Father of eight publishes a children’s book

By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com

Scott Holloway is a father of eight children, but he also wears many other hats. He’s a pastor, has a construction company and is director of an addictions program. Nevertheless, Scott found time to pen a children’s book and have it published.

“Originally, I started writing it for my own kids. I worked on it a bit at a time, writing a chapter at a time,” Scott explained. “I actually wrote it a few years ago.” He said his older children encouraged him to read the story to their younger siblings who hadn’t heard the story. His wife suggested he complete it and get it published.

“Bringing the story into book form took a lot of time, but when I determined I should do that, I plugged away at it whenever I had time,” he said. “There was a lot of editing and polishing to get things to sound just right. It’s the first time I tried writing a kid’s book.”

Scott found a publisher and asked if he knew of anyone who could do the illustrations. It happened that the publisher’s wife was interested in doing the images. “It was kind of new for her to provide illustrations for a kid’s book, but I’m quite pleased with what she was able to do,” Scott said. “It brings the story to life.”

Scott explained that his book entitled “Stay Close to the Shepherd” is a book that can connect on several levels. “For younger kids, it’s probably something where they enjoy the story and pictures. When kids get older, they can get a sense of the meaning behind the details of the story and recognize that it’s speaking of much more than what is at face value.”

One fellow who bought several books said he could read it to his young grandkids now, but they would also be able to reread it when they were older and still enjoy it. Scott said his own children really enjoyed the story and liked the illustrations.

The first printing arrived in late June and consisted of 200 books. Scott is pleased with the interest it has received in that short span of time and is already planning a second printing. He’s encouraged by the positive feedback he’s receiving from customers.

If you’re interested, you can phone Scott at 306-460-4688.