Meadow Springs author Kate Capewell will feature at the 2017 Wild Eyed Press Book Launch in October, showcasing her new children’s book Ambrosia Honeybun Polka Dot.
The launch at Paperbird Book Shop in Fremantle will display four books from the publisher, boast an illustration exhibition, face painting, drinks, nibbles and a book signing opportunity.
Ms Capewell said she was thrilled to finally launch the book.
“As we're getting closer I'm starting to get a little bit more excited,” she said.
The story follows a ladybug on a quest to land on a “little person” so it can sleep ahead of the coming winter.
“They actually hibernate during winter,” she said.
The ladybug faces many challenges throughout the narration and towards the end, decided that it didn’t want what it had initially aimed to achieve.
The story holds underlying, meaningful lessons derived from Ms Capewells life.
Ms Capewell said those strong underlying messages were subtlety weaved throughout the vibrantly illustrated children’s book.
"It's a little bit about being adventurous, trying something that you haven't tried before, approaching people when you're scared to ask for help,” she said.
"I think the big thing is as well is for little people to know that if somebody leaves their always going to come back, and that's what her aim is.”
“Ladybugs like to… land on people and crawl on them. It makes them feel very happy and she realised it was nearly winter time and she hadn't done that.
“She gets up and starts to fly.
“Lady bugs never fly straight, they always fly and wiggle.
“She realises that she can't get there fast enough because the little person is too quick.
“So she has to find somebody to help. She has to look around the garden to see who can help her.”
The ladybug in the story has to seek help from unexpected creatures, from a butterfly to a worm, beetle and even a seagull.
Ms Capewell said in life people meet and deal with a wide variety of people, and the book touches on that.
“When she lands on this little person, that it's the best thing that she's ever had,” she said.
“When ladybirds go to sleep they loose their memory, so when they wake up the whole world is like brand new again.
“She figures out that she doesn't want to go to sleep. She asked the seagull [if] he could take her to a warm place [where] she doesn't have to go to sleep during winter, so she can come back an visit the little person again and again.
“When I was very small see my mum passed away, when I was about four.
“For me I had suffered that lose. It was difficult to… come to terms with as a young child because I’d just think ‘well why haven't they come back?”
“I had my dad and he was just absolutely marvelous but it wasn't quite the same as having mum.
“I think I thought a lot about that, quite subconsciously mind you.
“I didn't realise that's what I was thinking about until after I'd written it.”
“You don't realise what got you set off on that path, until someone asks the right question.”
The story idea derived from one of her friends posting on Facebook in June 2011.
Ms Capewell said her friend had wrote a status asking what happens to lady birds during winter because her young daughter had asked.
"She just wanted to answer that straight away being a parent and having to know all these answers,” she said.
"That's why I started writing it.
“To try and approach that original question, which was asked, with an honest answer ‘they go to sleep in the winter time’ would have made it really short.
“For me that just really raised a lot of other questions.
“Surely their must have been a lady bird that tried to do something else?
"It actually took me about four or five days to get this story out.
“I'd write a few hundred words every morning before I headed off to work.
"It ended up being quite long, but we've managed to condense it.
“You can't read a long story to a little person and have them sit still.”
Albany illustrator Meg Hewick brought the story to life with her strong colours and cute drawings.
The duo haven't even met in person.
“When I saw these illustrations from Meg Hewick I was just blown away because we haven't actually met,” Ms Capewell said.
She said meeting Ms Hewick was just another thing to look forward to at the book launch on October 29.
Ms Capewell said it was nice to collaborate with someone from regional Western Australia.
“A lot of people don't think they can go into this sort of thing because they're based out in rural… or regional WA,” she said.
“For me to be involved with people that were in the rural areas… just made me feel really good.”
When she first shared it with her friend she received plenty of positive feedback.
"I wasn't really sure if it was just because they were being nice to me, but they loved it,” she said.
"I sat on it for a couple of years.
"I have always written things. Not to that extent that I've always wanted to do something with it though.
“I was always telling stories.
“Story telling and writing has always been something I've been interest in.”
She said her father always told long, intriguing stories.
She said overall finishing her first book taught her a lot professionally and personally.
“It’s hard because your have to learn to take criticism,” she said.
"I'm currently writing a novel, which is probably more sci-fi, fantasy. That should be finished at the end of this year.
"I'm not sure whether I'm going to write more children's books at the moment.
"My grandson... will be two in March so he's going to start asking those hairy questions as well and I'm really looking forward to that.”
The book launch will commence at 2pm on October 29 at the Paperbird Book Shop in Fremantle.
The book will be avaible for purchase from book stores or through ordering online after November 25 from Wild Eyed Press.
