I hope you’ve enjoyed the Anipal Land stories I’ve shared through this blog. Truthfully, I’ve been writing “Zack stories” since 2008, when I began with “Hanging Out With Zack.” That was in our pre-Twitter days, so the friends were wild animals that I saw and created right here around our home. In July, Rick pointed out that it had been a while since I told a “bird tale,” and I realized it was true – I hadn’t done many bird stories since I started publishing fiction in 2011. The bird stories are always so much fun, and it was something I wanted to get back into. But a funny thing happened when I took it back up: instead of making up characters, I found myself including our Twitter pals in the stories. We have so many great friends there, so it was natural that they’d find their way in the story. Rick encouraged me to share these stories through the blog. I hesitated at first, afraid that you wouldn’t like having your likeness used in my silly creations, but Rick assured me that it would probably be great fun for all of us. He was right!
I’m often asked where I get my ideas from and how I write my stories, but the truth is that I don’t know. I’ve always been a writer. I drew pictures in my books to expand on stories before I learned how to write – that’s how long I’ve been doing this. Truth is, I don’t know how people don’t write. The stories just come to me, I write them, and all is well with the world.
I’ve come to enjoy “Anipal Land” and to see it as a refuge and respite from the more serious stuff in life. Plus, they’re fun to write. It’s a good place to let out the silly side of me that other readers, publishers, editors, etc would roll their eyes at at best, and discourage at worst. I hope you enjoy these tales, because it’s highly likely that more will come. The truth is, it’s just fun, and I believe we all need more fun in our life. We too often get caught up in reason and purpose, and I think it’s important to enjoy life and have things that are silly and fun for no reason other than being silly and fun every now and then!
Thanks for reading, and for diving into my crazy world. It’s great to have you here, and as Twitter pals. You guys are the best!
Luv,
Sherri (mommy)