Sofia's Stoop Story: 18th Street, Brooklyn

I can't believe I am a blogger.  So I guess it is not so hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  Especially when the teacher is an experienced blogger, author, teacher, and TPT saleswoman named Erica Bohrer.  Yes, she's my daughter.  Thanks, Erica!  I also want to thank Parker Jones for creating this blog for my upcoming book, Sofia's Stoop Story: 18th Street, Brooklyn.

In case you're wondering how Sofia's Stoop Story originated, continue reading. 

I didn’t pen my story until I took a writing class with my colleagues.  The instructor’s first assignment was for us to draw a picture of our neighborhood, including the houses, the neighbors’ names, and a few words about what made them unique.  I drew 18^th Street, Brooklyn, where I spent every weekend when I was growing up.  As I began writing the names of the people in the neighborhood, I realized that most were my relatives.  Those who weren’t related to me were shop owners on 5^th and 6^th Avenue.  I had so many people to write about, so many stories to tell, but I decided to set my focus on a few…Uncle Frankie, my Nana, and the store keepers.  Then I remembered about Uncle Frankie telling me that he saw Carl Furillo play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.  ‘That’s it!’  I had found my seed, and from that, Sofia’s Stoop Story: 18^th Street, Brooklyn was born.  Oh, but that baby didn’t transform into a book overnight.  Oh, no, she took a lot of nurturing.  After six years, more than 26 revisions (enough to fill a 2 inch binder), and countless rejection letters from publishers, my story became a book, thanks to Blue Marlin Publications and the very talented, famous illustrators, Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson.  Perseverance and patience finally paid off.  My book should be out in the winter.