WEYBURN - A children’s book written and illustrated by Weyburn resident Tara Keating-Jaap in 2014 is now available in a new edition online via Amazon.
She most recently self-published an adult novel, “Birdie’s Lullaby”, through Amazon, and has worked to make her children’s book available the same way.
The book, “Ailsa’s Journey”, follows a young girl who moves with her family from Scotland to Weyburn, and the struggles she has to adjust to a new community and culture.
Some aspects of the story were based on a trip she made in 2010 to Oban, Scotland, on her honeymoon with husband, Dave Jaap.
The story followed Ailsa as they came across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II, landed in Halifax and then flew to Regina.
Once in Weyburn, Ailsa began Grade 1 at Souris School, for which Tara said she had to add in an explanation.
“I had no idea in 2014 that the school would be demolished,” she said, noting Ailsa had some difficulty fitting in at first.
She had her mom buy her some “Canadian” clothes, and she made a new friend, Libby. The two girls got to know each other, and made a promise that one day they would both make a trip to Scotland to see where Ailsa came from.
“I just always wanted to illustrate a children’s book,” explained Tara, and she developed the story to go with the illustrations.
She tried shopping her story around to children’s book publishers, but the frustrating point was most publishers wanted either just the story or illustrations, but not both by the same person.
Finally in 2014 she decided to make an edition of her story on Shutterfly, and had it available that way.
Once she found an outlet to publish her novel via Amazon, she decided to make her children’s book also available through them, as they make the book available throughout the world. Those who want a copy simply order it through Amazon, and the buyer buys it with their own currency without the author having to ship it to them.
As it would cost Tara to order copies for herself, she is going to have it available from Amazon directly.
