MEDORA - At age 79, Annie Koehler is thrilled to publish her first book.
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Koehler has been writing “When Grandma Came and We Slept on the Floor” since the 1990s. She is excited to finally see it printed and bound as a gift for her grandkids and other children in the community. She is especially proud of the illustrations, which she did herself, and she hopes the book encourages other people to follow their dreams.
“I thought maybe my great-grandkids or great-great-grandkids would enjoy seeing this and being able to hold it in their hands, something Grandma did,” Koehler said. “God is in this whole thing. We as creative people — and we all are — we don’t do anything apart from what He assigns. And I just felt like He wanted me to do this.”
Set in the 1950s in the Midwest, the book tells the story of three children who welcome their grandmother for a visit. They stop by the general store, swim in the creek and go to church together.
Koehler wrote the story for her own grandkids. In 1995, she made the first sketch.
A few years ago, Koehler decided to “get serious” about publishing the book. She had always been a painter, but she wanted to learn how to draw so she could bring to life the illustrations in her head. She took a few art classes and picked up her watercolor paints for the first time in 30 years, completing the illustrations a few months ago.
“It was quite a little process,” Koehler remembered. “In the meantime, I’ve had a lot of fun, met some new people, took some other painting courses, and it’s just been great.”
Koehler and her cousin agreed to split the cost of printing the book. Rather than go through a traditional publishing company, Koehler bought an ISBN and barcode and self-published. She wanted to make sure she could see the book published in her lifetime.
“I didn’t think I had time, to tell you the truth. I’m 79. I didn’t think I had time to wait on any kind of a publishing deal,” she explained. “I researched it, and it seems that it’s not easy to get your book published, printed and marketed. It takes quite a bit of time, and I didn’t know if I had that much time. Nobody knows for sure, but when you get to be my age, you’re kind of conscious of that. I figured I’d be lucky to get it done before I left.”
With this in mind, Koehler made the choice to give away most of her copies of “When Grandma Came and We Slept on the Floor.” She is selling books for $9.99, and you can contact her at (630) 816-8724 or gambo100@gmail.com to purchase. But most of the books will go to Koehler’s daughter’s third grade class, her church friends and her family.
It was important to Koehler to share the story with her loved ones and make sure her family had access to it. The family has done a lot of genealogy research, and Koehler was fascinated by the letters and cards from her ancestors. She hopes the book serves a similar purpose for her family in the future.
“I like history, and family history is even better yet,” she added. “I think in these advanced years, I wanted to leave something for them to look at and enjoy when I’m gone and for the next generation to have.”
As Koehler shares the book with her loved ones, she hopes her work inspires others to try new experiences. She pointed out that she took classes so she could draw and paint, and it’s always possible to learn new things if you put your mind to it. She believes the book will be a fun piece of history for her family, but she also hopes it inspires others to invest in their goals.
“If you want to do something, there’s a way to do it,” she said. “You just have to figure it out, and then you have to put the time in to do it. God gives us all gifts. It’s our job to figure out what that gift is and then work on it so we can do what we need to do or want to do. That’s kind of how I’ve lived these 79 years.”
To purchase a copy of “When Grandma Came and We Slept on the Floor,” contact Koehler at (630) 816-8724 or gambo100@gmail.com.
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