Thank you for your interest in Wake. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Petey and NahMo is my pen name. Wake is my first book.
I work full-time as a physician and did not set out to become an author. During the pandemic, my mental health deteriorated. Like most of us during the same period, I tried everything to stay afloat. Then I started writing as a form of therapy. I wrote short stories similar to fairy tales. I didn't plan to share my writing with anyone, but one day, I used the "read aloud" function on Microsoft Word to proofread. And my husband who is a second-grade teacher overheard it. Then my 9-year-old daughter joined the listening party. Even though I expected them to support me unconditionally, they both genuinely loved the stories. My husband particularly believed the fairy tale-style stories would resonate well to children and could leave them with nuggets of wisdom in a fun way.
Fairy tales are simple and powerful. They are fun and filled with magic, princes and princesses, witchcraft, dragons, and talking animals. They carry readers into an imaginary place where good always wins and nothing ever happens after the prince marries the princess. The protagonists overcome struggles with the help of a magic wand or a kiss. But what if the fairy godmother refused to help Cinderella? Or the prince never reached the tower to rescue Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel? Would their happy endings have been possible?
The stories in Wake are fun and filled with magic, princes and princesses, witchcraft, and the struggles of being humans (and sometimes animals). But the path the protagonists had to choose depended entirely on them. True magic lies in self-reliance and inner resources. In the end, their "happily ever after" left each of them wiser, kinder, and more compassionate.
Give Wake a read. I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I did creating them.
Metta and much care to you all.