Dear Bookstore

In 2015, I began performing weekly Storytime Singalongs at my local indie bookstore in Montrose, CA called Once Upon A Time. The owner Maureen told me, "you should write children's books, Emily." She planted a seed.

From there, me and my husband Alex moved to Nashville, TN in 2017 where I began my weekly Storytime Singalong ritual again at Parnassus Books. They would always tell me, "we're glad you're here," and between the shop dogs and the cozy chaos of it all, a song emerged.

I spent the next few years traveling to indie bookstores around the country including frequenting one of my favorite places on the planet, Green Bean Books in Portland, OR. Each stop reminded me of how important independent bookstores are for communities, readers, and writers.

And then, my song became...a book 🥹