A Sundry of Reflection and Inspiration - 04
Author, Pam Unruh:
I often tell the story of when I was young and had a delightful family of imaginary little people who lived under my bed and in the tiny secret closet upstairs. As I grew the mystery of what lurked beneath the water in the “cement pond” among the apple, pear and walnut trees in our backyard had my imagination on over drive! That is until I was older and figured out the water in the pond was only just over a foot deep! ;) I never lost my imagination and sense of wonder. An occasional nudge showing up unexpectedly would bring it all back. Watching the squirrels and birds in our yard was one of those nudges! And Restless Prairie Wind in the Spring was just one of those stories in my head. I always loved the simple task of sweeping the walnut shells off of the driveway. It was tough to roller skate over the broken shells left by the resident squirrels whose nest was high in the walnut tree. And always fun to watch the adorable little mice that lived in the garage next to the tree scurry about. In everyday life we must occasionally sweep the walnut shells away to make the path ahead a bit smoother to travel. Sometimes just sweep them away to see a clearer picture of what might be ahead. Should we stay in our familiar comfy little world or take the adventure that may show us a different way?
The next book is in the works!
There may be a little hint or two concealed within my nostalgic musings..
A Sundry of Reflection and Inspiration - 03
Author, Pam Unruh:
I try each day to hold myself to a standard of Grace, not perfection. These days many of us tend to set our goals and aspirations high, looking at the big picture. I believe at least for me, the joy comes from the little sometimes imperfect things. It is important to embrace even the smallest details that make you happy. Some show up unexpectedly, while other details take shape in your everyday thoughts and experiences. I have what some call a “flowery” style of writing. I use a broad vocabulary to describe every detail, painting a picture if you will, of each character, setting, and event in the story. I love words like the artist loves color using the brush to create each and every small delicious detail. I think rules are necessary, but of course should be flexible enough to be bent, or even changed, another form of grace and not perfection. Hence my love for freestyle poetry - the relaxed grammatical rules that give the grace of letting me mold and shape a variety of descriptive words into my form of art - sometimes NOT grammatically correct. I began growing some of my poetry into picture book stories for children, sparked by my love of the chaotic unpredictability of our Kansas wind. Restless Prairie Wind in the Spring came to life from one of those poems and grew into a whimsical little daydream in Helen Jean’s imagination! With the setting near a majestic Cottonwood tree, surrounded by flowers, butterflies and small animals, one can’t help but fall in love with the woodland elf frolicking magically about trying to escape the end of her broom!
A Sundry of Reflection and Inspiration - 02
Author, Pam Unruh:
My favorite quote is from Maya Angelou.
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
I do my best to live my life with this quote always in mind. My writing has often been about things that I feel deeply. I have always written to release my emotions, and to bring joy or comfort to other people. My hope is that it makes the reader feel something, hopefully something positive. But in all honesty I was always hesitant to share my words for lack of confidence in the early years. My inner compass led me to work with children and to speak for those without a voice. This and my own children and grandchildren helped me rediscover the wonder of childhood and appreciation for all the little things in life. It has also given me courage to share. For many years I was reluctant to “put myself out there”. I discovered I was a bit of a martyr encouraging young people to create and share when I hadn’t yet done the sharing part myself. With the encouragement of many people I took that huge step by self-publishing Restless Prairie Wind in the Spring. It is still a challenge at times to have confidence in sharing what I create. I move forward at my own pace, when it feels comfortable.
Some thoughts I like to begin each day with are to live simply, remain grateful and celebrate the ordinary.
Grab your copy today and journey with Helen Jean as the restless prairie wind awakens a daydream of make believe. Do you hear that whistle, what’s that sound?
Written by P.S. Unruh | Illustrated by chriskcreates
All pre-ordered copies will be signed by Pam and Chris.
Dimensions: 9×0.5×9 in. — Made in the USA!
Reading Age: 3-10 years old & daydreamers of any age!
Print Length: 32 pages
Language: English (USA)
Publication Date: June 1, 2025
ISBN: 979-8-9928919-0-4
Publisher: Pam Unruh Publishing (pamunruhpublishing.com)
Shipping Information: An email will be sent to you with a tracking number when books are shipped! Please inquire via my Contact Form for local pick-up and delivery (McPherson, KS 67460).
A Sundry of Reflection and Inspiration - 01
Welcome! I am excited to share my story and a bit about the journey that brought me to publish my first children’s picture book.
Author - Pam Unruh:
Restless Prairie Wind in the Spring began as a poem, sparked by my love of the chaotic unpredictability of our Kansas wind and the magic and mystery that comes with it. I then began growing my poem into the book that I hope that you all have been enjoying. Together with artist/illustrator chriskcreates we invite you to immerse yourself in a world of flowers, nature and magic! One of my favorite things to do when I was young was to sweep the driveway while the trees whispered secrets, the flowers leaned in to listen. The squirrels, birds and butterflies danced on the wind.
I can’t say exactly when my imagination took flight and I began creating stories in my head. Most began in the early years when I had a delightful family of imaginary little people who lived under my bed and in the tiny secret closet upstairs. Or maybe it was the mystery of what lurked beneath the water in the “cement pond” that was among the apple, pear and walnut trees in our backyard.
A magical childhood is about the simplicity and freedom to explore and play allowing the imagination to run wild! I was lucky to have that. And as I grew I never lost my imagination and sense of wonder. Restless Prairie Wind in the Spring began as one of those stories in my head.
I learned that repetitive rhyming text was helpful teaching some to learn to read during my years working with children. Using my love of rhyming and poetry I had already written, I began to expand some of them into book form.
If you have just discovered my website, social media or picked up a copy of Restless Prairie Wind in the Spring my name is Pam, I’m a recently self-published author from a small town in the heart of Kansas. I am a lover of words, a collector of quotes, a speaker of rhyme. I am a seeker of positive influence to share. I am a student of all things involving the soul reaching out to the energy of all creation.
I have always had a passion for writing, but it wasn’t until last year that my dream to self publish became a reality! The talented hands of chriskcreates brought my story to life exactly as I had it pictured in my head. He is a joy to work with and we are continuing to create together!
Grab your copy today and journey with Helen Jean as the restless prairie wind awakens a daydream of make believe. Do you hear that whistle, what’s that sound?
Written by P.S. Unruh | Illustrated by chriskcreates
All pre-ordered copies will be signed by Pam and Chris.
Dimensions: 9×0.5×9 in. — Made in the USA!
Reading Age: 3-10 years old & daydreamers of any age!
Print Length: 32 pages
Language: English (USA)
Publication Date: June 1, 2025
ISBN: 979-8-9928919-0-4
Publisher: Pam Unruh Publishing (pamunruhpublishing.com)
Shipping Information: An email will be sent to you with a tracking number when books are shipped! Please inquire via my Contact Form for local pick-up and delivery (McPherson, KS 67460).