By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor
Chris Demeropolis grew up on Cincinnati’s Westside, got her journalism, marketing and public relations education at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and made her way to her home in Cold Spring thanks to a chance meeting of her future husband on a soccer field.
Her husband grew up in Cold Spring and that’s where they live today with their two young sons, Teddy, 8, and Robin, 2.
Chris pursued her early career — and her love of writing — working at media, public relations and creative agencies for a variety of clients. She was good at it, but it was always the writing that she loved. As a child she remembers being fascinated with Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and with writing stories and poetry in her diary.
So when she became a mom — a “game-changer” she says — she decided to work at home while staying with growing family. She did some freelance work “on the side” (because writing that pays the bills is “good writing”) but she was pulled in a different direction.
She wrote her first picture book for her son Teddy. It remains on a shelf in his room.
Then, she wrote another one “Teddy Lou, Bell Guru,” that went on to be selected by Brandylane Publishers and is now available for sale on Amazon and other bookstores online and will be for sale at the St. Joseph PTO Craft Show in Cold Spring tomorrow.
It wasn’t quite that simple — or that fast, though.
Let’s start with her long walks with Teddy. As they walked, she noticed that Teddy was fascinated by the sound of bells. Church bells. The Peace Bell in Newport. All bells became a near-obsession with him (His dream is to see “Big Laura” and “Big Ben.”
Teddy’s fascination became hers — and spurred her creative writing juices. Another Teddy book emerged. And when it was finished, Teddy said it “needed pictures, mom.” That’s when she reached out to her childhood friend Sara Fox who brought a refreshing perspective to the illustrations that enliven the book.
Chris got a real education in book publishing as well, working with an editor, doing endless proofreading and word-polishing and more proofreading until the book was ready.
For Chris, it was a labor of love.
This is how she describes the story:
“Young children are known for their curiosity. They may ply their parents with questions about why the sky is blue, how birds fly, and where babies come from. For Teddy Lou, a boy who is fascinated by bells of all sorts, the question driving him is: Do bells have smells? He loves the noise they make and is eager to learn everything he can about the music-makers, but the question of bells’ smells persists. After all, he knows what to expect with a stinky skunk or fresh, gooey pizza, but a bell? He embarks on a trek where he enjoys bells in his town and names bells from afar, finally deciding to climb the church tower to sniff its giant bell. However, to get close enough to catch the scent, he finds himself precariously perched on the bell. And he doesn’t have much time because its powerful chime is about to erupt in a deafening boom. Alone on the bell, he gets scared and wonders what to do. “Oh dear! This is bad! Where’s Mom and where’s Dad?” Will Teddy’s recollection of scientific principles enable him to escape the distressing position he’s found himself in?”
Chris uses her love of storytelling to spin a melodious tale for kids. It is also educational, as the lighthearted story includes musical terms and dreamlike illustrations and more. It’s a rhyming picture book with a sturdy science lesson as a foundation.
Curious? Your kids will be too — and fascinated by the story Chris says she was “just writing for Teddy.”
Teddy’s story will strike a chord with “curious young minds everywhere.”