My Inspiration for Esmerelda

by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan

Established 2001

In February 2001, I became a first time mother, and the Lord gave me such an independent, strong willed beautiful little girl. Anya Claire had such big bright eyes that were only matched by her quick mind and her beautiful imagination. I decided to stay home with you that first year, and that extra time with her, sparked my own childlike creativity.

I kept a journal each day of her first year. I included photos, doodles, devotionals, poems, complaints and concerns, and of course, I sketched and wrote about a little girl with dark brown hair and a HUGE imagination. I had outlined a children’s book series about Esmerelda, based on Anya’s childhood.

Esmerelda’s Surprise was the first outlined plot, and I typed up the one and a half page manuscript and emailed it to my sister-in-law. At the end of the manuscript was a list of future titles:

Attack of the Pocket Fuzz

The Pink Poodle Pocketbook

March 1, 2023 brought Attack of the Pocket Fuzz to fruition, and I have already written The Pink Poodle Pocketbook out on paper years ago, so I need to flesh it out and get a functional typed manuscript. Anya maybe 22 years old, but Esmerelda will always be a happy six-year -old with big dreams and special imaginative ideas.