Navy wife writes what she knows
Published 6:00 am Saturday, March 20, 2004
When a military couple starts a family, their first thought is usually making sure the child is entered in Tricare, but almost as soon as Mindy Pelton gave birth, she wondered how she would help Katherine through her father’s military deployments. Mark Pelton is a naval flight officer for EA-6B Prowlers. Deployments for these squadrons last at least six months, and often longer. Patricularly for children, that’s a long time to be separated from mom or dad.
Mindy went on a search for resources that could help children better accept something routine in military families — mothers and fathers leaving home for months at a time.
She didn’t find many suitable resources and decided to develop a book.
After numerous submissions, her manuscript was accepted by a children’s book publishing company.
“When Dad’s at Sea” features Emily, whose father is a pilot in the Navy. In the first pages of the book, her father leaves on deployment and Emily faces a tough time without him. To count down the days of deployment, Emily and her dad make a chain of paper loops. Each night Emily removes one link of the chain and knows her dad is one day closer to home.
The paperchain isn’t a new concept for military families. It’s simply one that hasn’t been featured much in books.
“I’ve been surprised how very long the editing process has taken,” Pelton said at her Anacortes home. “I wrote it mostly when Katherine was asleep.
“Writing was the easy part. Editing’s taken so long. But I’m pleased with the book.”
“When Dad’s at Sea,” has a publication date of April 2004, but it’s already receiving good feedback.
“We’re getting lots of positive reaction,” Denise Shanahan, director of advertsing and promotion with Albert Whitman and Company said in a telephone interview. The Illinois-based children’s book publisher seeks work featuring real-life situations so kids can see themselves.
Shanahan said the publisher has books covering divorce, disability and disease. These subjects may not seem to be the light-hearted fiction many people consider appropriate for kids. But Shanahan said it’s important for kids to be able to see themselves in books.
“When a child recognizes the situation as one they face, they realize they aren’t the only ones going through something that might be hard or painful,” she said.
“It can be comforting for kids to realize they aren’t alone in the world.”
Not only are Albert Whitman books carefully written, the art is just as carefully chosen.
Robert Gantt Steele, a California illustrator, was selected to illustrate “When Dad’s at Sea.”
Steele’s watercolors have plenty of true-to life details.
Mindy Pelton’s husband Mark, took photos on his last cruise aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation. He was with VAQ-131 Lancers and flew one of the first missions against Saddam Hussein on the first night of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pelton’s photos gave Steele a slice of life from sea.
“It was great to get technical information,” Steele said. “Such personal details really flush out the story.”
The family in the book are friends of Steele’s. The father has connections to the Marines and wore a Marine flightsuit in poses.
“I think it’s a great book on a pertinent, timely topic,” Steele said. “The author and publisher did a great job.”
Mark Pelton admits he was skeptical the book would make it to press.
“I first told Mindy not to get her hopes up,” he said. “Lots of people write books that are never published.”
“I’m very proud of Mindy. But I really shouldn’t be surprised. When she sets her mind to do something, she does it.”
While Mindy Pelton may have a unique view into military families’ lives, she’s not planning on creating a series of books. Right now, she’s spending time promoting “When Dad’s at Sea” by having booksignings at local stores and getting the word out about her book.
Again, most of her work is done at night.
“I wait until the kids are in bed, then I’m up to 1 a.m. signing books and calling people,” she laughed.
