Wickersham resident pens children’s book

Marnie Jones and her mule Fenmway, at home in Wickersham. COURTESY PHOTO

WICKERSHAM – Resident Marnie Jones recently released a new children’s book called In the Morning, a tale of animals welcoming a new spring morning. We spoke with her about the book, animals and other plans in the works.

Foothills Gazette: Please tell us about yourself. You are a wife, mother, grower, writer, artist, what else?

Marnie Jones: I’m 31 this year and I think I’ve spent the last decade trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I’ve dabbled in many things, and worked as a nursing assistant, a florist, a stablehand, a tutor. Through all the twists and turns of life, my constant and passionate interests have been animals and writing. It’s only in the last year or so that I’ve really identified writing, and especially writing on animals, as my career. I also pass one day per week as a prepress technician for Lithtex Northwest in Bellingham and serve the Timber Framers Guild as an associate editor.

FG: How did you decide to call the small village of Wickersham home?

MJ: In late 2006 my husband Mat and I had already been looking for an affordable first home in Bellingham for some time. We had just about given up—we weren’t seeing anything we could afford, and we expected the arrival of a third child in the spring. One day, we decided to cast our net wider and try looking at a place outside of town. At the time, I had a horse at a boarding stable, so a house with a little pasture was a dream come true. Mat, whose background is in preservation carpentry, loved the 1901 structure and the potential it showed. We bought the house without knowing a thing about the neighborhood, and it was a delightful surprise when we found ourselves surrounded with beloved new friends. We named our little green acre Bent Barrow Farm after moving 30 tons of assorted gravel, compost, and topsoil with one very sad and overworked wheelbarrow.

The cover of the children's book In the Morning.

FG: How did you develop your story line and characters for In the Morning?

MJ: I wrote the first draft of In the Morning several years ago for submission to a children’s magazine. I’ve always loved children’s books about nature, and rhyming stories with a musical cadence, so the words came rather easily to me. The poem was rejected, as most things are, and I thought no more of it. Many months later, I stumbled upon a gorgeous watercolor painting by Welsh artist Alison Fennell while looking online for images related to another project. I was blown away by her talent, and I felt immediately that her paintings were what I had always seen in my mind’s eye when I’d written for children. We got to emailing, and before long I asked her if she’d be willing to collaborate on a book. I sent her the text of In the Morning as a sample of what I could do, and she loved every word. We made a few minor alterations to my draft and she supplied beautiful illustrations to suit the text. The rhyme I’d written took on new meaning for me when coupled with her inspired paintings, and now it’s become one of my proudest accomplishments.

FG: Where is the book available for purchase, and online? Do you have any events coming up?

MJ: The book is being marketed in Whatcom County and in Mid Glamorgan, South Wales, UK. It’s currently in stock at Village Books in Fairhaven, St. Francis Gift Shop in Bellingham, Everybody’s Store in Van Zandt,  and the Acme General Store and Blue Mountain Grill in Acme. It’s also available for purchase online at www.fairyrabbit.com. I’ll be reading and signing the book at Village Books on Saturday, Jan. 29 at noon, and a copy is available on loan through the Whatcom County Library System.

FG: You are donating some of the proceeds to the non-profit World Society for the Protection of Animals. What role do animals have in your everyday life on your 1-acre farm?

MJ: Alison (the illustrator) and I both love animals, and our pets are very central to our lives, so making a donation to the animal welfare cause was a natural choice. I have a very special mule named Fenway as well as an Australian shepherd, two cats, two rabbits, three saanen goats, and a flock of chickens. We enjoy fresh raw milk and free range eggs, and the ethical concerns around factory-farmed animal products make us very grateful for the opportunity to enjoy cruelty-free dairy at home. As for my mule, he earns his keep by keeping me sane, getting me out, and showing me the natural splendor of our forested hillsides.

FG: Do you have other books and ideas in the works?

MJ: Alison and I are collaborating on a sequel entitled In the Evening as well as an additional picture book entitled What Dotty Wants, to feature her Jack Russell terrier. In the meantime, we are looking into having In the Morning translated into Welsh for a limited UK release. My other writing, at present, includes magazine articles, commissioned poetry, and regular updates to two blogs. My various creative projects can be accessed online at www.bentbarrow.com.

FG: Please tell us about your Fenway Bartholomule blog. How did the idea come about to write a blog from the perspective of your mule, and how many followers do you have? Do you think Fenway has any idea?

MJ: I started a Facebook fanpage for Fenway Bartholomule about a year ago after a neighbor commented upon his “famous bray.” “Famous?” I thought. “Why shouldn’t he be?” His club has since grown to about 900 fans and his blog, www.braysofourlives.com, has had about 80,000 impressions. I would say there are two to three hundred regular daily readers. He also has a column in the Brayer, the magazine of the American Donkey and Mule Society, and has been featured in Mules and More magazine. He’s a good mule of tremendous heart and kindness, and it feels very natural to share him with an adoring public in this fashion. I’m really tickled to see how much attention he’s been getting, and I’m thrilled with the kind support of the corporate and individual sponsors who now help him with his hay bill.

FG: Any parting words?

MJ: The best thing to come out of In the Morning has been my friendship with Alison Fennell. We’ve never met in person or spoken on the phone, if you’d believe it, but we have a great deal in common and the utmost respect for one another’s creative talents. I look forward to every future endeavor in our partnership, and I hope one day to welcome her as a visitor to Bent Barrow Farm.