Fall Is Here—and We’ve Been Busy!
Fiona has many new friends—the duck friends from Duck Books - Adventures in Duckdale, and Sharkie the shoe from Edward’s Lost Shoe.
There’s something special about fall.
The days begin to get a little shorter, the air starts to cool, and before long, pumpkins, colorful leaves, and all the familiar signs of the season begin appearing around us. Fall also seems like the perfect time to slow down a little, spend more time together, and—of course—curl up with a good book.
Here at Fiona the Lost Sheep, though, we’re arriving at fall just a little bit late!
It has been a while since our last blog post, and there’s a good reason for that. Actually, there are several good reasons—and most of them involve books.
A Family Full of Stories
Over the past few months, I’ve been helping my wife, Jennifer, with the publication of her children’s book series, Duck Books - Adventures in Duckdale.
Duckdale is home to a wonderful group of characters whose adventures help young readers explore friendship, kindness, courage, learning, and growing up. Jennifer’s series now includes four books:
It has been exciting to watch Duckdale grow one story at a time and to help Jennifer bring these books to young readers.
But that wasn’t the only book project keeping us busy.
When a Family Adventure Becomes a Book
I’ve also been working with my sister, Lisa Corson, on my second children’s book, Edward’s Lost Shoe. I wrote the story, and Lisa brought it to life with her illustrations.
What makes this book particularly special to us is that Edward’s adventure didn’t begin entirely in my imagination.
It actually happened.
During a family summer vacation last year, my grandson Edward somehow managed to lose a shoe—right off his foot! It was one of those funny little family moments that could easily have become nothing more than a story we told each other for years afterward.
Instead, it became the inspiration for a children’s book.
Of course, turning a real-life family adventure into a book meant adding a little imagination along the way. But at the heart of Edward’s Lost Shoe is a genuine memory of a family trip and a little boy who nearly came home with one less shoe than he started with.
Thankfully, the missing shoe was eventually found—which gave the real-life adventure a happy ending and provided just the right inspiration for the story.
Working on the book with my sister made the experience even more meaningful. A story inspired by my grandson became a project I was able to create with my sister, making Edward’s Lost Shoe very much a family affair.
Between Jennifer’s adventures in Duckdale and Edward’s missing shoe, our family has spent quite a bit of time in the world of children’s books lately.
And somewhere in the middle of writing, illustrating, editing, formatting, publishing, and all the other little details that go into making a book, our fall Fiona blog post got pushed a little farther down the list than we intended!
But Fiona Hasn’t Gone Anywhere
While we’ve been busy visiting Duckdale and following Edward on his latest adventure, Fiona still holds a very special place in our hearts.
At its core, Fiona the Lost Sheep is a story about being lost, being searched for, and discovering just how much one little sheep matters. Those ideas—love, belonging, perseverance, and caring for others—are just as important today as when Fiona’s story first began.
And fall provides a wonderful opportunity to share those messages with children.
As schedules settle after the rush of a new school year and evenings become longer, this is a great season to establish—or rediscover—a family reading routine. Even a few minutes spent reading together before bedtime can become something children remember for years.
Pick a favorite book. Find a comfortable spot. Put away the screens for a little while. And let your child choose where the next adventure will take you.
Maybe it will be to a pasture with a certain little lost sheep.
Maybe it will be to Duckdale.
Maybe it will begin with a missing shoe.
Or maybe it will be somewhere completely new.
A New Season of Stories
So yes, this fall post arrived a little later than planned. But we think we have a pretty good excuse.
Our family has been busy telling stories—and, increasingly, turning some of our own family adventures into them.
As we head into the final months of the year, we’re looking forward to sharing more of Fiona, more about our books, and more ideas for making reading a meaningful part of family time.
After all, some of the best stories can come from the most unexpected places—even a shoe that suddenly disappears from a little boy’s foot.
Happy fall from Fiona and all of us!
And wherever your family’s next story takes you, we hope you’ll enjoy the adventure together.