Children’s author Hydie Balle-Hands may well have one of the cutest writing partnerships in the publishing industry.
The Auckland based writer has released two children’s books, Andy and the Little Rimu Tree – and her latest, Beau and the Stone Giant.
She credits her dog, Beau, as a key part of her writing journey.
“Beau really helped me to relax and get into the writing process, because I could just play with him and be with him without any judgment, and that’s really, I think, like you say, crucial for the creative process to be relaxed”
Beau, who is also the namesake for her publishing name, Beau Books, is a Cabochon, a hybrid dog breed resulting from crossing a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Bichon Frise.
Beau and the Stone Giant, aimed at children aged 5-10, tells the story of how three furry dog heroes help a stone giant to get the cure for his stone malady and save the day with fun, courage and love.
“The main characters of the story are based on three dogs Beau,and his two friends Bobby, a Cavalier, King Charles, Spaniel, and Francia, a Lagotto Romagnolo, otherwise known as a truffle dog.
And these two dogs are my mother and father and lost dog. So they are friends in real life and they get up to a bit of antics together.”
Hydie said Beau had also been a positive influence on her mental health.
“His companionship was really healing for me, so he’s helped me get into the zone.
“Pets are so wonderful, especially dogs, they can be really healing for humans and have the ability to put things in perspective”
As a child, Hydie spent a lot of time in the King Country on her aunty and uncle’s sheep and beef farm.
The days were spent out horseback riding on the farm with her cousin and in the early evenings she would read all the children’s books that her aunty had.
This was the beginning of Hydie’s love for children’s literature.
She hopes young readers will take positive messages from her work.
“For my first book, Andy and the Little Rimu Tree, there is a message about using your imagination in a positive way, which adults can talk about with their little ones. And this is a really useful skill in life for all of us to do, to have.”
“And Beau and the Stone Giant has a theme of the transforming power of love.
“I like to give something positive and uplifting to my readers that they can sort of think about.”
She said it was important for her to contribute to organisations working in the area of mental health, including the I Am Hope Foundation.
“I struggled with mental health issues for most of my life and Mike King and his team at I Am Hope have been such a formidable force to change the way society views mental health in New Zealand.
“It made it much easier for people like me who are struggling to feel accepted and get help.”
Meanwhile Hydie and Beau are working on another book, Beau and the Stone Giant Two, due out in August.
Andy and the Little Rimu Tree, and Beau and the Stone Giant are available at https://beaubooks.co.nz/ or at selected bookstores.
