RN finds inspiration for book through OTC classes

Jacque Blauvelt knows she won’t be a registered nurse all of her life. So, she’s working on a second career; one that’s fulfilling to her and entertaining for her young readers.

Blauvelt is the published author of the children’s book: “Bass Buddies A to Z.” She wrote, illustrated and produced the book herself, thanks to training she received through courses she took through the Community Enrichment Center of Ozarks Technical Community College.

“Publishing this book was on my bucket list,” the Springfield resident said.

Blauvelt, who had studied art on her own, paired her talents with various computer software programs that taught her how to draw on a computer and design pages for publication. The classes allowed her to transform her ideas into book pages.

“The software is a marvelous medium to me. I applied what I learned on my own to those programs and developed the book,” Blauvelt said, who is creating a similar book about numbers.

After three years of work, the book was recently published and is available through Amazon.com and the Big Cedar Lodge gift shop in Hollister.

The book is designed for readers from preschool to age 8 or 9, who either want to learn their letters or work on their reading.  There’s also a glossary to explain some of the terms and words used in the book.

Her cast of characters is a variety of made-up species of bass with distinctive names like Archie the Acrobass and Zinahbee Zoobass. Each appears with a limerick about the fish, which Blauvet said is in a Dr. Seuss format that young readers enjoy.

There once was a Seebass named Seamore

Who played Hide-and-Seek near the seashore.

But when he was “it,”

His friends had a fit

‘Cause Seamore the Seebass could see more!

“It’s the whimsical world of bass buddies,” Blauvet said.

Steve Koehler is coordinator of media services at Ozarks Technical Community College.