WHITEWATER REGION (Westmeath) — It was a dare from a friend that forced Christine Deslippe Tomkinson to publish her first book, and it was a children’s story.
Brenna Jansen was working to turn a former dairy farm into an organic farm business. Mrs. Tomkinson recalled Ms. Jansen spoke to her one day about how angry it made her when she didn’t seem to be getting respect from other farmers because she was a female.
“She’d just been going, going, and she came along one day, and she was in a fit to be tied because the old lads aren’t giving her the respect she needs,” Mrs. Tomkinson recalled. “You’re a farmer’s daughter, you’re a gardener in a big way. They treated her like a girl, as opposed to somebody who is into the equipment to do her stuff.”
On a warm day in July, friends Gary Jansen, Brenna and Mrs. Tomkinson were outside talking about there being no books Brenna could use to teach her children that females can be competent farmers.
Knowing she can write verses for cards, Mrs. Tomkinson decided now was the time to venture into the larger writing world.
“Brenna, I’ll write you a storybook,” she said. “Gary said, ‘You can’t write a storybook.’ I said, ‘I can so write a children’s book.’
“Shaking his head, Mr. Jansen said, ‘I dare you,’” she recalled.
Taking the dare seriously, Mrs. Tomkinson knew she had to get a book into Brenna’s hands.
It took six months for the story to come to her, as she doubted herself since she wasn’t a farmer, how did she write about farming in a way children can understand.
“It was Gary’s words, you cannot write a children’s book and it was you cannot be a farmer,” she recalled. “From there, the whole poem, it came in like 20 minutes.”
She read the poem over the phone to Brenna, who instantly fell in love with it, Mrs. Tomkinson said.
The story came to her in November and it took about six months to do the paintings for the book, all of which she did herself.
“I just had fun doing it,” she recalled. “I’m in the writer’s group in Beachburg and they were encouraging me, and I’m in the art group in Beachburg, and they were encouraging me. Anyways, I put it all together to give to Brenna in a book form.”
She had photos of the paintings taken and put together a few books held together with ribbon.
Mrs. Tomkinson said the message in her book is people should not assume.
“You can be anything you want to be, and because you look a certain way, does not mean you cannot do the job,” she said. “It’s about taking it out of the box that only a man can be a farmer and a woman can be his wife.”
When a friend saw the finished books, he told her he knew a publisher who could get the book published.
“I don’t know, it’s a good little book, but I’m not an author, this is not my world,” Mrs. Tomkinson said.
However, the more people saw it, the more she was encouraged to have the book published.
A woman in Nepean helped Mrs. Tomkinson with the publishing. Prior to going to print, she said 25 teachers read it, to make sure there were no grammatical or spelling errors and that the message was the right one.
“It published itself,” she recalled. “It came out just in time for Christmas, which was great.”
In its second print now, Mrs. Tomkinson said it’s another time to push the sale of the books, since it would make a great Easter gift and farm life will soon be happening.
“It’s cool to look in the book and see second edition,” she said with a laugh.
She has gone to schools and libraries and read the book to young children.
She admits many of the people purchased the book because they know Brenna or they know her while others like to purchase books written by local authors.
“The response has been great,” Mrs. Tomkinson said. “Everyone, young and old, I don’t care what age, love the story, loves the paintings.”
She believes people should purchase the book “because it’s an excellent message of where our food comes from. It’s a book about helping. It’s about not forming opinions until you know more and follow someone for the day to see what they do.
“The book is durable. I’ve been told by people with many children who fight over these things, that the book is still alive and well, so it will last.
“And it was written with love from the heart and that comes out in the paintings,” Mrs. Tomkinson said.
She said it’s weird to think of herself as an author.
“There’s probably more books inside me and will come out when they’re ready,” she said. “When I retire, maybe I’ll write more.”
And while she doesn’t think of herself as a published author yet, Mrs. Tomkinson said maybe her next book will be a colouring book story.
Brenna’s Farm is available at Joanne Gauci’s store in Beacbhurg, Kenny’s in Westmeath and M & R Feeds in Pembroke, as well as on Amazon and Kindle.
