The Invisible Friends Who Guide Me - A Children's Book Author's Story

My story characters are my invisible friends.

I never had invisible friends as a child; perhaps they could have helped me feel less alone… less invisible. But today, my invisible friends accompany me throughout each day in one way or another.

My most precious invisible friend is Sheldon, the Sea’s Slowest Snail.

When I am disturbed, I ask Sheldon, “How would you handle this situation?”
And then I imagine him—safely protected in his shell—aligned with the power of his source. And all is well. I imagine peace within a storm. I imagine a place inside of him that nobody and nothing can touch. Undisturbed.

When I feel the pull toward impatience, harshness, or criticism, I ask Sheldon, “How would you treat this person?”
And then I picture the harmonious panoply of sea creatures surrounding him—helping him, cooperating with him, so he can fulfill his highest calling. I look for the divinity in each face, reminded that we are all connected. Sheldon knows this implicitly.

When I am tempted to rush out the door without time for meditation or prayer, I ask Sheldon, “How do you begin your day?”
And I’m reminded of the quiet, conscious connection he makes at dawn. He considers his day. In my mind… he always asks for guidance. I reach for my Daily Reflections—or another spiritual reading—and remember that how I begin my day shapes everything that follows.

When I am lost in my own thinking—trying to solve, control, and figure everything out—I ask Sheldon, “How can I trust God instead of relying only on myself?”
I still spend too much time trying to “figure things out.” But Sheldon reminds me: we are always given exactly what we need when we are truly trying to live according to God’s will. There is nothing to force. Nothing to solve. Sheldon trusts the intelligence of the universe—the same power that turns a single seed into something abundant beyond imagination.

Each of my stories carries a character like this—one I walk with as I move through my life.

In Penelope Prime, Inventor of Rhyme, I have a friend who knows how to tap into imagination—into a field of thought where dreams are created.
In Trussels and Trout, I have a friend who understands that our thoughts shape our reality.
In The Gorilla Grumbled, I have a friend who reminds me of the power of love.

My stories are more than stories to me. They are companions. They bring spiritual principles into my everyday life—helping me grow, expand, and move toward who I want to be.

My characters remind me how to show up.
They remind me what matters.
And in every story, they lead me back to connection—
to myself,
to others,
and to God.

I believe these stories came from a higher place—arriving exactly when I needed them—as I found my way from darkness into light. That is why they are a part of me.

And for those who read my stories, I hope that my characters might, in some small way, bring a ray of light into your life—and into the lives of the children you love most.

Peace and Love,

Amy