🍎 Tell Me About YOUR Apple Festival

Before there was a book, there was a little girl who didn't want to go to bed—but she couldn't wait for the Apple Festival.

In the weeks leading up to last year's festival, Betty discovered that if she asked me, "Mommy, tell me about your Apple Festival," she could stay up just a little bit longer.

So I did.

Night after night, I told her stories about my Apple Festival—favorite memories, family traditions, and the people who made the festival so special to me.

My answer became a story, and that story became Tell Me About Your Apple Festival.

Then it was Betty's turn.

At four years old, she began telling me about her Apple Festival. Her stories were wonderfully imaginative, delightfully over the top, and sprinkled with the first memories she was beginning to make. In her mind, Murphysboro and Disney World are just a little bit interchangeable—because, to Betty, the magic of the Apple Festival feels every bit as real. Those stories became part of the book, too.

She may be Captain's Biggest Fan, but she'll always be the little girl whose question inspired this book—and, ultimately, this interview series.