Welcome to The Bookcase.

I'm your host, Shawna Richards, a sometime writer and a longtime reader.

I invite you to join me as we explore The Bookcase and celebrate Virgin Islands authors and talent.

Each week on The Bookcase, we'll introduce you to a local author and learn more about them and their work.

A storyteller lives in each of us, and I am so excited to give our homegrown storytellers a chance to tell their story.

Tonights selection from The Bookcase is The Browne Brothers Save a Friend.

And I'm honored to welcome its author, Jael Paul.

Jael welcome to The Bookcase.

Thank you so much for joining us this evening.

No problem.

Thanks for having me here.

So you wrote a book, The Browne Brothers Save a Friend.

Why don't you tell our audience a little bit about yourself?

My name is Jael Paul.

I am born and raised here on St. Croix.

I went to school here my entire life, and I am a mom of three and a wife.

When did you start writing?

I started writing about seven years ago.

My sons are my little adventure kings, and I would tell them stories off the top of my head that would help them go to sleep at night.

I would make the stories about what they did throughout the day or I call them my little superheroes.

So I would turn them into superheroes in those stories and then tell them those stories for them to go to bed.

My husband encouraged me actually afterwards to write the stories that I would tell them because the kids enjoyed them so much.

So since then, I've been doing that.

So is the Browne Brothers Save A Friend a superhero story?

So it's not necessarily a superhero story, but in the story, the boys imagine themselves to be superheroes.

When you were writing this book, did you intentionally set out to tell the story that you wrote about?

Intentionally, yes.

This was actually from a time where my son got bullied in school when he was in elementary, and I wanted to give him a story that would help him through that situation.

So I created the story The Browne Brothers Save A Friend to guide him, kind of of what he should do the next time it happens.

So when you were your son's age and you were in elementary school, were you seeing these types of stories in the books that you were reading?

Sometimes, yes.

And I'm I have always loved reading, but I would never see myself being represented in those stories as much.

So I wanted to give my kids the opportunity to have that.

So what kind of books were you reading when you were your kid's age?

I would read a lot of science fiction and love stories as a kid.

So what are you reading now?

I am still reading a lot of love stories.

I do love that genre, but I also am deeply engrossed in sci fi.

So you have a diverse interest in reading, yet you wrote a children's book.

Why a children's book?

I love kids and I love giving kids something to read.

I love giving kids something to kind of, I guess you could say, reflect on or find some sort of resemblance in.

And I think that by giving them these type of stories, I'm doing that.

So what is this, your first book?

So this is my first published book.

Is your first published book?

Yes.

So before you publish The Browne Brothers Save A Friend, what other what other things have you written that haven't made their way to being published yet?

So I did write another children's book.

It's called Count Five Sheep to Sleep, and I'm working on getting that published soon.

I also have a journal that I'm writing the journal is centered on caribbean sayings and my reflection of what those sayings mean.

And then I also have an adult novel I'm working on called King Kenyatta's Daughters.

So you mention journaling that you are working on a journal.

Is that something that you do that helps to focus or inspire your writing?

Yes, Journaling actually does help me to focus a lot.

It gives me a chance to center myself by writing what's in my head already, putting it down on paper and seeing what those words are.

I can actually focus more on other things that I need to do because it's not just swimming around in my head anymore.

What can you tell me about your writing process?

It is strange to say the least.

In what way?

So for me, when I write, I put instrumental music on.

I give my myself a chance to clear my head.

I first start with creating the characters and who those characters are, and then I try to make a synopsis of what the story should be about and where is it going to start versus where is it going to end.

And then once I do that and I give myself that moment, I walk away from it because I want the story to build in my head.

And then afterwards I create situations between the characters and then I write that down.

Then the story builds from there.

So in your story, The Browne Brothers Save A Friend, you are writing about little boys who are elementary aged and there's a new kid.

So why did you feel it necessary to introduce the new kid?

I was the new kid once.

Okay.

And in the story, I wanted that to show a lot of kids when they start a new school or come from a new school, it's a lot different from where they were before.

And it's not an easy transition sometimes, because if that child is from a school that's on where they were from, they tend to hear stories about that child before, and those stories come with that child.

So now these kids that don't know this child have these stories about the child they don't know.

And it makes it a little awkward for that child to be there.

So I wanted to show that to kids like don't necessarily judge someone before you get to really know them.

Right.

And that's what was happening in your in your story.

Yes.

But you had these young Browne brothers who saved the day.

Yes.

Do your children do your boys see themselves in this story?

They do.

My oldest actually told me the other day.

Mommy, why is the picture so much like me?

I said because it is you?

Did you work with an illustrator?

I did.

How did you find this person?

The long search, the Internet sometimes is your best friend and sometimes your worst and sometimes your words.

But I did find a really good illustrator.

Her name is Emily.

She did not want to be mentioned in the book, but her work was, she was spot on when I needed her to illustrate each part of the story.

So did you work with an editor?

What was the process of getting your story out to the public like?

So once I got the illustrations done, I actually didn't start working with a publisher until about four years later.

I contacted a company in Georgia called VMH Publishing, and I told them what the story was about, what my focus was, and they were ready.

They said, yes, let's do it.

We love the book.

Let's go.

When you work with the illustrator, did you draw anything out yourself?

you're laughing.

No, Okay.

I'm a terrible artist, at least when it comes to drawing.

So, honestly, I just voiced what it was that I wanted from her.

What I wanted the characters to look like, what I wanted them to resemble.

And she did an amazing job of bringing that story to life in picture.

When you look at the Browne Brothers, Save A Friend, does it inspire you to write more?

It does.

It does, because I see kids reading the stories and I get so much feedback from parents saying that the kids love the stories so much.

It gives me the inspiration to continue because I want them to have that experience more often.

When with the Browne Brothers Saved A Friend and you created a superhero story, but there aren't any little girls in your story.

Why?

There is.

So there is little Lyla.

And there's also jazzy.

Jazzy is Micah’s best friend in the story, and she's there to help as well.

And we'll have more stories about each of the characters in the book later on.

Okay.

So you're envisioning a series?

Yes, I am.

Why was it important to you to write a book that is ultimately about empowerment?

I want kids to feel strong.

A lot of the times, kids are afraid or scared to step out and be themselves.

I want to give my kids as well as kids that read the book, something to encourage them to show them that they do have that power inside them.

Who are your early readers of your work that let you know if you're on the right track or that give you honest critique and feedback during the writing process?

That would be my sisters.

My sisters are always my biggest critics, but they're also my biggest supporters.

My kids.

When I read them the stories, they would tell me if they didn't like it or if they did, or even if I gave them a part of the story, they'd be like, no mommy, I don't like that.

Were there specific things that they didn't like?

My son, my oldest son, he did not like the bullies, but he said if they have to be a part of the story, they have to be a part of the story.

He's very blunt like that.

But other than that, he enjoyed it.

And now that your your book is out, when was it published?

When?

Mhm.

It was published in July, on the 29th of this year?

Okay.

Yeah.

So is it in our schools?

How have you made it available to readers?

So I've been bringing them down and selling them on my own, but they're also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I am actually working right now to see if I can get a grant to be able to have it in all the elementary schools on the island.

Do you did you set out to write a book to encourage literacy and to encourage reading?

Was that also a goal?

Yes.

So I wanted to be able to give other kids what I give to minds.

I am an avid reader with my kids.

I push them to love reading as well.

And they're amazing readers right now themselves.

And I wanted to give that opportunity to other kids as well.

How important is representation?

Very.

I want kids to see themselves in the characters.

I want the kids to see themselves in the writer.

I want them to see that this is not a limited space for them.

You can be the reader, the writer, the character.

I just wanted to be able to show them that you're not just set to be someone else's reader.

You can be that character as well.

What inspired you to write?

What inspired you to pick up a pen and say, I have a story to tell?

I want to give a lot of that kudos to my husband.

He said, You have so much stories in your head, but you never put it down on paper.

So he actually bought me a book.

He told me, write your first story in there.

And I did.

And is your first story the Browne Brothers Save A Friend?

Yes.

Wow.

That's really impressive.

So what is the key message of your book?

Be kind.

You never know what someone's story is.

And when it comes to seeing other people go through something.

Be willing to lend a hand.

But for the most part, be kind.

But in your story, and certainly not to give away any spoilers or anything like that, but in your story, everyone isn't as eager to, not at first no, to save the day, right.

Not at first, but it kind of gives you an idea of where kids go from one side to the next.

Where I'm not so sure about you, to you know what?

Let me step in.

Let me be the person that lends a hand.

So I'm hoping that kids see that transition from beginning to end and that they are able at every point to stand up for what's right, right.

When you are sitting down to write.

So you said you have your instrumental music in the background.

You put your thoughts together and then you walk away.

Are you that pen and paper?

Are you write it out on a laptop?

What is your process?

I at first I was the pen and paper and now it's the type of way type person.

I actually create notes about each character.

I write it, or if I have a pen and paper, I write it down.

But for the most part, I'll type it, put it there, and then step away from it.

Create the next character.

Will the person reading the story get that sense that it is rooted in the Virgin Islands and rooted in our community?

Yes, they will.

What are some of those cues?

So I do mention St. Croix in the book.

I do mention the schools, and that's actually one of the things that parents of the kids have mentioned to me before that they enjoyed so much about the book, the mentioning of the school and how it was mentioned, because it's not just one actually turned four different schools into one.

You are a wife, a mom, you know, a farmer.

You've got a lot going on.

How do you balance that with being creative?

I want to say that my family and my life gives me the space to be able to do so.

My mom and dad are always encouraging me to step aside and take a moment for myself, which I do.

My husband, same.

My kids, not so much, but when I do have a chance to step away from them knowing that they're fine, I take that moment to create on my own.

And how important is it as a creator to have that time?

Very, because I don't want to feed all my time into everything else and then don't give time to myself as well.

So it's very important that we have that.

So you envision the Browne Brothers as a series?

Yes.

What other stories do you envision the Browne Brothers or other messages do you envision the Brown Brothers sharing?

There's going to be a lot.

One of them, I can say for probably the next story would be about Jazzie starting a new club.

And with that one having I don't have all the details for it yet, but it will focus on young women learning to love themselves.

So.

Is that a space that you feel is missing in children's literature?

Yes.

We always talk about older girls or young women finding that love for themselves at that age.

But we never encourage our elementary kids or our younger kids to find that space as well, that you can love yourself from the time you're little know who you are.

Then grow into yourself.

And I want to give them that opportunity to see that.

What difference would it have made for you as a young reader?

As a young child, and as a young reader?

If you had been exposed to the type of literature that you're creating now?

I think it would have made my mindset in school a bit different.

I would look at things a bit differently and probably learn to go through different situations a lot better.

But in in when you were your children's age, you were reading everything.

I was reading everything.

Who encouraged you to read?

My biggest encourager was my aunt.

My Aunt Genevieve always provided us with books and she would always give us that open space to say, these are the books I have.

Go ahead and read one.

She'd never stop us from taking a book off the shelf, and I love her for that.

Is there a favorite passage from the Browne Brothers Save A Friend that you can share with our audience?

Yes, there actually is.

So let's see.

After breakfast, the boys grabbed their book bags and headed to the van with mom and one year old Lila were waiting to drop them off at school.

Bye, Dad.

Have fun at the gym today, the boys said as they were leaving that headed out to the gym he owned where they lived on St Croix.

He was a health and fitness coach that trained athletes from all over the island.

As mom pulled up to drop off in front of the Alexander Charles River Muckle Elementary School, she turned back to look at the boys.

Both of you do good today and remember to look out for one another.

We will, said Kevin.

Love you, Mommy!

Mike said with a big smile, and they were off to their classes.

So that's just a teaser.

When you started writing The Browne Brothers Save A Friend.

Did you have the publisher secure, did you have a certain a set number of pages that you were restricted to?

Or were you just free to tell your story?

I was free to tell my story at first.

I didn't get the book published until seven years later.

So when I first wrote the book, I didn't know where it was going.

I just wrote it because it was something that I had in my heart to do.

At first, I couldn't get it published by anyone.

No one would take the book on.

And my husband always tells me it's God's timing.

Was that discouraging, though?

That's a long time, you know, seven years between actually creating your work and publishing.

It was discouraging at first, but I never gave up on it.

I never gave up on perfecting it, getting it illustrated, I never gave up on getting it edited.

I did all that work just to make sure that when I do get it published, it's ready.

So.

So during your refining process, tell us what that was like.

It was a bit stressful.

I would say that the illustrator did an amazing job in hearing me and helping me to focus the story and what I wanted the pictures to say.

I think the most stressful part was editing it so that it's the English was right, the grammar was okay and that it was more focused on being ready for readers to understand what was going on.

So you work with a publisher for this book, but you say you have other books in the hopper.

Are you looking into self-publishing those, and what has that process been like for you?

So I am working on self-publishing.

One of them, which is the journal, that one I felt like I could get the most out of if I self-publish.

The road has not been easy.

Self-publishing is a job on its own.

But I do hope that once I do get it published, it'll be something for everyone to enjoy.

So you've been through this process yourself?

Writing, editing, Finding an illustrator, publishing.

What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

If you know someone that's written a book, ask for help.

Did you have a mentor?

I did not.

But I would say this If someone did come and asked me, I would be more than happy to help because it's not an easy road to go on.

And if I see someone that has something that they're ready to put out, I don't see the point in giving them that same discouraging process.

If I already know what I can do to help.

So what will your tips be for that aspiring writer out there?

Know who you're giving your story to?

First of all, because the first set of publishers that I gave the book to, it wasn't their cup of tea.

Second, know what story you're trying to put through in pictures because you may have written a story, but the pictures for that story need to match what the story is.

And then be prepared for anything when it comes to giving that story to a publisher, because you never know what they may see in the story versus what you want to put out.

And you don't want them to change that.

I was so glad when VMH Publishing decided that they were going to take on the story and publish because they're focused on children's stories and they enjoyed the story and what it was about.

So you said that the first sets of publishers that you I guess, approached, it wasn't your cup of tea Were children's books not their specialty?

Or was it something that wasn't just in their, you know, frame of work?

The first one, children's books weren't their specialty, but for the other few after they did do children's books.

But I guess the characters didn't mean much to them.

So, so the publisher that you are working now, are they someone, how did you find them?

That's actually interesting story.

So I was doing some research online about publishers in the area that I was living in because I was in Georgia at the time and they came up and they are a publishing company based out of New York, and then they have an office in Georgia as well.

When I approached them with the book, they enjoyed the fact that there was a representation of young black children and they cared so deeply about that and wanted to put that out there that I was thrilled.

So we had the same idea in mind of what we wanted the book to show and they've been awesome ever since.

How do your children feel knowing that you've written a book about them?

My second son is thrilled.

He loves it.

My oldest son, he's kind of shy, so he was a little bit taken aback a little by him being in the story himself.

And I changed the names of the characters so that even though the boys know it's them, they have a different name in the book.

So to circle back really quickly to your tips for aspiring writers.

Do you want them to just sit down and write, journal, what would you tell that person who has a story?

If you have a story, I'll tell you what I told myself.

If it's there.

Start writing it out at first.

Put it on paper.

See how it sounds to you.

See how it sounds to anyone else that's willing to listen.

And if you are comfortable putting your story out there, then do it.

Don't hold back.

Don't say, well, it's not good enough.

I don't know if I should.

Do it.

The only way you're going to know if a story is beneficial to someone else is if you tell it.

and what's next?

I have a few books that I'm ready to start working on and put out so hopefully you guys will see more of my stories in the future.

But your message of this story of the Browne Brothers Save A Friend is we can all be superheroes.

You sure can.

Yes.

No matter how old you are.

No matter how old you are.

You can definitely be someone's hero.

You don't have to have magic powers or you don't have to have super gadgets or anything like that.

You have a voice.

Use it.

It's powerful.

And that is the message that you want everyone reading The Browne Brothers Save A Friend to walk away with.

Yes, that they have power.

You have power.

Be kind.

You are amazing.

Regardless of what you think you may have.

You have power to help someone to be kind and help.

And that is a perfect note to end on.

It's been a pleasure to learn more about our local talent, Jael Paul.

For more information on the Browne Brothers Save A Friend or any of the books featured on this program, visit our website at WWW dot WTJX dot org.

We appreciate your support of our local authors and we'll see you next week when we take another book from The Bookcase.