Book Nook: ABOVE THE CLOUDS – What Really Happens in Heaven During a Thunderstorm

 Lots of kids are afraid of thunderstorms. Although natural weather occurrences, these rumbling, bumbling events can cause fear, anxiety, and stress in young children, particularly those that live in tornado country.  Luckily, most kids have parents who can calm and soothe them during storms and now they’ve got some support in the form of a brand-new softcover book written by a 14-year-old former-storm-fearer!

ABOVE THE CLOUDS – What Really Happens in Heaven During a Thunderstorm, tells the sweet story of a little girl named Grace who is afraid of thunderstorms. Her mother comforts her by telling her what’s REALLY responsible for the thunder, lightning, wind, and rain – namely heavenly parties complete with jammin’ tunes, selfie stations, paparazzi, and dancing angels. Adorable, full-color illustrations bring every page to life.

Created by 14-year-old Carley Barton, her mom Stephanie, and grandmother Sue Milon, the story was inspired by an off-the-cuff explanation Stephanie gave Carley, then a first-grader, to alleviate her fears during an especially scary thunderstorm.

I had a chance to interview the author to learn more.

Why did you write this book?

I wrote this book based on an experience I had with my daughter about 10 years ago when we got stuck in a horrible thunderstorm in Dallas, TX.  I picked up her and a friend from school and the girls were scared and crying.  I tried to console them by telling them new fun things that the angels were doing in heaven (no more boring bowling!).  As I told the girls a few things and they were laughing I realized this could be a cute children's book.  I had the idea tucked away in my head for all these years and then almost 2 years ago I set a goal to write it.  I enlisted my mom, a retired librarian and my teenage daughter.  We sat down and wrote it together! 

What surprised you most about publishing a book?

What surprised me the most about publishing the book was all the moving parts and the business aspects of it.  Fortunately, I found a great editor, Multimedia Publishing who put the book together with the illustrations.  She designed the text with the fonts which added a lot of character to the book.  Then I joined a couple Facebook groups for authors which helped a lot!  I got in touch with people all over the country and the world who had great advice to share.  Writing the book was the easy part, getting it out there, marketing, and understanding the book of business was very overwhelming.     

What advice would you give to other kids that want to write books?

My advice to other kids who want to want to write a book is not to give up and believe in yourself.  Write down your ideas and be patient.  Set goals and be organized.  Learn the basics of money with break even points and a simple income statement.  (I'm still trying to learn this myself!). Lastly, have fun with it and be proud of your accomplishment!   

Available now on Amazon.com for just $11.99, ABOVE THE CLOUDS – What Really Happens in Heaven During a Thunderstorm makes a wonderful shower, birthday, or holiday gift and provides parents with a tool for soothing their own sweeties’ stress during storms.