.
She wanted to do something different for Malcolm her husband’s birthday, instead of going out to buy a present decided to do an adventure about their precious four paw cat daughter, called Kelly, who follows her dad around. So, the story Kelly At The Seaside was born.
Here is how the story got published and Alison became an Author. It was a comment that a good friend of hers made about her blog, stating it was well written. It made her think I wonder if anybody would be interested in publishing Kelly At The Seaside. The search started, with which publishers were looking for children’s stories and Olympia Publishers, were looking for new submissions. Once the story was submitted it was just a waiting game, she was extremely happy when the story was accepted and was going to be published.
Alison took an active role in the illustration process, ensuring each step resonated with her vision—a pivotal aspect in her journey as a first-time author. Embracing this unfamiliar terrain, she delved into the intricacies of the process. With her book now published, Alison stands proudly as an accomplished author, having navigated through uncharted waters and contributed her creative essence to bring her story to life.
FOLLOW THE AUTHOR - olympiapublishers.com/books/kelly-at-the-seaside
FOLLOW THE AUTHOR ON INSTAGRAM
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW OF AUTHOR ALISON PUTMAN WITH DE MODE
Q: Congratulations on your debut book, "Kelly at the Seaside"! What inspired you to embark on this writing journey, particularly with this adventurous tale?
A. It was during covid times, I was working from home and difficult to get out. It was my husband’s birthday coming up and wanted to do something different. Kelly and Malcolm are so close, and she follows him about, so made up this little story of them, having a day out at the seaside, which I love.
Q: Could you give us a glimpse into the storyline of "Kelly at the Seaside" and what readers can expect from this adventure?
A. Seeing it through a child’s eye, the enjoyment of a day out, making memories. It is about the simple things in life that can make us happy. Paddling in the sea, making the best sandcastles.
Q: Kelly seems to be a central character in your book. Is she inspired by a real-life pet or an amalgamation of your experiences with pets?
A. Kelly is real and totally the boss of our home. She might be a cat but very much our four paws daughter and she is very much loved. We tell her everyday how much she is loved and could not do without her. Part of our family.
Q: How did your personal experiences with rescuing and caring for pets influence the themes or narrative of your book?
A. Having grown up with cats, they deserve to be treated as family sadly that is not always the case and how close Kelly is to both me and her dad, I just thought she would be a great subject to write about and I the subject is something I know about, also the seaside.
Q: As a first-time author, what were the most rewarding and challenging aspects of bringing "Kelly at the Seaside" to life?
A. Rewarding, was being accepted and published, to see children happy from reading the story, that is all I could have asked for. Challenging, was having to learn the process of publishing. Not being an author before, it was having to learn about the process and each stage before the book was published.
Q: The seaside often invokes a sense of wonder and adventure. How did this setting influence the storyline or atmosphere of your book?
A. As a child I loved going to the seaside with family and still love going as an adult. So, I took my own memories and put them into the story. The seaside is not somewhere a lot of people can go every day, so it is special, and it is great for people’s health.
Q: Your dedication to rescuing and caring for pets shines through your life and now your book. How important was it for you to portray this message in your storytelling?
A. It was very important, sadly not everybody treats animals well and there are a lot of animals in rescue centres, that need loving caring homes. I am sure though, in our household Kelly is family and there will be many people who can relate to this story.
Q: Can you share any particular moments or scenes from the book that were inspired by real-life experiences or events?
A. I loved seaside holidays or days to the beach. Remembering the car journey, saying are we there yet, a few times. Always getting excited when seeing the sea. Making sandcastles on the beach, picnic, enjoying family time and making memories. Also, of course my love for animals, especially cats so making them important in the story.
Q: What lessons or messages do you hope readers, especially children, will take away from "Kelly at the Seaside"?
A. Hoping children will respect their animals, pets are family. Children to enjoy the story and know you can still have fun, without spending lots of money. For everybody to remember what is important in life, being kind to others, making memories. Adults to realise it is ok to not work so hard, spend time with family, children.
Q: How does it feel to transition from caring for pets and writing about your experiences to officially becoming a published author?
A. I am enjoying the journey it is taking me on, I was very honoured to have been asked to visit children’s wards at two hospitals in 2023, with Clowns In The Sky charity. It is a new chapter in my life but without caring for pets, I would not have known. I feel very proud to be accepted as an Author.
Q: Are there any plans for future books or stories involving Kelly or other adventures?
A. Yes, more adventures with Kelly to come. I am in the process of working on a new one now but not fully finished, planning on more to come. This time I will make sure the font is acceptable for people with Dyslexia, I want everybody to be able to read my books.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are looking to pen their first book, especially those who want to incorporate their love for pets into their storytelling?
A. Give it a go. You are never to your or too old to try something new, look at me. Make sure you check which publishers are taking the type of book you are looking at submitting, otherwise you might be wasting their time and yours. Be patient as the process can take a while. Good luck.
“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.” — Annie Proulx