The Unlikeliest Ballerina is a children’s book that will inspire and entertain. The book is filled with delightful characters near and dear to my heart—and hopefully to yours, too. One of those characters is Boue (to properly pronounce her name, imagine a French ghost is attempting to scare someone, "Boo!"), a troll with a dream of becoming a ballerina. As it goes, most trolls aren’t known for dreaming big, or dreaming of anything at all. However, as this story will show, inspiration makes no prejudices and passion strikes hard—even in the frozen heart of a troll.
For Boue, inspiration came in the form of something she had never experienced before: a delicate music box, which contained a tiny dancing ballerina. Having found her inspiration, she began her journey, but had no idea where to go. Running on blind hope alone, she happens upon two new friends. Luc and Lumière, a couple of birds with big hearts and not much else to do, decide to help Boue find her way. Along their journey, the birds share the story of when they met, of how Luc wasn’t always the bird he is today, of the wizard who cursed him, & how not all curses are as bad as the word suggests. The now fast friends soon run into trouble—of the human variety. After years of being harassed by trolls, humans detest the loathsome creatures—and for good reason. Since ballet is a human art, this poses what might be the biggest obstacle of Boue’s life. How might she find a way to exist within a society that hates her?
For years, I ran away from being a writer. I’m pretty sure there’s even a saying akin to "If you can be anything other than a writer, be that." I have tried a vast assortment of odd jobs. Sure, they are interesting for a limited amount of time, but the shine always seems to fade. Yet with stories, the luster is always there, growing even brighter over time. My passion being stories, I’m making sure to write The Unlikeliest Ballerina so it will be a fun read for all ages. That way, when you’re reading this story for the umpteenth thousandth time, it will still bring a smile to your face. Not only that, but it will be a great teaching tool as well. I have a firm belief that too many things are dumbed down for children. This book will confront issues of some emotional complexity and employ accessible vocabulary that inspires children to love language. What better way to learn, than with a beloved childhood hero?
The amazing illustrations are the works of my semi-estranged father, famed artist Dennis Tawes. A true master, I am blessed to have him involved in my labor of love. As an added blessing, we get to reconnect with one another after 22 years of minimal contact. This project is nothing, if not filled with love.
With the funds raised, I will cover publishing, editing, and marketing costs.
Even if you can’t help monetarily, please take the time to share it with all of your friends. Your sharing might bring 100 times more funding than I would ever be able to garner by myself.