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Kathy_Peach_Author

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Linda F. Radke
Story Monsters LLC
480-940-8182, 855-777-5475
info@StoryMonsters.com
www.StoryMonsters.com

Hi-res photos available upon request

Franklin Native Coming Home to Share Her Tale of Life in the Desert

‘The Tiniest Tumbleweed’ ranked #1 in three Amazon Kindle children's books categories

CHANDLER, AZ (March 14, 2016)—She grew up surrounded by the lush green hills of Williamson County, Tennessee, where she lived for 50 years, but now Kathy Peach is exploring a much different landscape, the desert southwest. Peach is coming home in April to participate in an event in Franklin where she'll be sharing her new children's book about life in the desert, The Tiniest Tumbleweed, which she wrote based on observing nature in her new habitat.

The Tiniest Tumbleweed, released in January, is already in the hands of more than 25,000 young readers and their parents, and recently ranked #1 in three Amazon Kindle children's books categories:

  • Children's Self-Esteem & Self-Respect
  • Children's Growing Up & Facts of Life Books
  • Children's Friendship & Social Skills Books

The book also earned an Honorable Mention from a recent competition at the 2016 Great Southwest Book Festival.

“I am amazed and humbled by the early success of The Tinniest Tumbleweed and can't wait to share it at home in Franklin," said Peach. “I will always love the gorgeous hills of Tennessee, but the Southwest has such allure for me as a transplant. It seems to enchant others too,” said Peach.

Peach left the state to be close to her daughter in Phoenix, but says her love for Tennessee is as deep as her family's roots there. In April, Peach will join the founder of Authors' Circle of Middle Tennessee, who also happens to also be named Peach, at Franklin's Main Street Festival.

“This is a family affair for certain, bringing Kathy home. Her success as an author right out of the box is impressive, but not surprising,” said Bill Peach, founder of Authors Circle of Middle Tennessee, and Kathy's cousin. "We are very excited to have her at the Authors Circle booth during the Main Street Festival in Franklin.”

After Peach moved to Arizona she accomplished her life's goal of earning a degree in Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education and taught for Head Start. Then, while creating The Tiniest Tumbleweed, she incorporated a method of writing children's literature designed intended to build a sense of self confidence in readers, that was designed by psychologist Albert Bandura, Ph.D.

“One day in the desert, I almost wrecked my car watching a tiny bird fly inside tumbleweed, but I didn't see it fly back out. I returned to the same place, and saw it happen again and again,” said Peach. “I would sit and watch and learn about the synergy between living things and the boundless opportunities that such relationships provide. And then I started writing, and that's what my book is about.”

Meet Kathy Peach and hear the story of The Tiniest Tumbleweed at the Main Street Festival in Franklin, April 23-24 at the Authors Circle booth.

The Tiniest Tumbleweed (ISBN: 978-0-9981033-0-3, softbound; eISBN: 978-0-9981033-1-0, eBook; $12.95 US/$13.95 CAN) is self-published by Reading with Peaches and is distributed by Midpoint Trade Books, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor.

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The_Tiniest_Tumbleweed_Book

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Linda F. Radke
Story Monsters LLC
480-940-8182, 855-777-5475
info@StoryMonsters.com
www.StoryMonsters.com

Hi-res photos available upon request

The Tiniest Tumbleweed Inspires BIG Thinking

CHANDLER, AZ (winter, 2016)—Everyone feels small or inadequate at some point in their lives. The Tiniest Tumbleweed, a children's book by first-time author Kathy Peach, is a story strategically constructed to help children think big thoughts about what they can do to become their best selves, in spite of their circumstances.

It is the story of two Sonoran Desert characters, a tiny tumbleweed and a baby house sparrow. Both Tiny Tumbleweed and Baby Sparrow enter their worlds with similar challenges—they worry they are too small to accomplish the things bigger tumbleweeds and birds do, like making seeds and flying.

“Will I be as big and strong as my brothers and sisters?” they both ask, expressing their insecurities.

The timeless theme of the story is presented with Mother Tumbleweed's wise response: “You will be as big and strong as YOU will be, and that is just fine, just fine indeed.” With these words, each of the tiny ones decide to take on the difficult tasks of doing the work needed to help them grow. As a result, at just the right time, they provide the perfect help for each other, fulfilling their passionate need to be useful.

Peach says she developed the story to help children believe in their own capabilities.

“Tiny Tumbleweed and Baby Sparrow, like all of us, must learn to work within our limitations,” Peach says, “In telling the story, I combined a method of writing fine children's literature whereby children can believe in a life that holds limitless possibilities, with learnings on fostering self-efficacy from psychologist Albert Bandura, Ph.D. The intended result is to build the reader's sense of self-efficacy and possibility.”

At a time of life when most people begin to slow down, Kathy Peach decided to follow her lifelong dreams of earning a college degree and writing a children's book. She moved from her home of Middle Tennessee to Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University in December 2014 with a degree in Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education. Peach is now a teacher for the Head Start program in Phoenix.

“A tumbleweed may seem an unlikely character, but just as the Southwest has such allure for me as a transplant, it seems to enchant others too,” said Peach. “After moving here, I saw a tiny bird dive into a tumbleweed near a fence. I almost wrecked my car watching the bird fly inside the tumbleweed but I didn't see it fly back out. I returned to that place several times to observe tiny birds fly inside tumbleweeds and simply sit." It was the synergy between living things and the boundless opportunities that relationship provides that helped inspire the characters and the story.

“This book beautifully demonstrates that each person has a unique gift to offer. It not only provides hope, but it also teaches young children how to respect each other's differences,” says Linda F. Radke, president of Story Monsters LLC. “This is such an important message to instill early in the lives of little ones and I am so excited to partner with Kathy to publish this book!”

Edited by award-winning children's author Conrad J. Storad and charmingly illustrated by Alex Lopez, The Tiniest Tumbleweed supports Arizona's College and Career Ready Standards (Common Core) for third grade English Language Arts (ELA). The book includes a curriculum guide with facts about tumbleweeds and sparrows following the story. Slated for release in winter 2016, The Tiniest Tumbleweed (ISBN: 978-0-9981033-0-3, softbound; eISBN: 978-0-9981033-1-0, eBook; $12.95 US/$13.95 CAN) is self-published by Reading with Peaches and is distributed by Midpoint Trade Books, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor.

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