Meet two local authors, their books and the heart behind each page.
Dr. Rebekah Lloyd
“As an adoptive mom, Army veteran and trauma-informed leadership expert, I’ve always believed stories have the power to heal, teach and connect us,” said Lloyd. “That’s why I created two children’s book series close to my heart.”
She said “The Adventures of Mia, the Service Dog” is inspired by her real-life service dog, Mia, who’s flown on over 20 planes and walked with her through some of life’s hardest moments, explaining, “In this series, Mia takes center stage — helping others, spreading kindness and teaching kids about disabilities, service dogs and the quiet courage that often goes unseen. These stories help children better understand the world around them, especially those who live with invisible battles.”
She continued, “This month, I’m thrilled to release the first book in my newest series, ‘Not a Normal Kid.’ The debut title, ‘Seth’s Big Adventure,’ follows a child in foster care waiting to be adopted. Each book in the series highlights a different child navigating challenges that don’t always make it into typical storybooks — whether that’s grief, special needs or growing up in a single-parent home.”
Lloyd said she writes these books because she wants every child to see themselves in a story and know they’re not alone. “I want them to know that being different isn’t something to hide — it’s something to celebrate.”
Explore both series and learn more about the heart behind them at www.drrebekahclloyd.com.
Kolton Sellers
“‘Travis and Tanner’ began as a simple bedtime story to my then two boys one night while on vacation,” said Sellers. “They instantly fell in love with the Ritter brothers and begged for more stories. After telling four or five, I decided to start writing them down to save as keepsakes.”
Sellers said his wife began reading the books to the boys at night and insisted he turn the stories into a book.
“I was skeptical that I could ever put something like that together, but my wife was persistent and eventually I began molding a few of the stories together into ‘Travis and Tanner: Knighthood,’” he said. “Without her love and support, ‘Travis and Tanner’ would have never become what it is.”
Sellers said he fell in love with writing and self-publishing. “I have published a second, ‘Travis and Tanner: The Eyes of Horus,’ and am currently working on the third installment.”
He added, “While I found a love for writing during the first book, what really pushed me to finish it was my boys. I try to instill in them that they can do anything they set their minds to, and I decided the best way to do that is to lead by example. Even though they will probably never become best sellers, if I can inspire them to do what may seem impossible at the time, I will have succeeded in what I set out to do.”
Sellers said he’s had an absolute blast with his series, and he’s even had the chance to speak at a couple of local elementary schools.
“To see the kids' imaginations churn as I have told the first chapter of ‘Knighthood’ has been such a blessing. My favorite part is when I get a few children to describe the dragon from the book. Each one has a completely different vision of what it looks like and I use this to illustrate that, while the story may be written, each person's mind allows them to make the story their own.”
Check out Sellers’ books at https://tinyurl.com/koltonsellersbooks.