About two weeks ago, when I was putting some of my early readers (intended for children 6 or 7) on Kindle, I was stuck for a cover. Usually I prefer photographs to clip art, but how could I get a photograph of a wind? A little wind called Gusty is the main character, and he's about the same age as the intended reader. To complicate matters, the stories involve ghosts and a mermaid, a baby mermaid. Would anyone be willing to share with me his/her photographs of ghosts or mermaids? No, I thought not.
A bigger question, of course, is -- why are those my characters? Well, in a way, the appeal of a ghost is easier to explain than a wind. Eleven years ago, when I wrote my first Giggle story, she was just a character in a Gusty story ("Gusty Sees A Ghost"). But she soon branched out on her own, and now I have three times as many Giggle stories as Gusty stories, although hers are categorized as middle-grade rather than early readers.
Giggle is very much a nine-year-old girl. She has parents, she lives in the tower of a church, and she goes to school, where she's in third grade. But most people can't see her. That gives her a certain advantage, but it's not an advantage she takes advantage of (if you know what I mean). She has friends who can see her, and she loves being a ghost, although she explains to her human friend Rusty that she's not a 'dead person walking around.' She's a spirit, with human feelings and behaviors.
What's not to like?
I can't remember when Gusty showed up, but I grew very fond of him very fast. I like blowing around with him, and I love his family almost as much as Giggle's. He never does any schoolwork, because he lives outside the school system, and he always wants to play. He plays fair (for the most part), and when he can't get his way, he gets mad. But he gets over being mad by making a new friend.
Again, what's not to like?
Perhaps one of the best aspects of writing about children this young is that I can make the world right for them. It goes out of whack temporarily or there wouldn't be a plot, but it's basically an upbeat world, where adults do what they're supposed to do and give children plenty of space to have a good time, tackle challenges and enjoy each other's company.
I have an inner conviction that there will be many more Giggle and Gusty stories.
