People

Children’s author shares magic of reading

Mary Tomasi-Dubois, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos in California, didn’t let rejection get her down after attempting to publish her first children’s book. Instead, she tried harder and even took classes on writing and how to get published.

Mary Tomasi-Dubois

“During one of those classes, one sentence struck me,” she says: “‘You have to be passionate and persistent; it takes at least 10 years; and don’t expect to get rich doing it.’ Well, here I am almost nine years later, and I finally did it.

“My target audience is young readers,” Mary says. “But, I think it is especially important for parents and caregivers to nurture the love of reading in children by either reading to them or reading with them.”

As a volunteer for one her Kiwanis club’s projects, Mary has read to first-grade students, gaining firsthand experience of how an enthusiastic adult can encourage a child to enjoy reading.

“Consequently,” Mary says, “my story line is simple enough to understand but sophisticated enough for an adult to enjoy.”

Mary’s book, The Mariner’s Secret—a thriller set in the San Francisco Bay area—has made it onto the shelves at major bookstores and into the cyber-commerce listings of Amazon.com.

“The story abounds with thugs, chases through the streets of San Francisco, and scientific discoveries,” Mary says. “Matt and Heather Townsend are orphaned when their bioscientist parents are killed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and they become wards of their great-aunt Estelle. Her stately old house in the Marina District holds intrigue—and a secret. Fortunately, Matt discovers the secret on his 13th birthday.”

Mary’s passion for writing children’s literature began when her son and daughter-in-law announced they were going to be parents.

That evening, filled with emotion, Mary began her first story. It was based on Peter, Paul, and Mary’s Puff the Magic Dragon. She dedicated the story to her grandchild, thinking he was the source of all her emotions. After rereading the story, however, Mary realized the story wasn’t for her grandchild at all.

“It was for my son,” she says. “Singing the song to myself as I had so many times before, one stanza in particular hit me: ‘One gray day it happened. Jackie Piper came no more. So Puff the magic dragon ceased his mighty roar.’ I finally realized the source of all the drama. My son wasn’t just an adult and husband; he was starting his own legacy. He was starting his family.”

Still, she wondered why that made her so teary eyed.

“Finally, it hit me like a ton of bricks,” she says. “I didn’t want him to forget the magic. I wanted him to keep the magic alive within him; to keep the wonder of this miraculous existence with him always.”

And while that first effort wasn’t published, her persistence paid off, and she has succeeded in sharing the magic of reading with children—and their parents—everywhere.