The debut children’s book from local author Chelsea Wilson Thayer is coming next month. Illustrations were done by Beth Snider. The book is set to release on June 1 and is a 32-page hardcover book published by Write Now Press, LLC. It will retail for $17.99. Email Thayer at chelseawthayer@gmail.com. (Submitted)
Local author Chelsea Wilson Thayer is set to make her children’s book debut with the June 1 release of The Patchwork Princess.
The 32-page hardcover children’s picture book is published by Write Now Press, LLC and will retail for $17.99.
The story focuses on Phillipa Jane, known as Princess Pippa. She is not an ordinary princess and instead enjoys climbing trees and shucking corn.
The book explores a day in the life of Pippa, a feminine, fierce young farm girl who considers herself a princess. She and her little brother rule over their dominion— a patch of farmland.
Thayer’s story is inspired by the life of her own family in rural Appalachia. The rhyme and rhythm of the story capture the character of young Pippa while illustrations from Beth Snider evoke the beauty and warmth of the Appalachian mountains.
The book is hailed as a tribute to those that call the mountains home.
In addition to the book, readers can get a plush Pippa doll that pairs perfectly with the book and has a suggested retail price of $11.99. Other retail items and future books are in the works including The Patchwork Christmas, The Patchwork Explorers and The Patchwork Princess Lights the Way.
Thayer, a writer, theatre educator, wife and mother of four, lives on a Christmas tree farm and believes in the power of words, good friends and great books.
While The Patchwork Princess is Thayer’s first children’s book, it’s not her first published work. She wrote a young adult novel called What Cat Lost that released in October 2020.
What Cat Lost soared to No. 113 on the Amazon bestseller list for teen and young adult fiction. The second book in the series, Who Cat Loved, is expected to release late this summer.
Thayer’s books aim to promote the Appalachian mountains and their people.
Email Thayer at chelseawthayer@gmail.com and visit chelseawilsonthayer.com for more information.