It’s a privilege to introduce children’s book author Elizabeth Gerlach. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, children and dogs. With a background in marketing, she only recently considered herself a writer. Elizabeth’s life has taken surprising turns over the past few years that led her here. The Gerlach’s lost one of their triplets in 2016 at just 3 years old and established the Ben Smiles Memorial Foundation. She then developed a series of children’s books called Ben’s Adventures, about a young brother who uses a wheelchair. Both the foundation and books were prompted by the loss of her son. Elizabeth also blogs about the grieving process and has been published on a variety of websites. While not working on the Ben’s Adventures series, she has been writing something more like a memoir but it’s still taking shape.

When you buy through my links, I may earn money from my affiliate partners. Learn more.

• Author Website: https://www.finding-my-purpose.com/
• Ben’s Adventures Website: https://www.bens-adventures.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElizGerlach
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizGerlach
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliz_gerlach/
• Fundraising KickStarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bens-adventures/bens-adventures-an-inspiring-story-of-inclusion-an?ref=9t0d0i

1. Elizabeth, it’s an honor to interview with you and support your platform. Your purpose is unique and powerful, hitting close to home yet relating around the world. Before we get into bookish things and the nitty-gritty life of an author, tell us about your family and especially Ben, who really set so much in motion.

I got married in 2011, then was pregnant with triplets in 2012. I had them very prematurely at just 25 weeks into the pregnancy (vs the standard 40 weeks). The kids were very small – just around 12” and 1.5 pounds. They had a tough time in the NICU but were able to come home after 4-5 months. My son Benjamin had the roughest road with the most trauma to his little body. At just 10 months old, he was diagnosed with Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, which means full-body involvement, multiple functions. He was nonverbal and also required a feeding tube. Many of our days were filled with therapies, medications, special diets, doctors’ visits and more. He also developed epilepsy at 2 years old after a prolonged illness. He had many respiratory illnesses over 1.5 years and ultimately was on Oxygen fairly consistently. He passed away on May 2, 2016 from respiratory failure. Despite his/our challenges in the daily routine, he always smiled and he had the biggest, most beautiful smile. I was inspired to establish the foundation and book series as a way to continue to spread his joy and impact others’ lives in his name.

2. The vast majority of authors and illustrators do it on the side. Life as a book creator really is a long-term passion project and only a few have been able to enjoy it as a sole source of income or career. With a family and countless other things to do, what helps you prioritize and make time for writing (let alone writing your SECOND book)?

Since it’s to honor my son, I find the time. It’s a passion project and I’m determined to keep him alive in this way. Also, logistically, I am a stay at home mom (leaving my marketing career after they were born) so do have some ‘free’ time during the day when they are at school (in first grade) which i will say is the quickest 6 hours of any day! After 3pm, my day consists of kids’ activities and therapies. By the time the kids are in bed, i unfortunately am exhausted so am not as productive as i’d like to be! I also spend time during the week on our foundation.

3. Speaking of books, let’s dive in to the Ben’s Adventures series. Your first book in the series, Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach, came out in 2018. What is the essence of this book and what were some things you learned about publishing a book from that experience?

Developing the first book was a completely new experience for me – I had NO IDEA or experience about the children’s book industry. I just decided one day that I wanted to do a children’s book and that would be a great way to showcase Ben’s life and our experiences. Plus, there aren’t many books with characters in wheelchairs, so I wanted to try to represent this audience and give families a relatable option in children’s books.

Through the book, I wanted to show that kids with a disability are still ‘just kids’, and they can enjoy life, have friendships, and wonderful experiences. The books are inspired by our life as a family. The first book was about Ben’s adventure at a beach – my family loves beach vacations and Ben had even been to the beach a few times in his short life. So the book is inspired by that but it is also something many families can relate to.

4. Your second book in the series, Ben’s Adventures: Circus Day (working title), is currently in a KickStarter Campaign. It’s VERY close to being fully funded. Tell us about this book and how the #writingcommunity could help make this dream a reality.

This book is to honor the Early Childhood teachers – my Ben had such a wonderful experience in his one year of preschool. He had a team of teachers and support resources that loved him and went above and beyond for his development and care. I wanted to honor those special people that invest in our kids, regardless of ability and differentiate care, education and resources to individual needs. In the book, Ben loves his class so much. It’s a ton of fun. His teacher is so great and handles so many activities, he dreams it must be just like a circus!

I am doing a KickStarter since I’m an indie author. The pre-orders will help cover printing and production of the book, having it printed. There are several tiers or rewards including one book, multiple books, a book set with both the first and new book, t-shirts, tote bags, and you can even donate books. For every 10 books pre-ordered during the campaign, I am donating one book to Easterseals. Over the years, my family has spent a lot of time for therapies at Easterseals and I wanted to support them in this unique way. Ben received therapy there 4 days a week and his sister Ava continues to receive speech therapy there.

5. When it comes to disability in books, clearly there is room for improvement. It is rarely seen in the supporting characters or main character. You’re on a mission to normalize disability while also inspiring disabled children and their families and friends. What did you experience with your own son, Ben, in how he interacted with a world designed for non-disabled kids?

When the kids were little, I was determined to not be homebound – which would’ve been the easier option (imagine one mom and three littles, one in a wheelchair with extra equipment). I wanted my kids to have experiences, go to the zoo, the park, have picnics, you name it.

When Ben was a bit older and in a wheelchair (vs a stroller) it was more obvious he had additional needs or was unable to walk and do things for himself. In my experience, I found people would stare or ‘avoid’ us in the aisle in a store, or kids would stare and point. Or strangers would acknowledge Colin and Ava but blatantly ignore Benjamin. And all of this became more pronounced when he required oxygen and we were then carrying around a tank and tubing. It hurt at the time but now thinking back, I realize kids don’t really know any better. They are curious and notice when someone is different. This is a natural behavior. But I also know from Ben’s experience in a blended preschool classroom, that kids are accepting and will see past a disability if given the chance. They simply just need to have experience or awareness of differences.

Promoting differences in books and allowing them to be curious and ask questions will only promote acceptance and understanding. Someone put it this way recently … “Reading books with your children that Embrace Differences helps them to understand that it is normal to be different.” YES! This is what I want to convey. I wanted to create a book that kids with a disability could relate to but I also want to work to reduce the stigma or ‘scariness’ of disability for typical families.

6. Persevering in creating a book through self-publishing or traditional publishing is an intense, exhausting experience. It’s also uniquely rewarding. What was the catalyst that inspired you to take on the publishing industry? What’s been the most difficult part going from dream to bookshelf and how did you work through it?

For the first book, I did work with a hybrid publisher so they led the process and development – I provided the story, they managed character development and illustration, editing, printing, etc. I learned more about the process and industry AFTER the book was produced. It then was up to me to market and promote, schedule events, get media or blog presence, develop Amazon presence, manage web sites and social engagement. And this continues to be a real challenge. I love my book but getting others to notice it and then want to BUY it is a daily grind.

Also, the obvious niche for my book is families with disability. BUT, ideally, it would also be accepted by typical families as well to share an important message with their kids. For the second book that is being illustrated right now, I did manage the process completely on my own – after the story and concept were complete, I found an editor and worked closely with her on the structure, rhyme and verse (yes, written in rhyme). I then found an illustrator who would be willing and able to replicate my existing characters since we spent a good deal of time working on the Ben character with the initial illustrator on the first book – he was based on my kid and I wanted to LOVE it and wanted the character to convey Ben’s smile and his personality.

For me, the creation of a story is the fun part and seeing the book come to life through the illustrations is exciting. The challenging part comes once the book is finally published. As the author, you LOVE the book and want others to love it as well.

7. Books bring people together by choice or by necessity. Even lone wolf solo writers quickly learn other people are part of the publishing process. Sometimes these people are the readers and other times they are that helpful friend who tells you what you really needed to hear. Has there been anyone of particular note that has motivated you or helped you in bringing Ben’s Adventures to life? What have they done that meant so much to you?

This has been a lone project for me – My family obviously has offered support, but they have to, right? And Ben’s brother and sister love seeing themselves in the book (they’re in both books!) so they get excited, which I love. Where I have truly found inspiration and motivation is in certain indie author groups on Facebook. It’s a pretty tight-knit community who support each other. And what’s great is all the indie books are so good yet so different. It’s fun and inspiring to see what others are doing, why they’re doing it, how they’re doing it and then being able to share ideas and support each other. It’s inspiring and encouraging.

8. Fellow authors and illustrators want to know, what resources did you use or learn from that helped you publish your book? Any words of wisdom for creatives out there with ideas in their head but aren’t sure how to move forward?

For anyone who has a dream to write a story and work on a book, just do it. Put your words on paper and go from there – you have to start with something. There are numerous resources and services out there from networking events, Facebook groups, associations such as SCBWI, and there is a wealth of information online obviously.

Work on a story and spend time researching information, guidance and support. It’s a learning process and I’m still very new so am learning every day. First and foremost, you need to find that ‘thing’ that you are passionate about – what is the purpose of your story? If that is solid and you’re invested, the rest will fall into place (with work and preparation).

9. Many people don’t have a disabled child in the family or any in their close social circle, so knowing how best to interact with them can seem like a foreign language. How could we better anticipate the needs or struggles of families who do have a disability? How could parents help their children be better “future friends” of disabled children?

My primary suggestion would be to introduce disability from an early age so it’s not such a foreign concept. My core message is that everyone is HUMAN. There are personalities, people and feelings behind the wheelchair. And kids in wheelchairs (or any other disability) are capable of friendship. I’ve been told that my book has opened the door to chat about it with their kids, answer their questions and start a valuable conversation.

We’re all different – it’s important to recognize and understand differences, and this will lead to acceptance. And if parents or adults don’t know the answers, it’s always appropriate to ask questions. I had a nice dialogue with a parent through Instagram DMs – she had specific questions on what to say and I hope i was able to support and offer guidance. Special needs parents are proud of their children and will take any opportunity to talk about them. And kids won’t know better until they are taught.

10. We’re confident the fundraising campaign for Circus Day will be fulfilled with your supporters and excellent friends throughout the book creating community. What comes next for the book once the funding is met? What comes next for you and your family? In 2-3 years, what can we expect to see from you? More books (we hope!)?

I would LOVE to have more books and give Ben more adventures. My goal is to publish more books. Once (if) the KickStarter goal is met, I’ll be able to print the new books, fulfill the pre-orders and have them available to promote and sell. As a family, we simply want others to know and see our Benjamin and be affected by his spirit.

Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Elizabeth!

If you appreciated and enjoyed this interview with children’s book author Elizabeth Gerlach, give it a like, leave a comment below, and share it on social media using the linked provided! Also, be sure to follow my blog using the subscription button and get notified when new content is available.

Love it? Share it!