I started an LLC press company (SportGirl Press) and self-published my first childen's book (Abbey Goes Skiing!), which is a charming, rhyming picture book in which a child, guided by a snowy owl, is introduced to alpine skiing. It's perfect for ages 3 to 8.
Troy (my husband, and Abbey's dad) is a certified snowboard instructor with Vail Resorts in Vail, Colorado (and previously competed out west) so we put our daughter on skis and snowboard at age two. She's always been a natural on the slopes (very athletic). At age six, she started slalom ski racing for Afton Alps and last season, won the bronze standing for girls in her age group.
I was new to the ski scene (having only been a cross-country skate skier) so I was just totally in awe of seeing all these young children (some of them just toddlers!) ski with such great agility and speed. It wasn't like that when I was little back in the 70s - you just didn't see such young children skiing at Afton Alps (or other places) like that.
I began taking my own alpine ski lessons about four years ago because I didn't want to sit in the chalet all day and miss out on my family's fun. In tandem, I started writing my story - it just came to me within a few weeks. The skiing topic was really unexpected. But I quickly learned that no one else had published anything quite like this - a story that introduces young children to alpine skiing by incorporating basic ski terminology, technique, and safety.
Producing the book took a long time however (roughly 3 years), but eventually I found a very talented illustrator who was able to create the characters and scenes that I had envisioned to accompany my story.