Jackson Citizen Patriot Highlights Purmell's Love of Writing

Ann-thology
Jackson author Ann Purmell finds niche in children's books
By Pat Rombyer
As appeared in the Jackson Citizen Patriot — Sunday, November 12, 2006
All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with Permission.

Ann Purmell churns out children's stories like a pioneer mother making butter.

Her rhythmic typing produces page after page as she works in her upstairs writing nook, surrounded by sunblushed windows and a view of her beautifully landscaped yard.

During the course of creating, editing and then fine-tuning a children's book, she can use hundreds of sheets of paper to produce one 25-page volume.

The story takes the young reader on a trip through a family's Christmas tree farm, from climbing onto Grandpa's lap as he drives his tractor through the fir trees, to serving up Grandma's homemade cookies to the families that come to cut them, then back to their house to decorate their own tree.

The book earned the Premier Selection Award from the Junior Library Guild, a literary club for schools and public libraries.

Among her other credits is her first book, "Apple Cider Making Days," based on the Meckley family of Flavor Fruit Farms on S. Jackson Road. She finished it in 2000, and a publisher snatched it up within a week. Unbeknownst to her, it became available online.

"I must say, it really blew my mind to have my name listed along with hundreds of other authors (on Amazon.com)," she said.

Since then, publishers have purchased "Where the Wild Babies Sleep" and "Giraffes," and her next book, "Maple Syrup Spring," is due out next year.

The artist, Jill Weber, who also drew the pictures for the "Christmas Tree Farm," is finishing the illustrations. She and Weber, of New Hampshire, have developed a close telephone relationship, uncommon since authors and illustrators seldom know each other.

"I should be getting the galleys soon," Purmell said.

The book will be dedicated to Robbie Curtis of Jackson, who died in 2003 at the age of 6. His parents, Philip and Denise Curtis, are friends of hers.

"They said he loved my books," she said. "This way, his name will always be there."

Purmell, 53, has written all her life. As a child she penned poems, encouraged by her grandmother who was a poet.

"Children's books are a lot like poetry," Purmell said. "I've considered myself a poet all through my life."

The message and the meaning have to be tightly written to stay within the 850-word guideline for most "picture books."

Sara Tackett, children's librarian for the Jackson District Library, said the library carries all of Purmell's books.

"Her first book ("Apple Cider Making Days") is always really popular, especially this time of year," Tackett said. And given the timing, she believes Purmell's new book, "Christmas Tree Farm," will also draw interest.

That interest isn't limited to the Jackson area, Tackett said. Purmell's publications have gotten mentioned in national journals, she said.

Purmell's life has taken a circuitous route on the road to becoming an award-winning children's author, a path she feels has been guided by her faith in God.

There were a couple of times in her earlier adulthood when she felt a calling to write professionally, but she lacked the confidence and charged forward in another direction.

After graduating from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor and earning a nursing degree from Eastern Michigan University, she worked as a psychiatric nurse, specializing in the care of children and teenagers.

She was married in 1974 to her husband, Bruce, a Jackson dentist. They have a son, Michael, 20, and daughter, Hilary, 13.

Life took another turn when at the age of 42, she decided to return to college to earn a teaching degree.

It was while she was finishing up her credit hours that she took her first formal writing class. Her teacher encouraged her to pursue writing further, but the thought of getting rejection slips from a publisher was more than her sensitive nature could take.

She did do some free-lance articles and actually sold an article to a small publication.

But, it was while she was student teaching that she became seriously ill and subsequently diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, an often fatal lung disease.

"My life stopped on a dime," she said.

The treatment required three months of bed rest.

To keep herself occupied, Purmell filled notebook after notebook with writings.

"I was trying to out-write death," she said.

But the time spent in bed led to her decision to scrap the idea of teaching and concentrate on her writing.

"Looking back, I feel God did this to get my attention, this was what I was meant to do," she said. "It's not a chore, I love writing, I do it for the enjoyment of children. It's almost an out-of-body experience.

"It wasn't until I was facing death, that I needed to tell the world I've been here," she said. "My children are my legacy, but that wasn't enough.

"It took me facing down death to make me strong enough to face rejection."

Her books all sold within weeks of shipping manuscripts off to publishers.

But now, the picture-book industry is in a cyclical slump, she said.

As more corporate publishers gobble up the independents, fewer children's books are being published, and those that are require an agent. Fewer agents are taking on authors of picture books, she said, because the population is down for that age group.

"They say in about 10 years there will be another baby boom," she said. "My agent warned me about four years ago that this was going to happen and encouraged me to write novels for older children.

"I tried, but I just couldn't do it. I don't care if I never sell another manuscript to a publisher, I'm writin' picture books."