Vickie L. Gardner Interview Published on: 04, Aug 2022

I was born in Provo, Utah. 

I miss the simplicity of life and the creative fun we had as children.

My fondest memory is reading the Nancy Drew mysteries – my favorite. A few other favorites were Harry (a story about a dog), and Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales like the Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina – I loved Thumbelina. I also enjoyed reading the Walt Disney Stories as well. We had a series of books titled Best in Children’s Books and though I don’t remember all the stories, I fondly remember the books themselves.

My first “story” was written in the basement of my home, sitting in a gold rocking chair. I had just finished reading one of the Nancy Drew Mysteries stories and wanted to write one of my own. I grabbed a pencil and a yellow lined notepad and started writing my story. 

I love creating characters that capture the personalities, experiences, and personas of my grandchildren. I also love writing with a goal to help children who struggle with their self-confidence, not-fitting in, and experience being bullied, as examples, find a way to believe in themselves and know they are important. Writing is also my way of embarking on fantastical adventures that would never happen in real life, in places that don’t exist, creating fictional characters I dreamed of having as friends when I was a young girl.

My most valuable learning experiences have come from sharing time with my family. The fun-loving times, the interpersonal struggles, and the love we share has taught me more than anything I could have learned in school. 

Thoughtful.

My eldest grandson. 

Darby and the Dollberry Dare was inspired by a visit to Dolberry Hollow (or Holler as they say) near Scottsboro, Alabama. My husband relayed the story he had heard from the residents in the area about robbers that used a cave in the Holler to hide their stolen loot.

After hearing the story about the robbers and the cave, I started writing a non-fiction story based on the cave and the robbers. As I started making notes and creating the characters and the setting; it morphed into a children’s story. The only element that remained was that of the cave. From there, The Adventures of Darby series was born. 

I observe what happens in my family and what I see other children do, how they act, what their struggles and challenges are, and what I see in their acts of kindness. My stories often start with the notes I have taken or the memories of what I have seen, and shortly thereafter, I have the basis and premise for my story. 

I often know how I would like my story to end and what I would like the moral of the story to be; however, though I have experienced my story ending as I planned it, in a few cases I have been surprised how the story ends. 

That’s a question with a complicated answer as I believe there is not just one author that could be categorized as best, but many. There have been children’s writers in our history and in present day that have penned wonderful children’s stories. However, if I had to name one, I believe I would name Hans Christian Andersen. He wrote delightful fairy tales that I loved to read as a child. The famous Walt Disney animated movies such as The Little Mermaid, and Frozen, (based loosely on The Snow Queen) have stemmed from Andersen’s fairy tales. He also wrote The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and the Princess and the Pea. We are blessed to have brilliant authors from around the world share their wonderful writings and delightful stories with all of us. 

I very much enjoy writing and sharing my stories. I am grateful for those who have purchased my books and for those who have taken time to write reviews and share my social media posts. I am encouraged by the feedback and the comments about my stories. Thank you.

Never give up. Continue dreaming. For every story written there is a reader looking for a story just like the one you are writing. 

I am currently working on the fourth and fifth stories in The Adventures of Darby series. One is a story about Santa Nicholas Day (Christmas), and one is the story about Darby’s lost l’agon, K’Orac, and the wood gnomes. I am also (still) working on the sequel to The Ghost of Morgan Gulch, which I have titled Shadows on the Gulch. 

The AllAuthor team has been amazing to work with. I have enjoyed my time being part of the AllAuthor purpose and goals. They have not disappointed in how they engage, what they provide in their services, and their willingness to support authors in marketing their books.