Imagine a world where, for kids, bedtime is not a constant battle, but rather an exciting destination where the imagination our dreams are rooted in becomes limitless. That’s the world two local authors, Ashley Sanderson-Snyder and Lauren Philpott are striving toward with their new book “Drift Away Dreamers.”
As Sanderson-Snyder puts it: “It’s a bedtime story to lovingly encourage children to go to sleep, dream, and realize that staying in bed is one of the best things.”
Philpott echoed the sentiment, saying, “It’s reframing bedtime to be this exciting thing, versus where it’s something you have to go to. … You’re missing out if you’re not going to bed and dreaming about all these amazing things you can do and be when you’re asleep.”
Published under their independent company, “Drift Away Dreams,” will be available in local Marblehead shops, as well as online, by mid-September.
“My background has always been in advertising and marketing, it’s what I do as a profession, but in my spare time, I’ve always been creative and trying to think of stories and ideas — and the story just came to me, back in 2018, so it’s been a long time coming,” Sanderson-Snyder said.
She explained that, for a while, she put it aside and after being introduced to Lauren (Philpott) through a mutual friend, and quickly after, they decided to embark on the adventure of creating the book together.
Philpott, a speech-pathologist, explained she had always loved art.
“Our friend introduced us and asked me if I would ever be interested in illustrating a children’s book, which has always been a dream of mine, so I met Ashley and we just started working together,” Philpott said. “It’s been roughly two years in the making.”
Sanderson-Snyder said the pair wanted to make sure they were completely satisfied with the final product, having undertaken the mission as a labor of love, and with young children in both their lives, they wanted to make sure the book was done right.
“Hearing my little nephew coming down the stairs over and over again, being like, ‘What’s going on down here?’ and we’re like, ‘Nothing.’ I felt that lots of childrens’ books were about monsters in the cupboard, or being afraid of the dark — where our book is about, ‘If you stay in bed, you’ll have a wonderful time,” Sanderson-Snyder said. “It’s about giving them inspiration for something to dream about.”
They took a second to ponder how their creative process looks like.
“Initially, I started on paper and traditional medium, before I switched to my iPad, but my style has always been different from what the actual book is. … The style that’s evolved in the book has really been a collaboration of both of us,” Philpott said. “With Ashley giving her input on how she thought the book should look, and then with me trying to create that, I feel like we really grew together a lot.”
Philpott continued, calling it a “really great way to learn.”
“It’s learning by doing,” she said. “It’s a process, but it’s been a really fun process, but there’s a lot of work that went into it. … Figuring out everything from how it should look, to the layout of the book, how it gets printed, but in terms of style, it really was a collaborative effort between the two of us.”
Sanderson-Snyder said a big aspect of the work was being able to do it locally.
“Often, with these partnerships, you might find somebody online, and pay them to do the book, and that’s it — but Lauren (Philpott) and I could sit down and talk and meet up on a Friday to look at progress, it was great to have those interactions,” Sanderson-Snyder said.
They expressed that one of the biggest challenges throughout the process was the fact that it was their first time taking on the endeavor, though they have future books that they’re also looking to write and illustrate in the future.
“For me, it’s about children learning they can be whoever they want to be, this isn’t a serious book, but rather a warm and encouraging book for children to dream big and have fun,” Sanderson-Snyder said.
Philpott said that for her, the book is a dream come true.
“It’s been important to show that you can do anything you want, even if it is later in life, or not within the field you thought you’d be in. … If you have a passion, you should follow it and see where it takes you,” Philpott said.
