Two mothers hope to get children's books published
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For most moms, few moments are more cherished than snuggling up with their child to read a favorite children's book before bedtime.
But local moms Beth Arnstein and Kelly Ehasz are doing more than just making priceless memories -- each decided to write her own children's book and enter a contest to get her work published.
Ms. Arnstein, 27, of Brentwood, and Ms. Ehasz, 42, of Upper St. Clair, submitted their book ideas as part of an online "Author Challenge" contest by digital publisher MeeGenius of New York City.
Their books were chosen as finalists by Facebook users and editors among a group of nearly 400 other entrants nationwide and will face a second round of online voting that is open to the public until Feb. 21 at www.meegenius.com/challenge .
Finalists were narrowed to the top four online vote getters and 10 editor's picks. A winner is expected to be announced March 7.
Ms. Arnstein's entry, titled "I'm Not Afraid of Anything," is about a brave boy who finds out what really happens to the water that goes down the bathtub drain.
Ms. Ehasz wrote "Anna Abel Takes a Tumble," a light-hearted story based on Ms. Ehasz's 2-year-old daughter Anna and her struggles to keep up with her older brother.
The winner will receive a publishing contract with MeeGenius, a $1,500 cash prize and a MeeGenius digital library of more than 200 titles to be donated to the school of the winner's choice.
If she wins, Ms. Arnstein has selected Moore Elementary School in the Brentwood Borough School District to receive the digital library.
Ms. Ehasz's win would benefit Baker Elementary School in the Upper St. Clair School District, where her 6-year-old son, Zachary, attends first grade.
The women are friends who met at a writing class for children's books at Community College of Allegheny County.
They were part of a group of students who formed their own writing group that meets every three weeks to offer advice, criticism and a sounding board for each other's ideas.
"Writing is kind of lonely, so it really helps to get feedback from other writers," said Ms. Arnstein, who quit her job as a second-grade teacher three years ago to concentrate on writing full time.
Leaving her steady job was a risk, Ms. Arnstein acknowledged, "but I knew it was what I wanted to do."
One of her earliest childhood memories was her mother, Mary Beth Koenig of Baldwin Borough, writing a children's book and asking her to illustrate it.
The experience piqued her interest, "it taught me to pay attention to things going on around me," she recalled.
Since then, she has written dozens of children's books and finished in the top 10 of last year's MeeGenius contest with a book about her "very crazy cat named Cassie."
She and her husband, Joseph, have a 1-year-old son named Luke, who she hopes will be the inspiration for more ideas.
"My goal is to be published by the time my son can read," she said. "I want him to know he can fulfill his dreams."
Ms. Ehasz, described by Ms. Arnstein as "an excellent writer," worked for seven years as a reporter and editor for various local publications before accepting a job as a writer for CACI, a Mt. Lebanon firm that specializes in marketing and communications for government clients.
For her, writing is a hobby but also something she hopes will help Zachary. She and her partner, Farah Ehasz, also are parents to 2-year-old Anna.
"I've had an idea for a series of children's picture books for two or three years and I didn't know what to do with it," she said.
Her idea was to write a series based on a character similar to her son, who has a hyper-sensitivity related to his sense of touch and taste.
Ms. Ehasz hopes to win the contest as a way to successfully market the series, along with some of her other ideas.
"Once you get published somewhere, it gets easier to get published elsewhere," she said.
As for Anna, "an extremely independent" toddler, she loves the book that bears her name, whether or not it wins a contest.
"Anna loves them all, and her story in particular," Ms. Ehasz said.
To vote in the contest or to learn more: www.meegenius.com/challenge .
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
