In Patricia Kieta’s life, writing children’s books, reading to her young admirers, and discussing a plethora of narrative techniques with children are three of her greatest loves. Prior to graduating from DePaul University in the business department, she wrote small stories for her family and tried writing her own children’s book. However, finding publishers and sponsors that were willing to assist her was very tough. After managing O-K Safety Supply Inc. in both Hammond and East Chicago for 13 years, Kieta decided to tap into her creative side with great confidence once more.
“I wanted to write again because I love children. I see how books are so important in their lives. My inspiration came from saying ‘Could I do this?’” Kieta said. “I really look at all the books that are written and I wanted to write stories about positive traits for children. I wanted them to be able to take something away from my story and apply it to their everyday lives in a positive way.”
Kieta’s family has greatly inspired her as well as the children she writes for—including her six grandchildren and another on the way. Another creative spark came from reading Dirty Feet by Steven Kroll to her two daughters, Jennifer and Melissa; Kieta still loves how the words are more important than the pictures. She insightfully stated that a lot of books are beautifully illustrated; however children sometimes have a hard time going from picture books to chapter books.
In Lenny Finds His Line, Lenny is a little boy who is distracted by everything and therefore has a very hard time concentrating whenever something needs to be done. After both his mother and teacher say to him, “Lenny, I think you’ve lost your line,” he starts wondering what that statement means. Lines have a distinct purpose in life and finding your line is always important. Watching Lenny on his journey to find this underlying message is truly powerful for everyone.
“It evolves from conflict to resolution; but I wanted to also say to teachers and parents, myself being a parent and my oldest daughter being a teacher, that sometimes we find ourselves telling children what to do all the time. Lenny Finds His Line is just an exercise in showing that they have the option that says you can say to a child, ‘Are you finding your line’ rather than saying they aren’t doing the right thing,” Kieta said.
Kieta dedicates her time to working with schools and some children-oriented centers some of which include: Michigan City Schools, La Porte Schools, New Lenox Schools, the New Buffalo School, Shamburg School, Discovery Charter School, Pine School, Bellaboo's, and Imagination Station. She reads Lenny Finds His Line and opens the room to discussion and lets children ask her questions; she also asks analytical questions to the classes to make sure they understood the book’s message.
“My major focus is to try and do something with the community that’s beneficial to the kids. When I read in the schools, I don’t charge a fee so all I ask is that the teachers send something home with the children so they can buy the book at a discounted price. Then that helps to cover my fee, driving and publication of the book, but my real goal is to try to stay focused with one school each year and try to do something with them,” Kieta said.
For two hours a day, a two week class led by Kieta is being provided by Munster Park District’s Enrichment Class. In this time, 3rd and 4th graders will work one-on-one with Kieta on her 3rd book outline and become co-writers of the story. By the end of the course, her students will be able to figure out what kind of writer they are, what their interests are, and possibly what they want to do with their writing skills.
“I just really want children to go back to understanding what creativity is. Teachers are very pressured today by all the things they have to teach the kids. Students and teachers don’t have the time to interact creatively. For ten days, I will make sure to give that option to them. I’m very excited,” Kieta said.
Being with children makes Kieta feel tremendous; no matter where she goes, her little fans hug her and always ask about new books. There are two up-and-coming stories: Lenny Losses His Z and Grace Finds A Shoe Flower (tentative title, will be decided after two week class).
“My advice for future writers would be to never discredit yourself with whatever you write. Always look at it positively. Don’t worry about the language, the verbs, and the commas—that’s something you do when you edit. Too many children second guess themselves; adults too. Just write. Write, write, write, write, and write! Don’t even worry about the structure at the beginning—get something down on paper. I really stress that every writer should wish to be revolutionary; a person who has this idea and thinks about it like no one else does,” Kieta said.
She is trying her hardest to work with education publishers such as Scholastic, Puffin, and Doubleday to spread her story to more students. Any publications by Patricia Kieta can be found at Barnes & Noble, on Amazon’s CreateSpace or directly through her website http://www.patkieta.com/).