The Hole Story takes children on an adventure exploring all the different holes there are in the world around them. What inspired you to write this picture book?

I have spent my life telling entertaining and educational stories to my 6 children and 13 grandchildren. I also love puns and wordplay and for many years joked about someday writing a book and calling it “The Hole Story.” During the pandemic when I was forced to be separated from my children and their families, I decided to write this book as a gift for my grandchildren. After receiving it, my daughter who is an Education faculty member at a university, encouraged me to publish the book as it had many elements that teachers could use in the classroom to help teach spatial concepts in a fun way. Thus, The Hole Story was made available for the public to enjoy!

The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with the illustrator Katelynn Hoefelman?

Katelynn is a joy to work with. We have a great collaborative relationship. I draft my manuscript and try to think of examples of scenes or illustrative elements that will augment the telling of the story and move it forward. I break down my suggestions into the sections of text for pages and suggestions for artwork and Katelynn takes it from there. As I have more than one book, and intend to write more, we have agreed on an illustration “style” for my books that will hopefully make them more recognizable. Katelynn is responsible for coming up with a number of innovative paths in the illustrations that just add to the readers enjoyment.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

First and most important, learning should be fun. And, second, you need to look beyond the obvious and use your imagination to see the possibilities all around you. Holes are just one example of looking beyond the obvious “hole in the ground”, for instance, and seeing that it has a purpose. It’s just one more step to seeing other critical things such as looking beyond a person’s physical appearance and being able to see who they really are. I also wanted to introduce children to wordplay and that a word may sound the same as another, but can be spelled differently and have a completely different meaning. Many paths for a teacher or parent to take with these concepts.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

My next book will be “The Whole Dollar” and is based on a true story about my two oldest sons. This story focuses on the close bond between siblings, what it means to share, and the unexpected gifts that can return to you later on in life. It’s one that will tug at your heartstrings and will speak to big brothers, little brothers, big sisters and little sisters everywhere.

The book will be in pre-sale at major book distributors in the next couple of weeks and will be released on March 4, 2022.

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