© 2021 Kayleen Reusser

For several months in 2020, my writing routine floundered. By the end of summer, I got myself in gear.

I organized my work schedule to work on three projects simultaneously. This was not as intimidating as it might seem. I had written three books of stories in my WWII Legacies series based on interviews with 260 World War II veterans. Compiling a fourth volume, We Defended Freedom: Adventures of World War II Veterans, was not a strain but a renewed joy.

The second book, Captured! Stories of American WWII Prisoners of War, was an emotional challenge in depicting the severity of the men’s imprisonments. But I persevered, knowing most of us had felt like prisoners in 2020 and the book might offer perspective.

My Women of WWII Coloring Book was a new type of project. I had always wanted to create a book to highlight female World War II veterans for young people. A coloring book seemed to fit the bill.

First, I chose an illustrator on Fiverr.com and began submitting jpg’s of the women (payment was required for each photo). Within a month I had the illustrations. I then contacted my book cover designer and sent him the title and featured illustration (I chose a Women’s Air Service Pilot-WASP) for the front cover and ISBN (previously purchased from Bowker’s), back cover illustration, and text for the back.

While awaiting a draft of the book covers, I wrote 300-word bios of each of the women to include in the book. My goal was to create a project that was not only fun but educational. I chose a glossy cover for the coloring book on KDP over the matte finish to give it more pizzazz.

The three books released within weeks of each other in October and November 2020, just in time for Veteran’s Day on November 11. They sold well, especially as families of veterans in the books helped to promote them on social media. This year I plan to create more military coloring books and a couple of other titles.

As for speaking, I pivoted from doing in-person talks about my World War II Tour of Europe to zoom talks for libraries and civic groups. Members of a Facebook Library Programming group who hired me posted complimentary comments about my zoom talks.

The pandemic has imposed some restrictions, but I’m pleased to think about giving our nation another shot in the arm of patriotism in 2021!
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Kayleen Reusser has written eight books based on her interviews with 260 WWII veterans. As the wife and mother of Air Force airmen, she has devoted her thirty-year writing career to preserving America’s national heritage. Kayleen has also written for magazines and newspapers and contributed to Chicken Soup for the Soul. She helped organize two writing groups, worked as a middle-school librarian, and wrote sixteen books for children. She speaks to groups, in-person and virtual.