By Ken Gaidziunas
Staff Writer
"I try to turn something bad into something good," said former Anna and now Melissa resident Jodi Stone, a published author of two children's books, with a third coming out shortly.
"There is a story behind my books," continued Stone.
In 2003, her sons Jace and Slater were in a car with their father. The afternoon phone call changed her life forever.
"I lost the father of my two boys and my 5-year-old son Jace that day in a car wreck," she explained. "For many days and nights I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep."
One sleepless night she started writing. She never intended to write a book that night, only a story to help her remember Jace.
His favorite thing was ladybugs, Stone said, and the story became her first published book in 2005, titled "Lady Bug."
The book is about a little boy who falls in love with a ladybug he finds on a flower. The ladybug lands on his toe, and then tickles his tummy, then stops on his shoulder, nose and knee. He takes the ladybug to his mother, but realizing he can't keep it, sets it free, asking, "Please come again and play with me some day."
Stone published a second book in March 2008 called "I Want to Catch a Dragonfly", which is also about one of her memories of Jace. The little boy tries to catch a dragonfly, but it's too fast for him. He tries and tries, and finally, very tired, sits down on a bench to rest.
"Silly boy Jace. The dragonfly has caught you today," the book ends with the dragonfly resting on the boy's nose.
While "Lady Bug" was illustrated by the publisher's professional artist, Stone drew the pictures for "I Want to Catch a Dragonfly."
"I just picked some crayons and started drawing," she said.
Both books are available at www.amazon.com.
Stone's third book, "Slater Skater", is about her surviving son Slater and his skateboarding adventures when he was 8 years old. The book has an official release date of Aug. 8. It can be preordered at www.publishamerica.com.
"I wanted to keep Jace's memory alive forever and to also leave something behind in the future for Slater," said Stone. "Books are forever."
She recently signed a contract with a literary agent and is working on her fourth book, "Baseball Bubba", about Slater's baseball career, which according to Slater started when he was 4. He will turn 16 on July 31.
Stone plans to continue writing, maybe about friends in the kids' lives.
"The pain is there. I still cry every day. Writing is my outlet for the healing process," she said.
She is, however, starting a new chapter in her life.
"I just became engaged after being single for eight years," Stone explained.
Her future husband is Vance Cottle, whom Stone has known since he was in kindergarten and she in second grade.
And the combined family will include Slater; Kimberly, 20; Brittany, 14; and "Little" Vance, 13.