Emily Peace Harrison

I met Emily through a mutual friend that I’ve know for 25+ years. I was excited to hear of Emily’s success.  

Bio

Emily Peace Harrison is a children’s book author and has worked in higher education administration for nearly 20 years. She is the mother of two grown sons and resides in Glen Allen, Virginia with her husband of 31 years. Beginning with her debut, I’d Rather Be Me, Emily’s picture books, filled with beautiful illustrations and heartfelt characters, aim to inspire confidence, foster empathy, and promote self-esteem in young readers. When she’s not at her day job or crafting rhymes for her stories, Emily likes nothing better than spending time with family and friends.

Where do you live? For 30 years I have lived in Glen Allen, Virginia which is a suburb northwest of the city of Richmond, Virginia.  

Have you always been a writer? Professionally, no. But writing a book has always been a dream of mine and through the years I have written several stories, but never got the nerve up to actually submit them to publishers until now. I studied Mass Communications in college, wrote for the school newspaper, and in my position as Assistant to the President at a liberal arts college, I do much of the President’s written communications.

When did you first know you wanted to write a picture book? My decision to write a picture book was highly influenced by my childhood. Some of my best memories are sitting with my mom at bedtime and reading with her. She loved Dr. Seuss and I must have memorized most all of those books! I loved the infectious rhymes and repetition, and essentially, that’s how I learned to read. So, of course, when my boys were little, I read those same treasured books to them, and they fell in love with them too. Not only were they fun to read but they also taught some very important lessons. I knew I wanted my books to create a similar experience for children and their parents. 

Where do your ideas come from? What was the inspiration for this book? The idea for my debut book, I’d Rather Be Me, actually came to me as I was scrolling through social media one day. I had already decided I wanted to write a children’s book with a positive message but wasn’t quite clear as to what I wanted that message to be. And as I was looking through the ads and posts on social media, I was suddenly struck by how we are all influenced to act, look, or be a certain way based on what we see others doing. It is so easy for children to get the idea that they have to change who they are to fit in or to be liked. Society makes it very difficult to just be yourself.  

My dog Copper was the inspiration for the main character in my book, Hank. I mean, dogs are always true to themselves, right?!  And what better antagonist for a dog, than a flea. 

Tell us about your book:

I’d Rather Be Me is a rhyming story for pre-readers and early readers about Hank the Pup and his determination to stay true to himself, even with flea always buzzing in his ear trying to convince him to be someone else. The beautiful illustrations and fun, simple verses make children want to read this book over and over. At the same time, parents welcome the opportunity it provides to start an important conversation with their child about being the best version of themselves they can be. 

Tell us about your publishing experience: This was my first publishing experience, so I was not really sure what to expect. Since this is my first book, I was very pleased to find a local publisher and because they are a small, independent publisher, I have had a very large part in the production process. Overall, I have been very pleased with the support, distribution and marketing efforts of my publisher. From the beginning, I have been committed to playing an active role in the promotion of my book, which I feel is essential for building a relationship with your publisher – you both need to be committed to doing the work to make your book successful.

What was the most challenging thing you faced while writing/researching this book? I think for me, the most challenging part of my book was perfecting the rhyme and rhythm of the text. Writing a book in verse can be hard, so I really had to focus on polishing up the meter. When I say meter, I am referring to the beats that are present in rhyming and rhythmic text.  There are two kinds of meter in my book—dactylic (one strong beat followed by two weak beats) and iambic (one weak beat followed by a strong beat). In my original manuscript, there were a few spots where I deviated from these meters, so I had to make some revisions to help the words flow off the reader’s tongue more easily.

If you read this book to a room filled with kids, what message would you want them to leave with? In the end, flea and Hank realize that they can both be happy just being themselves.  That is the message I want the children to leave with.  Birds can fly, but whales cannot.  It’s the same with people.  Everyone has their own unique talents – they should embrace those and be the best version of themselves they can be.

Are you working on another book? What is next for you? I actually have several more picture books written.  My goal is to focus right now on the success of my debut book.  I want to get it in the hands of as many children as possible. Then I can focus on my next book.

Provide anything else you want readers to know. I hope my readers will gain inspiration from me.  After raising two sons and having a successful career, I never gave up on my dream to write a book.  It is never too late to pursue your passion.

Emily one last question, tell us something that no one knows—something about you that isn’t posted anywhere on your website or social media. This has nothing to do with my book, and now this seems like a lifetime ago, but it’s something I’m very proud of – I completed not one, but two half ironman triathlons!

Followers can contact me from my website, www.emilypeaceharrison.com.  From there, they can connect with my social media links as well.

Thank you for the interview. Best wishes on your author journey!

September’s Free Book Giveaway Winner is Angel Gantnier from Maine. Congrats!