Children’s author Janie Lancaster recently settled into her new home in San Marcos and said that she adores the town. “I love San Marcos with its mountains and trees,” said Lancaster. “And the people here are genuinely friendly.”

Lancaster is delighted to be able to share her latest book, “Julie & the Lost Fairy Tale,” with her community and its schools, teachers and students. This book provides kids who are experiencing tough times with hope and dreams that they can hang onto, she said.

She understands how hard childhood can be since she herself had a lost childhood. “I was raised by a mother who used Gestapo-like tactics to control me, and I had a lot of trauma as a child,” said Lancaster. “Because of this, I shifted into survival mode at the age of eight, and I grew up very quickly.”

The creation of “Julie & the Lost Fairy Tale” was therapeutic writing, explained Lancaster. In fact, her first 12,000-word draft was written in three days. “It poured out of me like a river.”

The essence of this delightful book was built around Lancaster’s dear grandmother, who passed away when Lancaster was only six years old. “This book is actually about changing the unchangeable, moving the unmovable and curing the incurable.” Creative writing can do these things, added Lancaster. Writing this story filled the hole she had in her heart when her grandmother passed away. “This fairy tale brought my grandmother back, and writing this story was one of the happiest times in my life.”

“Julie & the Lost Fairy Tale,” said Lancaster, has been serialized in newsprint media nationally and in Canada, used in book clubs, and has been used by teachers in classroom settings for children between the ages of eight and 12. “There are free lesson plans and book club ideas on my website for teachers that support second through sixth grade curriculum,” added Lancaster.

Lancaster also has a passion for teaching children how to write and has frequently visited classrooms. “I teach kids how to build their own believable characters by putting together pieces of people they know,” she said. “I have two groups for whom I do workshops: Building Believable Characters K-5 and Writing Is Power for 6-12.”

Lancaster’s “Opening the Mind Through Creative Writing” lecture series is a presentation offered for teachers, clubs and colleges.

The writer in Lancaster wants her readers to encounter a special gift with each page. “I want parents and children to walk away with a sense of wonder and to believe that dreams do come true, even if you have to wait a very long time.”

“Julie & the Lost Fairy Tale” can be purchased on either Amazon or in any book store. To learn more about Lancaster, her upcoming published works, seminars and lectures, you can log onto www.janielancaster.com or e-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

A voice walks softly across a page spelling out sound telling secrets thoughtfully quietly.