Monday, April 25, 2016

Interview with Sherri Elizabeth Tidwell, author of 'The Daffodils Still Grow'








The Daffodils Still Grow was inspired by diary entries of the author/illustrator, Sherri Elizabeth Tidwell, after the death of her mother when she was 14. “My mother committed suicide when I was 14, and after nearly a year of crying and hurting, I was surprised -- almost shocked -- to see the daffodils she planted right before her death still bloom again. It was a big wake-up call to me that, even though she was gone, I could still carry on without her FOR her. Somehow, our loved ones still find a way of communicating with us when we need it the most." Sherri Elizabeth now attends Seton Hill University’s MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. She has a BA in both communications and studio arts from Austin Peay State University. She hopes that every parent will know how irreplaceable and loved they are to their children and that every child who has lost a parent will know they are not alone. Remember, the daffodils still grow!

For More Information

Title: The Daffodils Still Grow: A Book for Grieving Daughter
Author: Sherri Elizabeth Tidwell
Publisher: Mascot Books
Pages: 38
Genre: Children’s Picture Book

The Daffodils Still Grow is a full-color illustrated book that portrays life after a loved one dies as seen from the observations of a motherless child. “Beautiful and inspiring.”

For More Information

  • The Daffodils Still Grow is available at Amazon.
  • Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
  • Watch a narrated video of the book at YouTube.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.


Thank you for this interview!  I’d like to know more about you as a person first.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

Play with animals, paint and take photos

When did you start writing?

When I was four, I started writing poems and stories and illustrating them.

As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?

Not being scared to share what I write and being able to accept both criticism and praise

If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?

I'm such a home body, I would probably stay at home, but if not, I would love to go someplace on the water.

If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?

Write and create artwork, definitely.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?

In the 1940s, like a film noir kind of setting

Back to your present book, The Daffodils Still Grow: A Book for Grieving Daughters how did you publish it?

After a frustrating experience with another publishing company, I called the CEO of Mascot Books, Naren Aryal, and spoke to him about The Daffodils Still Grow. I emailed him a link to a narration I did of the book on YouTube, which he watched while we were talking on the phone, and we decided to work together.

In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?

No, it came from my childhood experiences.

Why was writing The Daffodils Still Grow so important to you?

I wanted to give other children who had lost a parent a voice and allow them to see that they were not alone.

Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?

I simply go by the old advice, “Write what you know.” I think that by doing so, the writing comes from an authentic place and has the ability to connect with others on a deeper, more personal level.

Any final words?

A quote from Natalie Goldberg: “Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.”


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