For aspiring book authors, the book publishing industry has been notoriously difficult. However, many military spouses have found success publishing a myriad of books in an array of genres. We discovered three published book authors who have drawn on their military family life experiences to write unique and touching children’s books for parents and young readers.
Samantha Gassman
Author of Honor Flight and Dear Rainbow Baby, Sumter, S.C., Prior active duty as a MC-130P Special Operations Instructor Navigator, current Air Force military spouse, and mother of two.
MSM: Tell us about your new book Dear Rainbow Baby
Gassman: In November 2019, I had a miscarriage, which was a heart-wrenching experience. In the days that followed, I took time off work to breathe and process my grief. During that time, writing became very therapeutic, and I wrote an early draft of what would become Dear Rainbow Baby. Writing a story to a baby who had yet to be born forced me to look forward with hope, rather than dwell on my sorrow.
We put the story on submission in March 2020, while I was pregnant with my rainbow baby. We received the offer of publication a couple of weeks before my due date. This very special book will share its release date with National Rainbow Baby Day and my daughter’s second birthday: Aug. 22, 2022, which is just incredible.
MSM: What was your experience of publishing your book?
Gassman: The publishing industry is tough for impatient people like me, as it moves at a snail’s pace. It can take months or even years to land an agent. On top of that, having an agent isn’t a guarantee that your work will be published.
With Dear Rainbow Baby, I wrote the initial manuscript in November 2019. My agent and I put the book on submission in March 2020. We waited for months for editors to reply. In August 2020, we received an offer of publication. Two years later, the book will be released on Aug. 22. So, as you can see, it takes a long time to go from story to book.
Jessica Stremer
Author of Great Carrier Reef, Okinawa, Japan, USMC military spouse, and mother of two.
MSM: Tell us a little about your upcoming book Great Carrier Reef.
Stremer: Great Carrier Reef is a nonfiction picture book about the USS Oriskany’s transformation from an aircraft carrier to an artificial reef. Illustrated by Gordy Wright, it’s my debut book and publishes in July 2023 with Holiday House Publishing.
Great Carrier Reef encompasses two huge parts of my identity: science/nature-lover and military spouse. Many aspects of our military history are being lost or forgotten. Writing about the USS Oriskany is my way of acknowledging and honoring those veterans and their families for their service and sacrifices.
But this story goes beyond the ship. It also highlights an ugly truth: Our ocean is sick and needs our help. I liked that scientists and engineers were able to find a way to give back by repurposing the ship, and creating a new home for marine life on the ocean floor.
Margaret Thompson
Author of My Santa, Your Santa, MCAS Yuma, Ariz., Australian native, USMC military spouse, and mother of two.
MSM: Why did you want to write a children’s Christmas book?
Thompson: I wanted to make something I could read to my son that showed what I had seen at Christmas after living in 10 different countries and seeing the diverse ways that people celebrated Santa. Christmas books have been severely lacking in diversity with previously no representations of Asian, Hispanic, or disabled Santa to be found in any books in 2020. To fill this gap, my husband and I launched our debut children’s picture book My Santa, Your Santa, bringing the magic of Christmas and diverse representations of Santa to families across the globe.
MSM: Tell us about your experience with the publishing process?
Thompson: When we realized there was a gap in the market we looked into publishing through a traditional publisher vs. self-publishing through Amazon KDP. We decided to go with Amazon KDP as it would reach a wider audience and was far more accessible. I wrote the book whilst my husband drew the illustrations, as art is his hobby. My husband really wanted his illustrations to reflect the world and its diversity and give children a reflection of themselves in books that he never had as an African American growing up.