...Romance Author...

Authors Michelle and Brooke Bell

Michelle and Brooke Bell
Pictured (l-r) are: Michelle Bell, author of "My Feelings and Me A to Z;" Brooke Bell, author of "ABC's of Summer;" and illustrator Jennifer Almy.

 

Michelle Bell, author of “My Feelings and Me A to Z,” and her 10-year-old daughter, Brooke, author of “ABC’s of Summer” will both be participating in the Zauel Library Local Author Festival.

Michelle, currently a school social worker for the Saginaw Township Community School district, received her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Saginaw Valley State University in 1991, her Masters in Social Work from Wayne State University in 1992, and her doctorate in education from Andrews University in 2002.

While Michelle wrote the story, “My Feelings and Me A to Z” in 1998, she really didn’t do anything with it until 2006, when she finally found an illustrator. Her sister-in-law, Jennifer Almy, a paraprofessional in special education at the Transitional Center in Saginaw Township, used her talents in art and pencil drawing to illustrate both Michelle’s and her daughter’s books.

Michelle believes there are children that have a difficult time articulating their feelings, and that it is a fundamental skill to learn how to effectively communicate. “Most problems are caused by a misunderstanding or misinterpretation,” Michelle states, “and these problems can be solved by using effective communication skills.”

These feelings, Michelle explains, can be appropriately articulated by using statements that begin with “I,” as in, “I feel sad,” “I feel bad,” or “I feel mad.”

In her book, Michelle uses the alphabet as a tool to help teach children how to effectively communicate their emotions, by using such words as Afraid, Lonely, Sad, and Worried. One of the most difficult things to do in writing the book, according to Michelle, was matching each coping skill with the appropriate letter, and ensuring rhythm, reason and rhyme.

Before the book was released, Michelle enlisted friends, colleagues, and other parents to critique it. She was appreciative of the many different views and opinions there were, and valued how the process enhanced her awareness of looking outside the box. For example, a social work professor encouraged Michelle to make the book more multi-cultural, to include children with disabilities, and to address the many different types of families that exist in today’s society.

Michelle’s daughter, Brooke, 10, won a poetry contest when she was six-years-old, and as a Christmas surprise, was presented with the book by her Aunt Jennifer Almy. Almy illustrated the interior pages, and used a painting done by Brooke during a special art class at Handley School for the front cover.

According to her mother, Brooke’s book sells quite well at gift shops up north, in places like Elk Rapids, Charlevoix, and Alden. Northern Michigan book stores usually sell out of the books, as they’re a hot item for summer residents and tourists.

Everyone is welcome to join Michelle and Brooke at the Author Festival, speak with them, and learn more about their experiences in writing their books.

 

 

 

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