Every book has a story besides the one that is written between the covers. Every author has a personal journey that brought his or her book from an idea to a published work. And every story is different.

My writing journey began in 1993 with my book of humorous poems for children. Since that time I have written over 80 books for eight different publishing houses and have many stories to tell about the world of publishing. Today I will share one.

My daughter and I have always been close. The youngest of three children and my only daughter, she and I bonded at birth and that bond has continued to grow through the years. One of our favorite activities was reading books at bedtime. It started from year one and continued long after she could read on her own. Not only did she enjoy reading stories, she also enjoyed writing them. In elementary school she wrote a story that impressed me because I am her mother, but it also impressed her teachers. The story was about how flamingos became pink and why their legs can bend backwards. Did you know they got caught in a cotton candy machine at one time? She explained the whole ordeal in her adorable story.

During her college years she pursued writing as a hobby. She had some articles published in national magazines and also wrote a few greeting cards. That was when I began turning to her for some input into my children’s stories. She has a good eye for detail and many times helps me say what I want to say—only with better words. She had a lot of input with my book My Grandma and Me, to the point where I told my editor at Tyndale. We had always dreamed of writing a book together and my editor caught the vision. In fall of 2013 we published our very first book as a mother-daughter team. My Mama and Me—Rhyming Devotions for You and Your Child hit the bookstores just in time for Christmas sales.

This fall we had a nice surprise. Apparently writing with my daughter is good for my writing career. My Mama and Me received the 2014 Logos Bookstore Award for best children’s picture book. We are honored and humbled by this award that comes from the Christian bookstore owners and managers. The world of publishing is an emotional roller coaster that can often be discouraging. But once in a while, we are reminded to keep writing if that is what God has called us to do.

I am happy to tell you that my daughter, Teri McKinley, and I have another book coming out in December, and a third book will be released in fall of 2015. And yes—I will be happy to tell you about them on another day.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and I want to thank every one of you for following our blog.

Crystal