Jana published her first book at age 5. As the author and illustrator, Jana found immediate and high acclaim among circles where the book was circulated… her family.
“Roseanne Used to Want to be a Ballerina” is the story of a young girl whose life ambition is to be a ballerina, but has a change of heart when she discovers her passion and her skill set may not jive.
Only two copies were published of “Roseanne,” –one each for Jana’s Dad and her Granddad for Father’s Day 21 years ago.
It’s been fun to see Jana’s passion and skills bloom into our first book together, “Captain Derek’s Dolphin Magic Boat.”
My advice: Encourage your kids in their passions, yet help them temper those with their skills– always keeping the door to opportunity wide open through hard work.
To all fathers and grandfathers who taught us daughters to be strong and enterprising– Happy Father’s Day!

Personal pampas grass growing regaling to follow, but first let me tell you about Tybee Island’s “grass.” (No, don’t go there. I’m sure they have that kind too…)  Of course I’m talking about sea oats.  Green in the spring, this quintessential dune vegetation is ripe by late summer– and beautiful, is it not?
Sea oats are not lawn grasses (dune grasses to be sure, but not Bermuda or even St. Augustine, the lawn grass of the low country) but rather a grass more similar to barley, wheat, or rye, although inedible to my knowledge. Sea oats have a massive root system capable of holding the island together in hurricane storm surges and tropical winds.