How a pandemic turns family tradition into a book

Lucette Moramarco

Associate Editor

Lisa Hasvold, director of marketing at Coldwell Banker Village Properties, can now add published author to her resume, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Her children's book, "How Many Sleeps Nana?" is now available on Amazon. Hasvold hadn't planned on writing a book, "The idea found me," she said.

The book evolved from her family's experiences during the pandemic. "Just like the majority of people, Covid changed my ability to visit and spend time with loved ones," she explained. At the time, her granddaughters lived in Orange County, an hour away from Fallbrook, and she had been going up once a week to visit and help out.

"At the end of our visit we would, and still do, discuss our favorite parts of the day. I tell them I wrap up those memories and put them into my heart so that when I miss them, I have the gift of the treasured memories. And we always counted how many sleeps until our next visit," Hasvold explained. When Covid emerged and she had to stay away, "it completely disrupted our routine and time together. The girls were just 3 and 1, so it was hard to be away," she said.

The girls parents, Ryan and Courtney Hasvold, explained to them "that a 'Big, Big Germ' was here and that's why we couldn't visit, go to the park, etc.," Lisa said, adding that "Courtney was great and would set up FaceTime each morning with the girls while they drank their smoothies. I would read stories, do puppet shows, you name it – something to engage them."

During that time, Lisa Hasvold began journaling and writing her granddaughters letters, "because I wanted them to have a record of this unique time in our world." She also began doodling and sketching, and "it's as though the idea of a book grabbed me," she said. (She does her sketching, painting, etc. on her iPad using an apple pencil and the Procreate app.) It was then that she decided to compile the journaling and doodles into a book for Christmas.

While doodling one night, she "could 'see' the cover of the book along with the title, as well as the color palette... I knew what I wanted to convey and it seemed the best way to do it would be in storybook format. This was in summer of 2020," she said.

She created the book and uploaded it to Shutterfly, giving it to the girls and other family members for Christmas 2020. "They all loved the book. My other daughter-in-law, Joy, encouraged me to write a book and publish it on Amazon as she had a friend who published a book on Amazon," she added. (Joy and Bret Hasvold live in Honolulu, Hawaii.)

It took her a year to research the process of self-publishing, including watching numerous webinars on writing children's books and taking courses on color theory and other aspects of the process. Using desktop publishing at her job helped her understand some of it, but she went through three different self-publishing companies before finding the right one for her book. She also hired a consultant to read the first draft and let her know if her story was worth publishing.

For Hasvold, the process was similar to training for and running a marathon. She explained, "While training for a marathon, I've had good runs and not so good runs. I've questioned my sanity, but then had days where I'm encouraged and feeling confident in my training. When marathon day comes, I never know what that will bring – there are so many variables but you just put yourself out there. At times I've wanted to quit running, but that voice inside me tells me to dig deep and keep going because crossing the finish line will be worth it. This book was the same experience. I had many days of discouragement and then days where I believed it could happen. I realized I just needed to finish it, whether anyone read it or not."

While she doesn't consider herself an artist, she said she has always created art in various forms such as drawing and painting as well as photography. (Her degree is in English literature.) She noted that she personalized the art in the book; her granddaughters often dress alike, so she matched some of their outfits in the book with ones they have worn. "Nearly everything I drew was taken from real objects and settings," she said.

Everly (now 5) and Vivian (now 3) moved to Liberty Hill, Texas with their parents in November 2020. When their Nana can spend time with them, they "have tea parties, ride bikes and scooters, read stories and do lots of art projects," she said.

Hasvold added, "I hope to instill in the girls not to fear obstacles. That we have a way through them," as her published book demonstrates.

"How Many Sleeps Nana?" can be ordered at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737057700.