Paula Helgerson
Stories have always been percolating and brewing in my brain. I think I started writing soon after I learned that I could construct my own sentence. First writing short stories, and poetry, I knew this was something I liked to do. My writing was fairly private; writing merely for self-enjoyment and for close friends. When I was in high school, I wrote for our school’s student newspaper.
Writing was always avocation – I wasn’t doing this to make a living. The busy-ness of daily life, raising a family, etc…. didn’t allow me time to develop any writing focus. However, I again wrote for a church newsletter for several years. This time allowed me to see that I really did enjoy putting pen to paper; that’s how the old school kids did it – pen and paper.
Once I became a grandmother I started to have pangs gnawing at me to enter into children’s books. Observing my small grandson was like watching a marvelous machine. Everything was fresh, was new, was amazing. ….Not long after, he was joined by a brother – my second grandchild. Alexander became a big brother. Little Logan had an instant playmate.
I saw how fresh life really can be. They are learning from the ground up, just as we did. Nothing is taken for granted. They have now life experiences from which to draw. They have little fear; until it is learned. They are trusting, and testing those around them. Things in life are curious and exciting. Things are fun.
My new little friends, Alex and Logan, make me smile. They make me laugh. The character of Li’l Al just appeared one day – running carefree across the page. He was all about adventure in the simple. He had a friend with him. This friend was his little white dog, Rocky. So here began the adventures of a little boy and his dog. A from Alex….. L from Logan….. It only made sense. Quite innocently. Simply looking at life with a smile and a curious tilt…..
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Li’l Al and Li’l Al Adventures emerged.