by April Scheinoha
Reporter
One never knows how a bedtime story will end. And typically, the audience is fairly small. However, for Greenbush resident Merri Vacura, the audience has grown much larger.
Merri recently published “The Mighty Quinn.” It’s based on the bedtime stories she told her 7-year-old daughter, Quinn. Since she’s quite imaginative, the book depicts Quinn using her imagination in a multitude of ways to be a doctor, pirate, explorer and other characters. “At the end, she realizes that it’s best to be herself,” Merri said.
Merri’s husband, Nick, encouraged her to publish the bedtime story as a book. On a whim, Merri, an occupational therapist, decided to go for it. With no formal education in writing or art, she soon wrote and illustrated the book. It took her about a month and a half to finish the book.
Quinn has embraced her role as muse. Merri has read the book to Quinn’s class. When Merri participated in a book signing at the Greenbush Public Library, Quinn thought she should also sign the books.
Not to be ignored, Merri’s son, Jude, has requested that Merri write a book about him. Using a tactic to guilt his mom into complying, Jude informed her that she would be showing she loved Quinn more if she didn’t comply. By the way, Jude is 4.
Merri has already started working on a book about Jude. She said he’s curious and she’s planning to emphasize in the book that curiosity is good when used with caution.
Meanwhile, “The Mighty Quinn” is available at 13 Sisters in Greenbush, and online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.