Brenda Ewers is a natural nurturer.
Before retiring, she nurtured people’s bodies as a nurse. Now, she is nurturing the souls of young children through her new series of books.
Created for children 2-4 years old, the six books follow the adventures of Hedy, a young woman, and her friend Howie, a dragon. They were published by Tate Publishing.
She describes Hedy as a woman of ingenuity who likes to think of things and Howie as a sweetheart.
Ewers, who called herself a strong Christian, said her faith helps guide the stories. She started with a story about Hedy and Howie planting a garden and then added tales about holidays.
The books are: “Planting a Garden,” “Enjoy Easter,” “4th of July Party,” “Halloween Adventures,” “Thanksgiving Trip” and “Christmas Tree.”
She said story ideas have come to her since she was a young girl and she has a box full of stories.
“They just pop into my head.”
Ewers credits her childhood for her love of literature. She said they were “quite poor” when she was growing up and had no television or radio. Instead, she would spend her free time in the library.
Her father, whom she described as a “stoic Norwegian,” also loved to read and helped instill a love for the written word in her. Ewers is the middle child of her parents’ three children. After her mother left when she was 8, Ewers’ father stressed the importance of going to school and learning, she said.
Each of Ewers’ books is just 10 pages and she said they are “easy for little ones to understand.”
She has “tested” them on her five grandchildren. She said the youngest, twins Quinnlyn and Lenoxx, really like the stories and are especially fond of the dedication page. All of the books are dedicated to Ewers’ grandchildren.
Ewers said she actually began writing the books around 30 years ago as a project she could do with her sister, who was a talented artist but having some personal difficulties. Ewers knew she couldn’t illustrate the books herself as “I can’t even draw a circle.”
“At first, she was excited and did maybe three pages.”
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and Ewers didn’t return to the stories until about five years ago. That was when she met Michael Derby at her church.
Together, they worked on the books, even as both recuperated from heart-health issues.
Now that the books are completed, Ewers said she is working on several other series, all of which are aimed at 2-4-year-olds.
Ewers will sell and sign copies of her books from 10:30 to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the gift shop at Boulder City Hospital, 901 Adams Blvd.