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Welcome back to Fierce Calling! In this episode #215, host Doris Swift is joined by returning guest Valerie Ellis—author, speaker, teacher, and founder of Our Everyday Parables, a multi-author site dedicated to bringing families resources where faith and fun meet. Valerie’s passion for connecting kids with biblical truth through engaging books shines as she shares about her journey, including inspiration from her own two boys and her background as a certified teacher.
Doris and Valerie dive into the stories behind Valerie’s beloved children’s books—like Let’s Go Bible Adventures, designed for kids obsessed with trains, trucks, and ice cream vans, and Share the Joy: A Christmas Lift-the-Flap Book, which helps instill a spirit of giving during the holidays. They discuss Valerie’s newest release, Wild Faith Devotional for Kids, packed with fascinating animal facts and faith lessons, and explore how everyday moments and the wonders of creation can point children (and adults!) to God.
You’ll also hear practical wisdom on helping your kids experience “Jesus joy,” resources for parents and caregivers to make faith relatable, and tips for aspiring writers who feel called to create meaningful books for children. Tune in for encouragement, laughter, and a timely reminder that investing in the youngest generation can have eternal impact—even in the busiest seasons.
We’re Talking About These Amazing Books & More!
Florida Women’s Ministry Leadership Conference mentioned in the intro:
Episode Highlights and Takeaways …
00:00 Children’s Christian Books and Devotional
07:06 “Supporting Parents in Faith Education”
09:42 Teaching Christmas Sharing to Kids
12:28 Promoting Christian Books in Libraries
14:44 “Books Adults and Kids Love”
20:15 Teaching Faith Through Everyday Moments
21:28 VBS Themes: Truth and Fun
25:02 “Catfish Devotion: Sense God’s Goodness”
30:39 Joy of Writing Rhyming Books
31:44 Writing Children’s Christian Books
34:53 “Get Excited Every Day”
38:07 Critique Groups for Writing Growth
42:19 Writing Journey: Faith, Fiction, and Nonfiction
45:01 Unrecognized Parental Impact
49:47 Sharing Faith and Resources
Connect with Valerie!
You can connect with Valerie and find her books and resources mentioned in the show, here:
Instagram: @iamvalerieellis
Instagram: @oureverydayparables
Share the Joy! A Christmas Lift-the-Flap Book
Wild Faith Devotional for Kids: 52 Amazing Animals That Point to One Great God
Listeners can find a free activity pack for Let’s Go! Bible Adventures at https://valerieellis.com/letsgo/. and info & resources for Wild Faith, plus a YouVersion study for kids at https://valerieellis.com/wildfaith/.
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Valerie mentioned: https://www.scbwi.org
More About Valerie!
Valerie Ellis is an author, speaker, and founder of Our Everyday Parables, a multi-author online resource with book reviews and ideas for families pursuing faith and compassion. A certified teacher with countless hours in children’s ministry, Valerie writes books that serve kids at the intersection of faith and fun.
Valerie is a frequent speaker for The MomCo (formerly MOPS) and similar groups. She stays involved with her own local chapters of The MomCo, SCBWI, and the Texas Library Association as well. Valerie is also a nonprofit consultant, trainer, and grant writer in the Houston area, where she lives with her husband, Josh, and their two boys. An Ohio-born, Texas-raised TCU Horned Frog, Valerie loves live music and going on adventures—big and small—with her family and friends.
What Threatens to Steal Your Joy?
Check out Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You 6-week Bible study rooted in John 15. You can find more info at https://dorisswift.com/book/
Let’s Stay Connected!
Find my free resources including Fear Fighting Bible Verses, Simple Tips for Sharing Your Faith, Surrender the Joy Stealers, Step Out of Your Doubt and Into Your Calling ebook, and more on my dorisswift.com homepage!
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Thanks for Listening!
I hope this episode encouraged, inspired, and challenged you to cultivate community, live and walk in the value, purpose, and worth God gave you, and take action where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.
If you’re looking for a speaker for your next women’s conference, retreat, luncheon, or workshop, reach out and connect with me on my speaker page at https://www.womenspeakers.com/florida/edgewater/speaker/doris-swift
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Stay tuned for more amazing content and remember to check the show notes for all the links mentioned.
Thank you for being a part of our community. We are grateful for your continued support and encourage you to embrace the unique gifts that make you magnificently you.
I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest who is taking action where her passion, compassion, and conviction intersect …
Until then friend, have a blessed week, and I’ll talk to you soon.
With love and joy,
Doris
P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for bite-sized wisdom and inspiration from Doris and our incredible guests!
Transcript
Doris [00:01:56]:
What is threatening to steal your joy? What is it that feels so heavy right now that you could barely stand? God has a plan, and his plan is to surrender it. Surrender it to Him. It might be a prodigal, it might be a relationship, a marriage, something with your job. So many things. We have so many amazing blessings, but there are so many things in our life that threaten to steal our joy. I’m Doris Swift, author of the award-winning six-week Bible study Surrender the Joy Stealers. Rediscover the Jesus joy in you. And it helps women rediscover the overflowing, ever-present Jesus joy within.
Doris [00:02:41]:
Using personal and biblical stories I share, how you can identify your joy stealers. Surrender them to God, reawaken the joy within, and share the joy with others. You can do it on your own or with a group. Check it out, friends. Surrender the joy stealers. Rediscover the Jesus joy in you. It’s available on all the online retailers. It’s time to take your joy back.
Doris [00:03:10]:
Welcome back to the show Today. I am excited to welcome back a good friend of mine. She’s been on the show actually twice before. So this is exciting. Valerie Ellis, she is an author, speaker and founder of Our Everyday Parables which is a multi author site for families filled with amazing resources and book reviews and things like that to help families navigate, you know, and find good resources for where their faith and fun intersect. She’s also a certified teacher and she writes books that serve kids in that intersection of faith and family and fun. And I love that because that’s, you know, fierce calling the intersection where your passion, compassion and conviction intersect. So that word intersect is dear, near and dear to my heart.
Doris [00:04:01]:
She’s also a nonprofit consultant and she is a trainer and grant writer. So that’s cool. And she lives in the Houston area with her husband and their two boys and she’s written some amazing books. We’ve talked about a few on the past episodes. I think she actually she was episode 106 and 168, so it was a little spread there. So we’re spreading it out a little bit. But it’s so great to have her on. She has several different books.
Doris [00:04:31]:
One of them is let’s Go Bible. Real Bible stories for kids who love trains, tractors, ice cream trucks and more. And she has a book also that we talked about and since we’re getting near the Christmas season, it’ll be a cool one to kind of bring back up to the forefront, share the joy, a Christmas lift, the flat book. And I don’t know who doesn’t like Lift the Flat books because I love those. And her new devotional, which will be coming out October 7th, but by the time this episode comes out, it will be available. And it’s Wild Faith devotional for kids, 52amazing animals that point to one great God. And I love this book so much. It’s filled with fun and fascinating animal facts.
Doris [00:05:16]:
It’s very unique and I’ve learned a lot of stuff from it already. So it’s so great to have you back on the show. Welcome, Valerie.
Valerie Ellis [00:05:25]:
My pleasure. Thank you, Doris. I just love chatting with you. So I’m thrilled about what we’re going to talk about today.
Doris [00:05:32]:
Thank you. Me too. It’s always so fun to have you on. We go way back. We met through a book membership program called Book Camp. Yeah. Chad R. Allen, and he has, you know, coaching for writers and, you know, helps writers get their books into the world, basically is kind of part of what his tagline is, you know, helping us get books into the world, which he has.
Doris [00:05:57]:
And so we’re kind of proof to that. And so, yeah, I’m excited to get into this conversation and talk about where your passion convat. I can’t even talk. Your passion, compassion and conviction currently intersect through the writing and the things that you have going on right now. Valerie, since we last spoke.
Valerie Ellis [00:06:20]:
Yes. Well, I am, I guess, a little bit at loss for words because I have so many passions. And so it’s like, well, how do they intersect? I mean, starting with family, of course. Honestly, I wouldn’t have written any children’s books if it hadn’t been for my own kids. And I know that’s not everyone’s path, but my first book idea was the let’s Go Bible Adventures, even though it was the second one that came out. And so when I had that idea, it just wouldn’t let me go. And it was because my kids loved vehicles so much when they were little and in fact was hard pressed to get them to read any other kind of book. So it got me thinking about how to integrate the modern things kids love with the true Bible stories.
Valerie Ellis [00:07:06]:
And we can get more into that later, how we kept it biblically sound and things like that. But that kind of started that journey and then integrating that with parents. You know, the parenting journey is just for full of highs and lows and everything in between and just the compassion that I’ve, you know, had to learn toward myself and the compassion that I have for other parents and just trying to, you know, support them, get ideas out there for them, for other caregivers like grandparents, aunts and friends that, you know, children’s ministers and so currently been doing some speaking to parents, to children’s pastors and teachers, just about reading about helping kids find God in the everyday moments. And then, of course, bringing the books straight to the kids, which I get to do now, like at school visits and things like that, has been such a blessing. And to see their reactions to the illustrations. I don’t illustrate my own books, so just seeing their reaction to all the lovely illustrations and the rhymes and just the different things. So I’m excited. Like you said, Wild Faith isn’t out while we’re talking, but it will be out by the time this airs.
Valerie Ellis [00:08:16]:
So I’ll be excited to get into some other classrooms for older kids because that book is for kids seven and up, and my other books are more for preschoolers and kindergarteners that kind of age. So I’m excited about what’s ahead and just grateful that God has let all these passions intersect.
Doris [00:08:35]:
Yeah, that’s amazing. And I love how, you know, they do cover different spans of age groups and that the schools and churches are so open to having you come and share your gifts. And, you know, being a teacher, I mean, you have great credentials for. To be able to do those things. And. And these books, it’s so. It’s so cool, though, how God works in his timing. And we talk about timing a lot on this show because it’s so, like, relevant to everybody.
Doris [00:09:08]:
You know, God’s timing and how you had this one book that you thought was. Was going to be your book that was going to be the one to come out and then it actually was it the Christmas one that came out first. Right. So, yeah, if you can mention a little bit about that because we’re getting, you know, here the Christmas season is upon us. So maybe share a little bit about that as kind of a recap because I’ll put the link in the show notes to the previous episodes because we talked in length about that book. But yeah, if you want to just kind of touch on that one, I’d love that.
Valerie Ellis [00:09:42]:
So this is. Share the joy if you’re watching with a video or something, but share the joy. A Christmas lift, the flat book. So like you said, it has those flaps that are just really fun for kids and it talks all about caring and sharing at Christmas. So basically helping the littlest ones get that in their excitement, in their muscle memory about serving to honor the greatest servant of all. You know, Jesus came to be born and came to show us God’s love. And so at Christmas, sometimes that part can get crowded out the most easily. So of course with kids, you’re not going to lecture them or, or, you know, tell them all the woes of the world and materialism, but rather just help them, you know, from that very young age, just be like, oh, this is what we do at Christmas.
Valerie Ellis [00:10:30]:
We care for people, we share. This is like, ingrained in our family culture. So that’s why I wanted to write a book about that for the littlest ones, because I remember Christmas books, even from my childhood, still influence, like, my Christmas traditions and things like that. So each page shows, like a child doing something, a Christmas tradition. And then you lift the flap and there’s a bit of a surprise because they’re using that tradition to share with someone or to talk about Jesus. And so it’s just a really fun way. And I’ve loved that it’s been like, checked out from our local library all year long because of the flaps. You know, have to give their credit to the flaps.
Valerie Ellis [00:11:08]:
Kids love that. So it’s a really good way to engage the kids. And so that’s what I try to do with all my books, is think about things kids already love. Just so it will be an easy win for parents and grandparents to be like, let’s read about the Bible. Because that’s one of the things I wanted to do with my kids and sometimes that I didn’t always get my way and they wanted their books. I was like, well, let’s make it a win win with the car, book, the animals. And then of course, like you said, the Christmas lift the flap.
Doris [00:11:38]:
Yeah, I love that. And, and I love the fact too, that it’s in the library and people can check it out because there’s just like a lot of families that may not have the budget to, to buy books, you know, all the time. And so it’s great that it’s available there. And you know, even nowadays you can go on like, different apps for your library and get books that way and not even walk into a library. Because I was just, I drive past our library every day and I just was commenting the other day how long it’s been since I’ve actually walked into the library. And I love the library. I don’t know what’s wrong with me or why I haven’t been back, but anyway, I need to do that. You know, we used to even rent like, DVDs right, from the library, which people still do, check them out or whatever.
Doris [00:12:27]:
Right, not rent, but check them out.
Valerie Ellis [00:12:28]:
I love that you brought that up because, you know, that’s part of our mission with our everyday parables. And I think maybe with my non profit background, just thinking about like, not everyone can afford to bring books into their home. And so one thing that you can do as like a Christian person on mission who cares about your community is request Christian books at the local library. So I mean, I feel like that’s how Share the Joy got in these places is because people around the country thinking about like, what books do I want just children to find in my community and happen upon that are like, oh, this is a fun lift, lift the flat book. And then they encounter Jesus. And so that’s something that most libraries have set up that you can do online. It’s just a really good way to be missional. But then also thinking about, we do a lot of book recommendations on our everyday parables and a lot of them are not necessarily Christian books.
Valerie Ellis [00:13:23]:
They’re books that you can easily find at your library. And so we show parents and caregivers how to use those books to talk about faith, even if the book isn’t necessarily about Jesus. There are word pictures or there are situations or there are values that you can use to talk about faith with kids. And so that’s just a way that if you don’t have all the money to buy all the books you want, it’s a way that you can still bring up those conversations in those fun ways for kids.
Doris [00:13:52]:
And I love that your site does that, you know, everyday parables because it, you’re vetting these books for families, you know, you’re going through them and you’re not recommending anything that’s going to have kind of off messages that don’t line up, you know, with our values, you know, Christian values. And like you said, even though it’s not necessarily always going to be a Christian book that you recommend, it’s not going to have anything in there that’s going to conflict with our Christian values. So I think that’s important for families, you know, just for some guidance there in that department because there’s so much out there now. It’s like, so it’s good to have some wisdom in that department. And so, yeah, I’m glad we touched on that because it makes a great gift. It’s evergreen. You could do it every year. And it’s fun.
Doris [00:14:44]:
You know, we’ve, we’ve had those books that our kids might have wanted us to read all the time that we didn’t really love that much. And it was like, oh, that book again, you know, but, you know, so. So it’s fun to have books that, you know, adults also enjoy and how you incorporate fun for, you know, the importance of adults also experiencing that kind of fun when they open your books. And they are beautifully illustrated as well as beautifully written. So that’s cool. So if you could talk a little bit about, like, that when the book came out about the Bible Adventures, you know, and I especially said before we started recording that I love that you included the ice cream truck, because that’s something nostalgic, even for all of us. You know, I was just. I was telling you that we had two different ice cream trucks in our neighborhood that would come around.
Doris [00:15:44]:
We had the Pied Piper and then we had the Good Humor trucks. So there was one we kind of liked better than the other, but either one we would take. And at that time, you could find, like, I don’t know, even I said a quarter earlier, but I probably could have found a. A dime or something in the sofa and that would have been enough to buy something. But I mean, not anymore. But anyway, so if you want to kind of talk a little bit about that, and also, because you mentioned earlier, and I think this is very important, you know, how difficult or what was the process like incorporating the. The biblical truth into the books and making sure that it was biblically sound and fun as fault.
Valerie Ellis [00:16:25]:
Yes. So when I had the idea for let’s Go Bible Adventures, and I’ll hold that up too, I. So here it is, so beautifully illustrated with the cars and trucks on the front, but then the biblical characters in their biblical dress, which, you know, as a parent, if I were to see that in a bookstore, I might have a little bit of cognitive dissonance. Like, this does not go together. What is happening. And so when I had the idea, I knew I wanted to keep it biblically sound because I, you know, that was. The whole point was to teach kids the Bible. I didn’t want to have to, like, reteach them when they’re older or introduce something into the story that wasn’t really there.
Valerie Ellis [00:17:04]:
And so for a minute I was like, I think this isn’t going to work after all. But then I thought, you know, kids love when we’re silly. You know, like, when you’re asking silly questions, it really can get their buy in. Like, do these PJ pants go on your head? No. Do they go on your arms? No. Where do they go? Oh, they go on your legs. And so that’s kind of the take we have with this book. So they.
Valerie Ellis [00:17:29]:
It introduces the character and their problem on the first spread. And then it asks a silly question. So, like, here’s Jonah. He’s running away from what God’s called him to do. And it’s all in rhyme, but I’m not going to say it in rhyme right now. But basically the silly question is, he’s in the ocean. Did God rescue Jonah with a submarine? Like, what did God do? And so then the kids get to be the smart ones, and they’re like, no, no, that’s silly. And so when I’m doing classroom visits, I’ll coach the kids.
Valerie Ellis [00:17:58]:
I’ll be like, now, this is when you say how silly that is. That’s ridiculous. And they love to do that. And so then we turn the page and we see what really happened. Like, no, that wasn’t it. This is what happened. You know, God sent a big fish to rescue Jonah. He told the Ninevites about God.
Valerie Ellis [00:18:14]:
Um, and they all turned their lives over to God, and it was an amazing miracle. And so there’s a takeaway, like a biblically sound takeaway that’s perfect for their age. And then it ends with a refrain that every refrain ends with. We’re on an adventure with God. Let’s go. And so by the time you’ve read two or three stories, they’re saying that part with you, which was kind of the idea. And then it’s just fun because, you know, as parents or grandparents, you’re going about your day. You’re going to see these trucks.
Valerie Ellis [00:18:43]:
You’re going to see the ice cream truck. You’re going to see the garbage truck and the bulldozer and all of these things. And so then you can even, like, remind about the story. Like, remember when we had read that silly story? And is that what God did? Like, no, this is God, you know, plan and God’s love for you. And so it’s been really fun. It’s been really fun to watch kids, like, really pick it. And I’ve had parents say, like, every night that’s what they want to read. Or one mom said, we got the package.
Valerie Ellis [00:19:15]:
I was in the middle of making dinner, and my child asked to open it. So I was like, okay, even though I’m really busy. And then they wanted to read it so much that I couldn’t pass up on that opportunity. So I just paused the dinner. We read the entire thing because they were just so excited about it. And she’s like, even my little one, who doesn’t like books came over and like, sat with us and read it. So, I mean, things like that have been great because that’s the whole point is just to get kids interested in God’s Word and provide that introduction where then parents can go deeper. And each story has the scripture reference.
Valerie Ellis [00:19:51]:
So if parents want to look up the real story and see, you know, more of the details, because I know a lot of us are learning these stories along with our kids. Right. Some people weren’t raised in church or they weren’t, you know, discipled in that way or they just forgot. I mean, there’s so many things, honestly, that I’m like, what’s that? This or that? You know, I don’t remember. And so it’s great to be able to look up that. That passage. So.
Doris [00:20:15]:
Yeah, and I like that you brought that point up that not every adult was raised in a Christian home or was raised where they were familiar with these Bible studies and Bible stories and all of that, because maybe they never went to Sunday school or, you know, anything to do with children’s ministries or VBS or anything like that. So it’ good that they can also learn as they read. And. And the fact being that when kids see these cues when they’re out in everyday life, which is what you kind of your heart is, you know, for kids to make those connections for everyday moments, you know, that God is with us every moment and just reminders when they see one of these vehicles or, you know, and how. How it will click and how it’s a great, like, teachable moment to talk about. Oh, well, what does that remind you of? What Bible story did we talk about that you saw this truck it or whatever. And especially when kids are in the car because it’s like captive audience time. And so that’s really cool.
Doris [00:21:28]:
And I love that so much and how you did incorporate the truth into all of it and made it fun for the kids. And it’s so great too, because, like, you were saying that kids love these types of vehicles and things like that. And it, it reminded me too, of how VBS has a theme usually, you know, every year. And there’s like, I don’t know, every church in the area has a VBS during the summer usually. And a lot of families go from one VBS to the other. So it’s good to kind of coordinate when your VBS week is so that it’s not at the same time as other churches so that kids can have like a span across the whole summer of, you know, hearing God’s word. But then the themes, you know, are fun and just to kind of connect that to everyday life. And, like, how does.
Doris [00:22:21]:
How does this all connect? And how can I, you know, learn more about God through my everyday activities and things like that? So I think that’s awesome. Your newest book, how did that come into play? And if you could tell us a little bit about that, and I think I named one of the animals that maybe we could talk about that you. That you cover in the book?
Valerie Ellis [00:22:45]:
Yes. So it’s the Wild Faith Devotional for kids. And it is 52 animals, like you said at the top. And so here’s the COVID So it is. It came about because, you know, as I was writing let’s Go, I was also thinking about just other ways to minister to parents and kids. And I had this notebook, and I just laid it out on my, you know, somewhere. I walked by all the time on my counter, and any idea I had, I would just jot down. And my brain thinks in analogies.
Valerie Ellis [00:23:19]:
So this book really was like a dream come true for me because I got to make all of these connections between the animal traits or behaviors and how. How we can approach the Christian life, you know, with that as our inspiration. So at the top, you met or at before we started recording, you mentioned the sloth, which I think is such a great one. And so just as an example, the sloth we all know is very slow. And kids are really loving slots right now. And so they move very slow. They, especially on land, they’re a little quicker in water, but it’s not because they’re lazy. It’s not because we need to think of them as that way.
Valerie Ellis [00:24:01]:
They have a very slow metabolism, and so moving slowly is just the right speed for them. And so we talk about in the devotion how, you know, we go at different speeds throughout our lives, but we can’t always just go fast. We can’t. We have to take time to slow down, because that’s how we were made to take time. Sometimes we are moving quickly, and sometimes we need to slow down. And so just helps kids think about, like, how can I take some more time to think about God and just meditate on him and give some practical tips? And then a fun fact about the sloth, and I have to look it up. I’m like, what is the fun fact that we said about the sloth? Because there are 52 of them.
Doris [00:24:45]:
That’s what I love, too, about the book, because you have fun facts that are very fascinating. You know, things like, I didn’t know that, you know, and some people might, but some people might not. It’s like, you know, like the catfish, how it can taste all over. That’s one of my favorite sensory all over its body.
Valerie Ellis [00:25:02]:
Yes, I know catfish aren’t the most, like, trendy animal, but that is one of my favorite devotions because I love the verse, taste and see that the Lord is good, that we link. And so how the catfish does have, like you said, taste buds all over its body to sense that. And we can grow in how we sense God around us and remember that he is good. So each devotion has an illustration and a photo, which I am so excited that the publisher, Waterbrook, was able to do that. Jen Bricking was the illustrator. She’s amazing. And so then each one also has a make it stick, which is kind of like, let’s take a minute and think about what we just read. Because I know my kids, you know, they like to just read, read it, close it, then they’re done.
Valerie Ellis [00:25:53]:
But it is that thinking that meditating and thinking about how to apply it to our lives or maybe how it has already applied to our lives. Think back to something God has done for you. So this one says, for the sloth, it says, relax your body and take a slow, deep breath. Thank God that he’s designed us for a peaceful, healthy pace. So it just takes less than a minute, you know, to do that. But it’s something that can help kids kind of ground that in their hearts and minds. And then there’s a live it out. So with this one, it says, ask your parents to help you set an alarm to go off once a day this week so the whole family can pause to pray and remember the restful peace of Jesus.
Valerie Ellis [00:26:33]:
So a fun thing. And families can, you know, tweak it to fit their schedule, but something that the kids can do and kind of lead the family maybe and be like, hey, guys, this is something important. Let’s do this together. And then the fun fact is, sloth spent up to 90% of their lives upside down. They can eat, sleep, and even give birth this way. So, yes.
Doris [00:26:58]:
Oh, that is very relatable. I think sometimes we feel like we’re moving slow and we’re upside down. Right. It’s, like, so fun.
Valerie Ellis [00:27:06]:
Definitely.
Doris [00:27:07]:
And how you incorporated into these are principles that adults need, too. So that’s cool. And these make great gifts. And so you could do it with your own kids, your grandkids, your nieces, nephews. You can give it as gifts for baby showers. You know, different things. Like that, which is fun. Although this, this particular devotional book is geared to a little bit older child than your previous books, which I love too, because it, you know, it brings in kind of a different demographic because some of the kids, you know, in families are different ages.
Doris [00:27:47]:
So there’s something for everybody, but we can all learn from that. And it kind of reminds me too. And I. Which is another reason why I love. I love talking about the sloth. When I was riding my youngest grandson to school one morning, and he. He’s in his last year of middle school now, so he’s kind of grown and, you know, doesn’t need Gammy as much or to ride him to school, whatever. But we were riding one day, I picked him up from his house, and his neighbor was a little older lady, and she was walking down her driveway.
Doris [00:28:23]:
I don’t know if she was gonna put mail out in the mailbox or something. And I said, hunter, it looks like your neighbor’s moving a little slow this morning. Maybe she’s not feeling so good. Maybe we can pray for her and, you know, maybe she’s having a hard day today. And so he said, well, that’s what old peoples do. They move slow like a sloth. Oh, goodness, so funny. Which, of course, I mean, it.
Doris [00:28:57]:
It wasn’t meant to be, like, sarcastic, you know, he wasn’t being unkind. That was just like how his mind.
Valerie Ellis [00:29:04]:
Thought connection is there.
Doris [00:29:06]:
Old people move slow. Hey know, so we can all slow down, you know, even young people. But. But anyway, so that’s why I love how you have these principles in your books too. So like we said, this one is already out. So if you’re looking for some great gift ideas for Christmas, these books make wonderful gifts. And also to, like you said earlier, voice your opinion about what books you want in your library. You know, you have a voice.
Doris [00:29:37]:
You can actually request things like that and ask for that and even in local bookstores and things like that. So. And I love that you go and you talk to the schools and you talk to the. The youth pastors, the children’s pastors, you know, kind of thing, and. And bring these books to life and just. Just have a reading time. I mean, sometimes we might look for things to do, especially if maybe someone out there listening right now is an empty nester. I always like to say our nests are full.
Doris [00:30:11]:
They’re not really empty. But I mean, that is the definite term when your kids are grown and out. Or maybe you’re just. You’ve just retired and you’re looking for some things to do, you could volunteer and have like, you know, maybe a, a story time at your library or a local bookstore or something. And I’m sure that they would be open to having people do that. And I have to say, I love rhyming books. Some people, you know, they have different opinions about rhyming books. And I love rhyming books.
Doris [00:30:39]:
I just think it’s so fun and it keeps me going, you know, especially when the kids were, were younger. I always loved and the grandkids too. I loved when we had rhyming books because it was just fun for me and it didn’t get boring. And I could read the same book over and over because I like the rhymes. Yes, they are fun, but yeah, they’re so fun. And you know, Valerie, I know we, as being in book camp and other book type conferences we’ve been to and things like that, we usually hear that the statistics of people who feel like there’s a book in them are pretty high. You know, there’s a lot of people out there who feel like, yeah, I think I want to write a book. And there’s a lot of people out there maybe even listening right now who has thought about writing children’s books.
Doris [00:31:26]:
And so do you have any, like, tips on like, how to format, you know, what, what do you, how do you start with that? Or what is your process? I know everybody’s process might be different, but. But what, what kind of advice or encouragement would you give to someone listening right now who maybe is thinking about doing.
Valerie Ellis [00:31:44]:
That’s a good question. And it’s such a varied answer depending on, you know, the type of book that you’re wanting to write and things like that. But I would say advice that is always given is to read a lot of children’s books that are coming out in the past one to three years to see kind of what the market is and just to have fun. You know, I think that even like you said as adults, we need ways to bring more fun into our walks with God, into. I mean, it’s not, it’s not bad to say I want my walk with God to be fun. I mean, certainly there are parts that, you know, we are persevering, we’re serving. It’s not all about us, but God wants us to enjoy Him. And so, you know, if, if it’s a Christian book that you’re looking to write, there are a lot of great ones out there that you could read or I would say also read general market books because they, they’re Some of the funniest ones.
Valerie Ellis [00:32:47]:
And I can find, if you want, in a minute, a little list that I made for another podcast I’m going to be on of some books that I would say are great for all ages. And then another tip I would say is just balance your input and output. So when I first started, that was a mistake I made is I had this idea, and I just wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote, and then I got input, and so I eventually joined scbwi, which is the Society for Book Writers and Illustrators. I joined Book Camp. I’m sorry, it’s the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I don’t know if I said that correctly, because it is specifically for children. And then boot camp’s more for, like, that broader audience. And I got feedback from editors and things like that, but I could have saved myself a lot of time if I’d done that more balance.
Valerie Ellis [00:33:42]:
If I’d written a little bit and then gotten feedback. Written a little bit and then gotten feedback. So I would say that’s definitely something I would probably go back and change because it’s like, okay, now I have this finished thing. Oh, wait, I need to change a lot of things about this. So that’s what I would say. And then just as far as, like, I touched for a second on making your relationship with God fun. I mean, that’s something I love about kids. Being in the kids book industry is just.
Valerie Ellis [00:34:12]:
Kids are experts at joy and wonder and curiosity. And so I would say spend some time with kids, you know, and see what it is that lights them up and what they, you know, what they can teach you. They’re amazing. And how they get excited about. You know, maybe what we would say is a small thing we could learn from that and. And decide, like, today I’m going to get ridiculously excited about one thing in my day. I don’t know what it’s going to be, but that is my goal today. To get just so excited and.
Valerie Ellis [00:34:46]:
And kind of tap into that children’s mindset is going to also help your writing, but also just your day.
Doris [00:34:53]:
Wow, I love that. And I’m gonna just say that again because that’s a great tip for all of us that we need to get ridiculously excited about something in our day, like, every day. That’s just, you know, it’s fun, fun. And when we take that perspective, it kind of gives us, like, a mind shift. You know, instead of looking at our calendar, you know, we. We get up in the morning and have our coffee or our tea or whatever we do in the morning, our health shake or whatever. And then we think about all the things on our calendar that day that we’re like, oh, man, I don’t know, you know, if I can get through the day and then pick something to be ridiculously excited about. And it would.
Doris [00:35:39]:
Yeah, And I love that. I mean, of course we can be ridiculously excited about Jesus, which is fun, and just the ways and the divine appointments and how he will use each and every thing that we have on our, you know, calendar.
Valerie Ellis [00:35:54]:
So, right. It goes back to like Thessalonians, right, Where it says, give thanks in all circumstances. Our circumstances today, you know, might be mundane or even really, really hard, but, you know, when we are looking for God, he can give us something to be thankful for.
Doris [00:36:11]:
Yeah. Amen. I love that very much. It’s a great reminder. And also, thank you for mentioning. And I’ll put those in the show notes, those places where people can get plugged in and what great advice to read books in the genre that you want to write in, but also, you know, just expand that horizon a little bit, but also seek wisdom from people who have been there. You know, don’t be afraid to put your writing out there and be open to critiquing, because sometimes we can be a little defensive about things, and that could be in anything we do, you know, if we want to, you know, an idea we have. Sometimes we get a little defensive if someone doesn’t like our idea or something like that.
Doris [00:36:53]:
But we really need to be open. I mean, there’s. There’s also the kind of critiques that could be more critical versus helpful. So, you know, just God will give us kind of the discernment about what to. What to receive and to actually take a good hard look at ourselves. You know, is it something prideful? Are we just not wanting to be told to do? Or maybe, you know, it’s something where if I do this, it will make it better and this just kind of work through it that way. But. But to work with people who know the industry and fact being that, you know, whether you are traditionally published, which often takes a lot more time than self published, you can also self publish.
Doris [00:37:40]:
But just thinking along those lines, but be. Be part of communities that can, you know, off or even like have your own writing accountability group where, you know, you have writers of different levels or some seasoned writers, some newer writers, and just share your writing amongst each other and do it that way. It might feel a little bit more safe to start that way even too.
Valerie Ellis [00:38:07]:
Yes. My first critique group was friends that were teachers, librarians and children’s pastors, you know, who I knew had a. Maybe they were not professional or, or aspiring writers, but they had a handle on, you know, like good flow and they knew what was out there in the market and they knew kids. And so that was definitely my first safe group. And then I kind of branched out to like strangers like other aspiring writers and then eventually even paid for some critiques from editors and agents because, you know, not because I wanted to hear the hard things, and sometimes it is hard, but because I knew that I wanted this book to serve kids the best way possible. And I didn’t take every critique or every suggestion, but I took a lot of them because I was like, you know, maybe at first it would be like, what? No. And then I’d think about it and be like, yeah, and just trying to make that product to serve kids. So definitely get that community.
Valerie Ellis [00:39:07]:
It’s important.
Doris [00:39:09]:
Yeah, that’s great. Thank you for sharing that about your own experience because I think that’s important and, and your books have won awards and that, you know, that’s just confirmation that, you know, not that we just seek to be award winning authors, but when a book that we’ve written that we feel like God has helped us get through it and just sharing his messages and his truth with the world to be recognized in that way is, is, you know, great. And it affirms the fact being that you’ve put something of quality out that can really make an impact on others. Because there’s a lot of books out there that, because anybody self publish a book. So if you are thinking of even doing that on your own, you know, invest a little bit in an editor, you know, someone that can go through it for you. And whether it be a content and grant grammar. How do you say that?
Valerie Ellis [00:40:09]:
Grammatical.
Doris [00:40:09]:
Grammatical or whatever. Yeah. Thanks Teach. You know, so just like you want to put some quality, you want to put quality out there, you know, especially if you’re, if you’re sharing the truth of the word of God, you don’t want it to be distracting in, in ways that it shouldn’t be and distract from the message because of maybe the way it’s written or whatever. So. And not every writer is good at that. And thank the Lord for editors, you know, he’s equipped people to do that, who love to do that, who are gifted to do that and that’s like their job. So that’s great.
Doris [00:40:48]:
And then if you are with a traditional, a Publisher, they’ll have, you know, editors and have people work with you to get that into fruition. Because I know like in children’s books there’s different guidelines to follow, right. Like how many words to a page and you know, total word count for an entire book depending on what level it is. And you know, summer board books and some are picture books and some are, you know, this and that. You know, there’s different, different types. So to be, you know, do your homework.
Valerie Ellis [00:41:18]:
Right. I think it was Lisa, Lisa Terkeurst who said that she, you know, now when you read her writing you see like maybe some unconventional capitalization and things like that. She’s like, but before I could break the rules, I had to follow the rules. And I love that because I think there is room for innovation. But you know, I mean even Picasso was like a classically trained artist before he went off and did his, you know, groundbreaking things. So I think that’s why is what you’re saying, Doris. I love it.
Doris [00:41:49]:
Wow, that’s great advice too in that you brought up Lisa Turker’s quote that she shared about. About that before she could break the rules, she had to follow him.
Valerie Ellis [00:41:59]:
Yeah, it’s not. I probably, sorry, Lisa. I’m probably butchering that but.
Doris [00:42:04]:
Oh, that’s golden.
Valerie Ellis [00:42:05]:
Yeah, it was, it was good, you know, that good nugget of truth that. Yeah. Like we, we need each other and we, we can innovate but then it’s always helpful to know like to have that foundation to innovate on. Right?
Doris [00:42:19]:
Yeah. So true. That firm foundation we need, which is, you know, so biblical to have firm foundation, you know, in Jesus and, and what God is doing in and through our lives and we’re all called to do different things, so. And I think too the test market of reading it to the kids because I written, you know, in a Bible study book, but I also have like kids books that I’ve written some kids books but. And I’ve got a fiction novel that I’ve worked on that was like the very first thing I started working on was a fiction novel. And it’s been, golly, I don’t know, did I start that in like 2010 or so? I mean it’s been around a long while on my sitting on my computer. But I know that I haven’t like, I’ve more so in the nonfiction arena have gone to trainings, been part of memberships for writers and those kind of things, you know, conferences, taking classes and doing courses that were kind of all geared toward the non fiction type genre. So I know that I’m not really.
Doris [00:43:29]:
I’m missing a lot for the fiction part or the children’s book part. And I need some help with that. Like, I need somebody who knows what they’re doing and people who have been there to kind of look at it and say, well, this is. This is too long, or this doesn’t flow, or, you know, like we were saying earlier. So we need people in our lives to look at it because we might read something we wrote and go, oh, that’s pretty good. And then somebody else reads it and goes, I don’t get it. I don’t quite get what you’re trying to say here. So we need clarification on that.
Doris [00:44:04]:
And also to, you know, especially writing a novel, there’s so many facets. So, you know, we want to make sure that all the loose ends get tied up and nobody’s left kind of hanging. It’s like, well, whatever happened to this other side subplot? Nothing. Like, you didn’t talk any more about it and what happened with that, you know, so sometimes we might miss things. So. And I’m kind of like a pantser, I think they call it, where you just kind of write. Let it write itself. Yeah.
Doris [00:44:36]:
Yes, yes. So I love that. But anyway, anyway, well, I am so thankful to have you back on. It’s been so fun, Valerie, to revisit and just kind of see what you’re up to and all the wonderful things that you’ve got coming out and. And what’s going on. And if you have, like, maybe a last bit of encouragement, encouragement you want to share with the listener today.
Valerie Ellis [00:45:01]:
You know, I would say that when you are. When you have kids in your life, they may not be the best at expressing gratitude for the impact you’re having in the moment, but to stay with it, because it does make a difference, that investment. You know, in these years. My kids now are 14 and 11, and I feel like I’m definitely in that part where it’s like, well, I’m probably not going to see them be like, thanks, mom, for doing this, or. I mean, they do say thank you times, but you know what I mean, like, for all the things that I’m doing. But I know that it’s. This is a short, precious time. So whether it’s in children’s ministry, youth ministry, or your grandkids or your kids or just the neighborhood kids, you know, just know how much it matters, and God sees what you’re doing even when you might not get that thank you from A human person.
Doris [00:45:58]:
So, yeah, that’s beautiful encouragement right there. It kind of remind me a little bit about. I had Kate Battistelli on the show just a little while ago, and she said, we’re raising them to go. So as our kids get older or our grandkids get older or, you know, we have friends that have kids and they’re kind of struggling in the area of they’re getting older and they’re kind of doing their own thing and they start driving on their own and they don’t really need you to ride them anymore. And, you know, things like that. It’s different seasons in our lives. And so I love that encouragement that you just gave that they may not always express what they actually are feeling and we may never know, like, sometimes too, which I know my daughter did this some. I think it was like an assignment in school or some contest that she entered and she had to write some.
Doris [00:46:52]:
Something about a person that made an impact on her life or something. And she wrote it about me and then she said all these things and I’m like, so heartwarming. But sometimes it’s hard for kids to express, like you said, the gratitude or what they’re truly feeling and what their experiences are. And it is kind of fun to ask your kids how they experience different events that had happened in your family or how they remember or recall different traditions that you did at Christmas and things like that, because different kids will remember different things. And I think that that’s pretty precious too. So. But anyway, well, thank you so much, Valerie. I would love if you would share how can the listener connect with you and find all your amazing books and your everyday parables resources and those kind of things.
Valerie Ellis [00:47:40]:
Okay, well, let me start out by saying that each book has an activity pack. And so even if you don’t get the books, you can get the resources for free on my website. And so that’s Valerie Ellis.com and then you can go to our everyday parables.com for book reviews and those how to talk about God in the everyday moment ideas and just family traditions like you talk about. We talk about Christmas, we talk about back to school and all of those different, you know, seasons. And then I’m on Instagram at I am Valerie Ellis. And so I like to share book news there and also book recommendations. And there was one more thing I wanted to say about school visits. So, yes.
Valerie Ellis [00:48:26]:
So my website, Valerielis.com is also where you can learn about school visits, speaking engagements, speak to moms, groups like mops and we’re now called the Mom Company and, you know, conferences and things like that. So I’d love to talk to different groups. So. Yeah.
Doris [00:48:43]:
Nice. Yeah, I love how you brought that up. About Mops is now known as Mom Mom Co. Right.
Valerie Ellis [00:48:51]:
They did some rebranding because they didn’t want to be like a kitchen, a tool, and she cleaned the floor. I get it. But all of us are having a hard time remembering that that’s what it’s called now.
Doris [00:49:03]:
Yeah. So, yeah, because in the original name, it was kind of geared toward preschoolers. Right. But is it that a different. Have they expanded on that branding, too?
Valerie Ellis [00:49:13]:
Right. So they are. They were mothers of preschoolers. That’s where the MOPS came from. And then they had mom’s neck when they wanted to expand to moms who, you know, maybe their kids aren’t in preschool anymore, but they still want that community. And then they combined all of it into the Mom Co. So any age your kids are, you can find support and community at a group by you. So.
Valerie Ellis [00:49:35]:
Yeah.
Doris [00:49:37]:
So smart, you know, to do that. So I love that. But anyway, wow. So this has been so fun, and I hope to have you on again.
Valerie Ellis [00:49:44]:
Oh, I’m so excited. Thank you, Doris. It’s been a pleasure.
Doris [00:49:47]:
Yeah, I know there’s gonna be more that you’ve got going on that we’ll want to hear about. And thank you so much for listening today. I know what Valerie shared has encouraged you, and please reach out to her if you have any questions about anything discussed in the show. I will have all the links in the show notes so you can find her. Reach out to her and grab her amazing books to give as gifts to keep for your family and just other resources and ways that you can share the love of Christ with your family and others and just, you know, continually focus on God. And so I just love that so much. You can also, if you have neighborhood clubs, you know, there’s a lot of clubs out there. You know, I kind of think about the Good News Club and that kind of thing.
Doris [00:50:36]:
They have their own curriculum and all, but some families have started, like, clubs in their backyard and those kind of things. So this would be perfect. Some of these resources to use for that. And, friends, I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest who’s taking action, where her passion, compassion, and conviction intersect. Until then, friends, have a blessed week, and I will talk to you soon.
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