Do you know Punxsutawney Phil? Author Karen Patricia Nespoli knows him as the official groundhog representative for Groundhog Day and as the source of inspiration for her brand new children’s book, Gertie Saves the Day.
Ever since Karen was a young girl, she adored children’s books. Even more intriguing to Karen was the idea of Groundhog Day. She always wondered what life would be like for a groundhog leading up to their famous day. What would they need to prepare? Would they have to go through a training process? How was the groundhog representative elected?
So, when Karen discovered the opportunity to publish her own children’s book through the Publishing Mastermind, she decided to combine her love of children’s books with her fascination for Groundhog Day. However, her story comes with a very important twist…
“Historically, the groundhogs making predictions were, and still are, males. It was that fact that helped me decide that my lead character would be a female groundhog,” Karen says.
Paired with her desire to feature a female main character is Karen’s passion for teaching children about friendship, kindness, competition, and overcoming disappointment. In Gertie Saves the Day, Karen builds the perfect framework for all parents and educators looking to discuss community and what it means to support one another.
When asked what her biggest challenge was when writing Gertie Saves the Day, Karen notes that finding the right illustrator and patiently waiting for their artistic magic to be revealed proved difficult. Although, her hard work and patience paid off in more ways than one.
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Throughout the process, Karen was able to watch her vision come to life to create a beautiful children’s book and learn valuable lessons along the way:
“There are many aspects to publishing a book that I needed to manage. I tried to learn as much as I could to be a good project manager… My favourite part of the Publishing Mastermind was learning how all of the pieces come together to publish one book. It truly takes a village!”
Karen hopes that Gertie Saves the Day will help children and parents learn more about Groundhog Day’s fascinating origins, inspire them to pursue kindness, and remind them that every story deserves to be shared.
You can connect with Karen and learn more about how Gertie saves Groundhog Day on Instagram (@drkarenn) and Twitter (@drkarenn). Or visiting her website karennespoli.com. Purchase your ebook or paperback copy now on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, or your local Amazon Marketplace.
Karen Nespoli
Karen Patricia Nespoli, Ed. D was born and raised in Queens, New York. She now makes her home with her husband on Long Island. She has two married daughters. As a former elementary school teacher and literacy educator, Karen has guided children to write and illustrate stories. Now, through her books and website, she hopes to inspire, challenge and encourage children to grow as writers.