Picture Book Tickles Fancy of Readers Young and Old

Marlene has long enjoyed writing poetry, but when she found herself isolating at home with Covid, she decided to try her hand at something a little different. Soon she had completed a handful of children’s fiction manuscripts. Seeing a submission call out from Austin Macauley Publishers, she sent her stories in and soon forgot about it.

While she was pleasantly surprised to hear that one of her submissions had been accepted, Marlene discovered the publishers were requesting an exorbitant fee before they would publish the work. She politely declined and began researching self-publishing options, eventually connecting with another local author who had been through the process.

Teaming up with an illustrator, Marlene soon had a real-life copy of her book: Heather Treasures Feathers. The story was inspired by her mother, 90-year-old Nina Collins, who loves collecting feathers from around the local area; even Marlene’s husband, Carlyle, helps, finding feathers around the park.

Heather, the protagonist of the story, shares her newfound love of feathers with her own mother, explaining, “Every feather I collect reminds me to be a soft and gentle person.” Together they consider how the world if “full of people of different colours and characters,” just like the beautiful feathers Heather collects.

Marlene has been sharing this simple but powerful message with little ones across Casey and Cardinia Shires, reading her book at local daycare centres. She was also invited to share her book at Bunjil Place, Narre Warren, during the September school holidays. As well as volunteering her time to read, Marlene has been donating a portion of the proceeds from every book sale to charity, already raising $400 for the Kids with Cancer Foundation.

For Marlene, it’s all about giving back to the community that has supported her. Since migrating from India in 2004, Marlene says she has been ‘blessed’ with opportunities she didn’t have in her home country. To date, she has yet to break even on publishing costs, but she isn’t concerned. What matters most is that she can continue to bring a smile to the faces of her young readers and keep supporting charity. Now Marlene is working on a new story, hoping to have it ready in time for Christmas 2022.