JACKSON – A township author is passing the torch to his grandson to create a literary legacy.
Paul Mila coauthored a book with his grandson Luke recently proving that sometimes, lightning strikes from unexpected places.
Mila told The Jackson Times that “for the past year I had been struggling to come up with an idea for the fourth children’s book in my ‘Harry Hawksbill’ Sea Turtle Adventure series, published by Best Publishing Company.”
“On a sunny July Saturday afternoon this past summer, my 10-year-old grandson Luke Chiappetta opted for some alone time with grandma and grandpa, instead of hanging out at the nearby sports complex between games of his sister’s softball tournament,” Mila added.
“While Luke and I were snacking at the kitchen table, he asked, ‘Grandpa, where do you get the ideas for your books?’ Luke asked the question casually, like an experienced reporter doing an interview,” Mila said.
“I explained that the ideas for my six adventure novels and three children’s books came unexpectedly, from meeting interesting people and encountering fascinating sea creatures on my scuba diving adventures. I never know where the inspiration for the next story will spring from. I told Luke that I couldn’t come up with an idea for the next book in the Harry Hawksbill series, which involves mostly sea turtles,” he said.
Mila said his grandson’s next question jarred him a bit. Luke said, “So Grandpa, why don’t we use a different sea creature in the next one?”
“‘We?’ I thought. The idea of writing a book together had never occurred to me. I asked Luke if he really wanted to write the next book with me. He smiled and nodded enthusiastically. I was pleasantly amazed by his response. Also, I had been so laser-focused on sea turtles I just never thought ‘outside the box’ to use a different animal. Luke’s fresh perspective breathed life into the project,” the author added.
“I use my underwater photography instead of using an illustrator, to provide a sense of realism for children reading a fictional story. I went through my photo archives, and found many interesting stingray photos, in addition to sea turtles. So, I suggested to Luke that the story could involve Harry the hawksbill turtle helping a lost stingray find its way home after being swept away by a giant hurricane,” the writer remarked.
“Luke helped me select photos, explaining why he thought some worked better than others. He also wrote some of the text and dialogue. For the ‘teaching points’ that I provide in every story, I had Luke Google the information for research experience, such as what stingrays eat, how they find their food, and how sea turtles navigate, even though I knew the answers,” Mila added.
The author explained, “one day, when I was stuck trying to insert a thought bubble showing what a character is thinking, Luke surprised me with his technical savvy, probably typical of our young internet generation. His impatience with me made me laugh.”
“Grandpa! Move the cursor here! Click, then drag it over here and click again,” his grandson suggested.
“Finally, our project was completed and Best Publishing Company accepted our proposal. When the graphic designer sent us the cover for our review, I blinked and skipped a breath seeing our author names together: Paul Mila and Luke Chiappetta,” Mila said.
“Luke loves writing, so I wondered what this experience could mean for his future. Was I passing the torch, to inspire a writing career?” the author asked. “For myself, I thought about the legacy. I felt a moment of peace and happiness knowing that after I’ve left this planet for parts unknown, I’ll always be on a bookshelf in Luke’s room, not just a name carved on a cold tombstone.”
The book, “Sally Stingray Finds Her Way Home” is perfect for any young person interested in the ocean and its creatures. For information, email pjmila@hotmail.com, or visit milabooks.com
