Billie Jo Richards, a 1973 graduate of Tyrone Area High School, has written a children’s book entitled “Alice Finds the Pot of Gold”.
The book focuses on the character of Alice and her feelings while growing up.
Billie Jo believes the point of the book is that people’s feelings, happy and sad, are often hidden inside, beginning in childhood.
She added that the book is also “about faith in God and living in color instead of black and white”, which explains the vibrant colors of the rainbow on many pages of the book.
Billie Jo published her work through AuthorHouse as a self-publishing effort.
“It was a healing experience to do the self publishing,” she said.
She thought about writing the book for a long time and started it about two years ago. During that time, Billie Jo said she was fascinated to learn about the many aspects of what it takes to create a book, including publishing, writing and creating illustrations.
Many of the illustrations in the book are of family members she grew up with and of the house on Park Avenue in Tyrone where she used to live as a child. She was able to provide AuthorHouse with her childhood photos, and then their staff created the illustrations.
She added that the main character in the book, Alice, is based on her as a child.
“After writing the book, I feel a lot better,” she said.
The book also includes a page with the 10 Commandments and some pages where different feelings are defined.
If anyone is interested in purchasing the book, visit www.authorhouse.com. Also, individuals may call to order the book at 1-888-280-7715.
Billie Jo currently lives in Julian and drives a bus for CATA. She attends the Assembly of God Church in State College. Her mother and two sisters live in Tyrone.
