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Meet Author Joy Fernandez

Jan 04, 2022 06:00AM ● By Lenora Kruk-Mullanaphy

Written for children who loves animals and the beauty and magic of nighttime, “Little Bella’s Nighttime Wonderland” is a book youngsters and parents will enjoy. 

Before her mother tucks her in for the night, Little Bella peeks out her window to enjoy the magical beauty of twilight. She delights in the comings and goings of the woodland creatures that live outside her home.

“Bella experiences the ordinary magic that’s all around us at all times; however, most of us don’t stop to take this magic in,” says author Joy Fernandez. 

“We fail to slow down, take a deep breath and really see how wonderful the sky is, the trees are when they blow in the wind, the beauty of a deer standing tall and proud under a persimmon tree, or a mama deer nursing her fawn. I wanted Little Bella to show the world how uplifting the small things can be if we choose to take the time to look. If I can do that for even one child, I’d say this book was a huge success.”

Fernandez, a realtor and freelance writer, lives on a small farm in the countryside of King George County with her husband, three children and many animals, including her favorite pet, Fiona the goat. 

This background inspired her to write her first children’s book. Fernandez hopes to teach youngsters to appreciate the natural beauty that can be seen all around them. 

“When I was growing up, one of my favorite summertime activities was chasing fireflies,” says Fernandez. “My cousins and I would regularly go out and run here and there on my grandfather’s farm trying to clasp one in our hands. When I had children, I’d take them out in the evenings to catch fireflies, and it always brought us such joy. I decided to write a story about them and all the other creatures you can see in the evenings.” 

While reading “Goodnight Moon,” her favorite story, to her children, she made up her mind to write her own book. The idea was a natural for her since she loved of writing as a youngster.

“I’ve always been captivated by nature and animals, in particular,” she says. “I’m an animal lover, so even as a youngster I wrote stories about turtles and dogs. My stories now will hopefully inspire children to love nature as much as I did as a child.”

Children discovering Little Bella who fall in love with the book will be happy to know that Fernandez has planned a few sequels to the book. 

“’Little Bella’s Nighttime Wonderland’ was written as a stand-alone book, but I’d really like to bring the magic of the sea to life,” she says. “I’ve been kicking around the idea of writing a marine-themed sequel, where children can experience how enlivening the sea can be. They can imagine how refreshing the sea breeze feels, the relaxing sounds of the waves crashing ashore and the delight of the schools of small fish swimming around feet. Right now, there’s no release date in mind.”

Surprise your children with a beautiful story they’ll cherish forever. Illustrated by Brianna Baker and published by Brandylane Publishers, Inc. in Richmond, “Little Bella’s Nighttime Wonderland” can be found on the following links on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other places where books are sold.

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