With her parents, the king and queen, out of the castle, it’s up to Sebastian and the rest of the servants to read her a story. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite go as planned.
The Origin
It started on a nighttime road trip, driving the family home from visiting my parents. My daughter Katie, stuck in a car seat with nothing to do, wanted nothing more than to fall asleep — something she couldn’t do without a bedtime story. Reading while driving wasn’t an option, so I did the next best thing. I made something up.
The words flowed easily. I did voices for the gardener, the court jester, and the rest. She laughed, settled down, and fell asleep.
Over the next few years, Katie would ask for “her story” before bed, again and again, dismissing any number of real children’s books in favor of the one I made up. It took years before it occurred to me to actually write the whole thing down — and years more before an illustrator and I turned it into the book you’re holding now.
I hope you like it. Although, to be honest, I think Katie misses me doing the silly voices.
About the Illustrator
Goodnight Princess was illustrated by Kelli Roos, Art Director for magIMPACT, an internet marketing firm specializing in website creation and SEO. In addition to her creative work there, she also teaches art classes and has illustrated several books.
“Tell the story well; that’s all an audience asks for,” Roos said. “My goal is to study all the character angles and find the expressions that best fit their personality. The reader may not notice it, but if they feel it, I’ve succeeded.”