Cammy Marble grew up on a farm and in the woods listening to what God and Nature had to say. She currently lives on a two-acre country property in Missouri with her husband, Ken, and their young granddaughter. A graduate of the University of Central Missouri, she has been a homeschooler and tutor for 20 years. She enjoys teaching, gardening, drawing, volunteering, and plays several musical instruments. The Holidays in Trees series came to her in a vivid, nighttime dream. The creativity and humor in her artwork and writing are a reflection of her approach to life.
You can buy the Holidays in Trees books here.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
The main part of the story came to me in a dream. There were holiday and seasonal themes running through the dream, and as a teacher, I divide the year into holidays and seasons! It makes sense to me. I described the dream to my husband, and he helped me come up with the title.
How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?
Seeing my book in print for the first time, especially the hardcover version, was simply delightful. I remember dancing around the kitchen with my granddaughter and we just laughed and laughed. It was quite some time before we settled down to actually look through the book! It was like we didn’t want to break the magical spell. My husband, family, and friends were very proud of me.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
My mother was a writer, and my father could draw. I suppose I didn’t have much choice! Writing has always been fun for me. I was always writing and drawing while growing up. Before cell phones, Mom and I would write weekly letters to each other as well. We did that for probably 25 years.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I have devoted my whole life to teaching and volunteering. I have been heavily involved in 4-H, the VFW, on a park board, preschool, tutoring, giving music and art lessons, etc. Even as a child, I volunteered with my accordion at nursing homes and made cookies for disadvantaged families at Christmas.
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
The most meaningful part of publishing my series was that over the past 20 years of writing/illustrating it and trying to publish it, I did not give up. That is what is impressive to my family and friends. They know what went into this project. It was the only thing on my bucket list, and I am doing it!
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
The best soundtrack for my books would be nature and animal sounds woven into classical music selections.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
We are all the same, the whole world over. We should help, not harm. Each thing we can do, no matter how small, makes things better; little points of light shining out from everywhere. This takes both strength and kindness. We cannot always solve the whole, but we can work on the parts.
What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?
I am working on a collection of favorite fairy tales using animals as the characters. It is on the back burner for now, as I am busy, but I have one story done. Much of my time is devoted to homeschooling at the moment. I have piles of things that could probably be polished and published in the future.
How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?
Working with Atmosphere Press was like being able to breathe. Even when we hit snags, they figured it out. They answer your questions, they are nice, they are helpful, they give good advice. They partner with their authors and want them to do well. Some days their cheerful encouragement just makes your day! I even had to vent a couple times, and they understood!
You can buy the Holidays in Trees books here.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.
