Update: I wrote this in 2015, and we now do have over 1000 books!
on October 10, 2015 Leave a Comment
So, where did it all start? Free Kids Books, that is.
In 2004-5 I was a young pilot, I’d just started flying scheduled flights with the national airline. I came home from an early morning start, pretty tired, with Mac lying straight across the middle of my very small kitchen (and trust me, this was a very ‘small’ kitchen and a very ‘big’ dog).
At this point I’d been working hard on my career, I’d finished my license requirements, passed a command upgrade, and successfully self-published a series of aviation books. I felt I finally had some breathing space to do something creative.
During my school years I was never known for my non-fiction writing which I had later pursued. I was far better with creative writing, art, and poetry, a side of me which I had temporarily disconnected and I was now determined to bring it back. I’d tried a couple of stories which didn’t work well, however when I saw Mac that day in my kitchen, Mac and Dipper, “The Stair Case” was born.
In 2008, I’d completed two Mac and Dipper books, of which the second one, “The Other Side“, is still a big favourite of mine, both based on real traits from Mac and Dipper, father and daughter in real life, one afraid of stairs, one eager to adventure in her early days.
In 2008 my daughter was born, and I continued with a few more books aimed at reading to toddlers, completing 4 books around 2009-2010. At this point I thought, hey I need somewhere to share these. The available places online didn’t really fit my needs, so I’d asked my brother, at the time a freelance web designer, to create a website for me. Free Kids Books was born.
I then had a thought: I bet there are others out there who feel like me. And – there were! We’ve now around 150+ books, and it grows nearly every week. And the best part of it is all the authors and friends I have met along the way.
My aim is to have over 1000 one day, I’m also trying to sort out out files page into categories to make it more useful, and provide more filters.
I started this post to say good-bye to Mac, a much loved dog, who I am so grateful to as my first muse and the inspiration behind FKB. He sadly passed away recently, peacefully, after a long, good life. I now want to also say a big thanks to all the friends and fellow authors I have met and who make FKB such a great place.
Posted in FKB About Blogs, FKB Author Biographies, Free Kids Books News, Recommended Books
Reading Changes Lives. Free Books = Literacy for Everyone!
