THE STORY BEHIND THE SERIES
I have always loved to make up stories. Most of my ideas for them break in with a random “What
if...?” that floats into my brain when I should be concentrating on something more serious.
An overly active imagination has kept me entertained through many meetings, work-outs,
lectures, and even a few sermons. Ideas dart back and forth amongst a muddle of random
thoughts. Then, sensing a particularly enticing one, that imagination grabs onto the possibility
before it floats off, to be lost forever in the land of undeveloped creations.
What if...I thought one day as I was walking through our neighborhood, there were two angels
who were...different...from all the other ones.
What if they were...fun-loving. Uncooperative. Mischievous. Messy. Loved to prank the other
angels. A couple of troublemakers who didn’t want to fit in with the angelic protocol developed
by their more serious comrades.
What if they were smaller in stature than all their fellow angels? But despite their smallness they
had a huge, though often unwarranted, sense of self-confidence.
What if the antics of these two, though frustrating to all their fellow angels, were highly
entertaining to those highest beings in Heaven—Father God, the Loving Son, and the Faithful
Holy Spirit?
And then, what if those small angels needed a HUGE incentive to finish their training?
Something so big, it was unprecedented in all of eternity past.
I played with the idea for several months. It grew bigger. And bigger. And BIGGER.
This “what if” became big enough for a book.
After several months of creative procrastination, I was no longer able to ignore the need for this
story to be brought to life. One day, the command was clear.
Just SIT DOWN and start writing it, Jenny.
And so I did. I glued myself to a chair for several months and kept writing until The Small Ones
and the Great Earth Adventure was ready to be published.
While I was writing that book, more “what if’s” about the Small Ones kept demanding to be
heard.
What if...this idea became a series? What if, in each book, they were assigned to help
characters throughout the Old Testament? Each assignment would be designed to help them
learn a few lessons about the importance of developing good habits and character qualities they
had failed to work on in the past.
And what if, in the last book of the series, they are given their most important assignment of all?
They would be the official helpers for Jesus during his ministry on Earth.
That’s the goal I am working toward in this series.
As I’m documenting the journey of these playful little rascals, I love to find all the places where a
hint about scripture can be tucked. I like to help readers think a little more deeply about how the
humans they are helping felt during their conflicts and predicaments. It’s fun to imagine what the
beauty and delight of Heaven must be like and to describe that in the stories.
I become giddily gleeful when I add in all the humor and fun. And I haven’t forgotten the adults
who read these books along with their children! I scatter plenty of nuggets in the pages that will
cause them to look at each other over the heads of the youngsters with a knowing wink that
says, they’ll understand this someday!
It’s a joy to describe the majesty and beauty of Father God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
(affectionately known by all the angels in Heaven as the Holy Three). The love that They have
for these small angels is the same powerful love They extend to all of us. I want readers to feel
wrapped in the warmth of that same adoration.
As I stow little pockets of Their presence into the books, I hope to create a gift that keeps giving
as the understanding of the reader grows. If the deeper meanings are not found in the first
reading, perhaps they will be discovered in a subsequent one.
Most of all, I love creating a place where readers can get lost in a world of joy and fun that hugs
them close to the hearts of the Holy Three. The series is an invitation to take a deeper look into
all the good things that are experienced in a relationship with Them.
My hope for you is that the Small Ones will burrow into your heart and become a part of your
world, just like they have become a part of mine.