By Pam Teel
Retired Millstone resident, M. Lyman, is a new author. Her genre is writing children’s fiction. Ms. Lyman presently has a five-part series book out called, Bailey’s Good Deeds. The series is about a New Jersey Squirrel named Bailey Bean. Bailey is happy to do good deeds for his dad, mom, friends, neighbors, and at his school. Bailey’s goal is to do good deeds and to be a good citizen.
Ms. Lyman’s books are aimed at sending out positive messages to the children, emphasizing that kindness and compassion for others needs to be introduced early into a child’s life to help mold them into responsible human beings. Children love to read and what better way to introduce morals and values than by capturing their attention in a book. “Books speak to children in their own language,” Ms. Lyman stated. Her books stress the importance of getting an early start on doing good deeds for others. Ms. Lyman believes that good deeds are the foundation to building cohesive communities that reach out to help each other in times of need. Good deed actions can be spread by word of mouth and become the building blocks to better humanity.
Ms. Lyman was always interested in writing. She remembers her mother being a prolific writer and storyteller who always took the time to read the short stories that she would write to her daughter. Ms. Lyman credits her mother for giving her the basic foundation of storytelling. With the gift of an imagination and a purpose behind the books, Ms. Lyman will continue to spread the word about doing good deeds for others through Bailey. There is no doubt that there will be many more books to come as she draws her material from the environment around her. She has never had any trouble coming up with ideas. “It’s like a light going off in my head, and before I know it I have a book idea,” she stated.
Her brother, R. David, who draws as a hobby, does her illustrations for her as he brings Bailey to life on a piece of paper. Book One- Baileys Good Deeds includes part one- Bird Watching Assignment at School, and part two- The Big Storm. Part three is due out in late fall and the topic deals with bullying. You can purchase Baileys Good Deeds, part one and two, now on Amazon.com or at www.createspace.com4174437.
Ms. Lyman has traveled to different preschools introducing her book to the students and giving thirty-minute presentations that include questions from the audience, a drawing for a free book, and a drawing for a free poster. If you would like to schedule an event for your school, library, etc, you can contact her at: thebookzoneprlm@gmail.com.