Welcome!

Hey!

I’m Rebecca, author of Chirp’s Large Day - and his subsequent adventures to follow.

This project has been a labour of love from the start. I never set out to write a children’s book, but I did stumble into doing so. There’s an amazing designer named Jud Haynes here in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and he posted a magazine cover he designed back in early 2020. Someone had commented on the Facebook post saying he was “halfway to a children’s book”. I’ll admit, I was scrolling through my phone while my nephew was napping next to me and I had planned on napping myself. But with that comment, I opened the notes app on my phone, and wrote Chirp’s Large Day (and Chirp’s Bonavista Baycation.. but shhhhh.. more on that adventure much later).

Chirp’s Large Day was largely based on the morning we had spent together, my nephew Stellan and I. We love to sip hot chocolate and read books at Bannerman Brewing Co. then head to the Johnson’s Geo Center to explore. The other locations were the places that came to mind when I thought about downtown and what I love about it.

Jud’s schedule wouldn’t allow for him to illustrate the book, but he graciously gave me permission to keep the name Chirp for my protagonist and move forward with the project. Fast forward two years and our main pre-order campaign is successfully completed, and files have been sent to the printer. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of work has gone into those two years. Self publishing is not for the faint of heart and I learned that in a hurry. I also learned some valuable skills and lessons along the way, and figure I can use this blog feature as a way of creating a memory bank for myself, and sharing the ups and downs with anyone interested.

So welcome! I’m happy you’re here, and I hope you love Chirp’s Large Day when you get it in your hands!

xo RG

Photo by Jerry Stamp