June Fann, a guidance counselor at CCCHS, recently published her first book, Dudley’s Ride: Through the Great Depression.

On November 15, 2017, Mrs. Fann visited  the Inklings creative writing club to discuss her book and the process of writing and publishing it.

Two or three years ago, Mrs. Fann had the idea to create a book for her grandmother. She wanted the younger generation of her family to write their favorite memories from their grandmother’s house.  Mrs. Fann’s nieces said their favorite memories were from the stories their grandmother would share about her childhood friend, Dudley Parker. Dudley had an accident when he was a child which left him in a wheelchair, but this did not stop him from being a mischievous boy who would meet some very famous people. Since Mrs. Fann also enjoyed the tales, this sparked the idea for her to write a full length novel.  

Mrs. Fann began the writing process by interviewing her grandmother and Dudley Parker.  They shared stories of their elementary school years that had them laughing so hard they were barely coherent at times. She was unable to include everything because she wanted to keep the stories appropriate for a fifth grade reading level, but she was able to include the basics: Dudley and all of his struggles as he grew up during the Great Depression.

The book took about six years to write, and it was completed on September 8, 2017. The greatest motivation for Mrs. Fann to finish the book was that she did not have it completed when her grandmother passed away.  This made her determined to finish the book while Dudley was still alive.

Mrs. Fann used the CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on Amazon to be able to self publish her book.  She chose self publishing because she wanted to have a part in every aspect that went into making a book, specifically the cover. Dudley’s ride is 194 pages long and is available through Amazon.

If you would like to order a copy, please click on the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Dudleys-Ride-Through-Great-Depression/dp/1976192552