The Citizen, 2010-10-07, Page 11After quietly working behind the
scenes for several years, Blyth
Public School teacher Leeanne
Middleton will be releasing a book
next month that is very close to her
heart.
After giving birth to her son Noah,
the former writer felt inspired and
had thoughts running through her
head like never before. She revisited
them several months later, thinking
that perhaps she could craft a poem,
a song, or something to let her
feelings out. Her newfound feelings
of unconditional love took her to
new creative heights and eventually
led to Sweetest Joy, a children’s
book she wrote due to be released in
October through events in Blyth and
Bayfield.
The book follows a child through
his life from the day he was born
until he is a grown man. He is
constantly accompanied by the love
of someone special. This is
something Middleton left purposely
ambiguous. She knows that the kind
of unconditional love she has for her
son, the inspiration behind her book,
can be felt by parents, grandparents,
uncles and aunts, really, anyone. She
didn’t want the book to be
something that only parents could
relate to.
After having her story approved
by a publisher in Maryland,
Middleton was teamed up with an
illustrator from Toronto named
Christine M. Boyer, who helped to
breathe new life into the project,
Middleton says.
Middleton says that much of the
collaboration between her and
Boyer was long distance, so they
used Skype (an online service that
allows video chatting all over the
world with no long distance charges)
a lot, which allowed them to speak
from their homes and see one
another, which was helpful when
Boyer had illustrations she wanted
to run by Middleton.
To this point, Middleton has
discussed the project with some of
her colleagues at Blyth Public
School, friends and family members
and most importantly, her son and
inspiration Noah, but few people
have actually seen the finished
product.
Middleton says that initially she
had some concerns, wondering if
people would like the story, but over
time, she knew that the feelings she
presents in the book are feelings that
many people can relate to.
Her concerns were what initially
held her back. She often wondered if
someone would want to read a story
she had to tell and if she could deal
with criticism, should it arise.
However, a close friend of hers
passed away and that loss, coupled
with friends and family asking her
what she would stand to lose by
submitting her story to a publisher
helped her to face her fear and give
it a shot. She said she had a renewed
sense of living in the moment,
knowing that opportunities wouldn’t
wait forever and she submitted the
story.
So with renewed incentive,
Middleton worked through thepublishing process, which she saysshe found fascinating and says she isproud looking at the book now, theend result of a process that beganback in 2005.
Middleton is originally from the
Clinton area and now lives in
Holmesville with Noah and her
husband Scott. While she has
worked for the Avon Maitland
District School Board for 10 years,
she has taught in Blyth for the last
three years.
She went to school for journalism
at Humber College and held several
reporter positions, both in the
Greater Toronto Area and in Huron
County before deciding to pursue
teaching.While she has largely kept herstory to herself, that will all changein October when the book isreleased. She will be holding a bookrelease party at Maple and Moose in
Blyth on Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m., just a few days after an event
in Bayfield at the JMR Art Gallery
on Oct. 10 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Middleton will be at these events
meeting people and signing books as
well.
While she hopes to appeal to a
wide audience of people with
Sweetest Joy, she has already won
over her most important fan, though
he might not understand all of the
back story just yet.
Middleton says her son Noah, onwhom the book is based, hasenjoyed the story when it’s beenread to him. She says she hasn’tgotten too extensively into the factthat the story is based on him, but
the fact that he enjoys the story is
enough.
She says she hopes that people
who read the book will feel the way
that she does when she goes back
to read the story again, now
knowing the feeling of
unconditional love.
“I hope that people can enjoy the
book with children they have and
that perhaps it can be something
they keep and remember down the
road,” she said.
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2010. PAGE 11. Blyth teacher releases children’s book
Sweetest Joy
Leeanne Middleton, a teacher at Blyth Public School, has
just completed her first book, a children’s book entitled
Sweetest Joy, and she’ll be holding a release party and
book signing at the Maple and Moose on Oct. 16 from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen