NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR AMY G. STRAYER

Sitting down with the beautiful, funny, and talented children's book author Amy G. Strayer. Our conversation about her books, life outside of writing, and

Tell us a little about yourself. Wow, where do I start - personal, professional, a little bit of both. Lol …

My family is from York, Pa… I was born in West Chester, Pa, but my parents were only there for a few years and we moved back to York when I was two.

I come from a close extended family, who are super supportive. Things change as they do, but we do our best to get together often and carry on some of the old family traditions.

As for my immediate family, my mom passed away unexpectedly in September of 2021 (I was devastated), but I’m beyond blessed to still have my dad. I also have a step daughter and step son, brother and sister-in-law and two nieces. The love and support that we have is beyond measure.

Educationally - I graduated from College with an undergrad degree in Elementary Education, received my masters in Special Education and recently got an endorsement on my teaching certificate for Social, Emotional and Behavioral Wellness Pk - 12.

Since college, I have taught learning support in high school; worked as a Developmental Therapist in homes with children ages birth - 3; Was the Education Director of an Autism School; and developed a work program for a non profit that supported adults with disabilities. I currently teach 7th grade, learning support, math. :)

For work/fun - I sit on the executive board of the York County Youth Mental Health Alliance, I am a co-advisor in our building, of the group called Aevidum (created by a neighboring county school, who lost a student to suicide. The group's purpose is to let students know it’s ok to not be ok) and I co-chair Dover Community Days - Harvesting Hope.

Who is your favorite author?

Well, I have always loved Dr. Suess’ whimsical stories, with the rhymes and fun lyrics and silly pictures. Janet Evanovich is who I enjoy reading now. She’s a light read, a good beach read.

I choose my books, kind of like I choose a radio station - depends on my mood.

What is your favorite genre and why?

I’d have to say Romance and sappy, but engaging and unpredictable. I read to relax and take my mind off real life “stuff.” I like books that are quick reads and that I can read while I’m cuddled up under a blanket and in front of the fireplace or sit on the beach and read while I’m hanging out.

For fun/fun, I have coached JV and Varsity Girls softball, JV Girls Lacrosse, and middle school cross country. I play the piano, write and run and I love being with my family and friends.

How long have you been writing?

I have always had a love of writing and I can remember in 6th grade, competing with another student in my class, to see who could write the best stories in our English class. We’d always compare grades and comments from our teacher.

For serious writing, it started in College. I wrote poems, short stories, messages and positive snippets. I have a drawer full of my writings, I was just always nervous about sharing them with other people. So that all being said, I am 56 years old and started seriously writing around the age of 19.

What inspires you to write?

There are a few contributing factors to my writing and inspirations.

The title of my series, Pelican's Pouch was inspired by my mom. She loved pelicans and we would always search them out when we were at the beach. I had that name chosen for some time, but since she passed, it keeps her close to me and it connects me.

The actual series started out with inspiration from my eldest niece. I had played around with the topics and messages that are in the books, but when my niece was 8 years old (she’s now 21) she was diagnosed with an extremely rare autoimmune disease, her life changed and so did my direction.

She was seeing specialists out of state, getting treatments, going to school ½ days - if at all, tests, bloodwork and more treatments.

Seeing what she went through, the determined person she was and the positive outlook she kept, took my writing in a different direction.

Then I started looking more closely at others around me that I loved very much and took the stories I had played around with before and started writing Pelican’s Pouch.

I am pulling from the experiences of my younger niece and how her life also changed and the support of her as a sister.

Experiences from my step daughter. She came into my life when she was 8 (now 22) and how her life changed with a step mom and new family.

A friend's daughter with an intense seizure disorder and a high school friend's son with a rare disease from birth. This is just to name a few of the storylines.

So my love for the beach, my family and friends, my passion to support others, all came together and Pelican's Pouch was born.