BookLife Talks with Michelle Dartis

A sponsored Q&A with the author of 'Trinity's Earthly Arrival from Heaven'

Becoming an author was something that took Dartis by surprise. She had never intended to write a book, but when her daughter experienced what Dartis describes as a “miracle,” she decided to share the experience with the world. We spoke with Dartis about her writing process and what she hopes her book’s larger impact will be.  

Why did you decide to turn this emotional family experience into a children’s book?

First and foremost, Trinity’s Earthly Arrival from Heaven is inspired by my granddaughter Trinity, our miracle baby. My daughter and only child, Kelli, had been told she’d never be able to have children, so I thought I would never be a grandmother. Hence the reason our family considers Trinity our miracle child. 

What was the hardest part of writing Trinity's Earthly Arrival from Heaven?

Honestly, there was nothing difficult about writing the story. I found it to be a cathartic and celebratory experience.

Can you talk about the process you went through to find your illustrator?

Finding an illustrator was extremely difficult, much to my surprise. Nothing could have prepared me for the arduous journey I had in trying to find the right illustrator for my first children’s book, which included encountering a few scammers. I also reached out to artists I knew personally; one is a family member who declined, another who I had known since childhood did not get back to me, and others wanted to charge exorbitant amounts of money. I ended up going with someone I knew from Facebook who is an author-illustrator. However, once we began moving forward with the project, things did not go as smoothly as I would have liked. In the end, I was truly taken aback by the effort involved in finding an illustrator, but I certainly learned a lot during the process.

What do you hope parents and children will take away from this book?

First, I hope both parents and children will simply enjoy the story about joy, the miracle of life, and miracles in general. Specifically, I hope parents and children will understand the message of hope and love and that the Creator always has the last word in the matter of bringing life into the world. I want children to enjoy the bright colors and characters that are in the story.

If you could pick anyone to give this book to, who would it be and why?

I would choose Whoopi Goldberg because I know she is an avid reader and she’s also a creator of children's stories.