Stories for Mia

In this charming collection of stories, John Steckley describes the (mainly) imaginary adventures of his granddaughter Mia. Whether it's foiling bullying at school or a robbery at a restaurant, investigating a case of baby-snatching carried out by aliens, or saving a pair of orphaned bear cubs, Mia's adventures are sure to entertain readers young and old.

I was very fortunate to have been able to spend a lot of time with my grandfathers when I was growing up. Both of them took me fishing, for example, and put up with my lack of ability to cast. They were my heroes. But they were in their early sixties when I was born. When Mia was born I was 70. She was our first grandchild. Her birth and presence in our lives were exciting to us, her Omi (grandmother) and Opa (grandfather), and cherished memories soon were created. Alas, we probably won't have the years together with Mia that my grandfathers had with me....

When I retired as a college professor in 2015, I began writing short stories, along with my usual nonfiction books (several published by Rock's Mills Press) and articles. It was only natural that Mia would prove to be an inspiration for story after story. It wasn't long before I wrote enough of them to make up a book. I felt it was important to publish such a book. In that way, when Mia has grown up, she will have the book to remind her of her grandmother Angie (the illustrator) and me and of our time together in her early years. I am also hoping that grandparents who read the book will be inspired to write their own short stories about their grandchildren!