All about Fairy May

Today, Jo Lindsdell shares the inspiration behind her book Fairy May:

I'm a mum to two wonderful little boys, a five-year old and an 18 month-old. This makes me a very lucky children's author as I have a constant font of inspiration for my books. Sometimes ideas come to me from playing with my kids or from watching them play with each other. I also get inspiration from watching cartoons and from reading books with them. All these things help me to connect with their way of thinking and brings me closer to seeing the world the way they do.

The idea for my latest book Fairy May came from a mixture of sources though. It all started when my three-year old niece asked me to write a book for her. She'd seen that my last book had been dedicated to my sons.  So, she wanted one dedicated to her. When I asked her what she'd like the book to be about she said that it had to have fairies in it. The inspiration for the tooth fairy theme came about due to my youngest going through the teething phase and my oldest noting that some of his friends from school had lost their first tooth. Teeth were a hot topic in our house. So it naturally became the theme for the book.

I wanted Fairy May to be more than just a typical tooth fairy story or just about encouraging good dental hygiene though. With this in mind, I started thinking about possible story lines. I've always believed that just because something is difficult doesn't mean it can't be done, and I felt that this strong message should be relayed to kids. Fairy May therefore, became about following your dreams and not giving up.

As you can see the inspiration for the book came in waves and from a variety of sources. It was then just a case of pulling all the elements together and creating rhyming text that could tell the story in a fun and captivating manner.

So far, Fairy May (which was officially released on 1st February 2013) has received some excellent feedback and multiple 5 star reviews. I think that one of the main reasons for its success is that most kids (and adults) can relate to Fairy May and have been through moments when realizing their dreams seems like the hardest thing to do. Fairy May is simple and yet carries a strong message for its readers.

Kids inspire my books and I hope that in return I can inspire them a little, too.

About Jo Linsdell:  Jo Linsdell  is an award winning blogger and freelance writer living in Rome , Italy . She is also the author of several books including the popular Italian for Tourists, A Guide to Weddings in Italy  and the best selling children's picture book Out and About at the Zoo. Her latest book Fairy May was released on 1st February 2013. You can find out more about her at www.JoLinsdell.com