Hello Chris!

Your blog is great! I stumbled upon it and had to see what the picture of the ape was all about. Haha! Thank you for helping authors get the word out. Social media intimidates me, but I’m learning to navigate it, and folks like you really help.

Ali Pfautz 😀

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What to write, what to write? A question many of us struggle with from time to time. You see, I find it awkward talking about myself. Will anyone care? Will I babble on too much? That said, I’m finally wrapping my brain around social media. It’s taken some time for me to get here, share more online. For years I had a muted presence, but now I get it. People do want to know stuff. So here I am penning a note to you via Chris The Story Writing Ape 😀 I love the name and the wonderful gift this blog offers authors. Thank you, Chris!

I’m Ali Pfautz, a storyteller/author, known as The Story Lady. I entertain children by telling tales, singing songs, and quite honestly, by jumping around all over the place. Children (and their parents) like to laugh at me, but hey, that’s okay. I’m in it for the smiles! I completely believe a smile has power; it can change a mood, change a day, change a person’s view of the world, if only for a moment. So, I smile a lot and revel in the smiles of others.

While performing and watching kids grin back at me, I started thinking of ways to get more happy faces. I write all of the time, always have since I was a teen. I have mounds of old school, yellow writing pads and now a MacBook full of my musings, poetry, and stories. For years I contemplated a children’s book. Some of my performance tales rely heavily on physicality, though; again, picture me jumping around, and the audience moving around, all of us having a ball. Those particular stories didn’t translate well to book format. However, I definitely could “see” several characters from other stories in my head. I had a clear vision of them as picture books. So in April 2014 I published my first children’s book, NO MORE SLOOPING, SARA SUE! Let me introduce you.

Sara Sue is a young girl who loves eating soup, but she makes silly noises while she eats. Not just slurping, this girl possesses a sound that’s all her own, and her friends call it slooping. Everyone is annoyed with her!  Finally, her parents tell Sara Sue she needs to stop the slooping, or they’ll stop the soup making. Of course, inventive problem solving ensues, resulting in a witty solution.

I am a big fan of alliteration and much of the time it sneaks its way into my poetry and stories naturally. This book is full of alliterative “s” words. Some were intentional, others just happened to come together. Either way, it’s great for beginning readers and it’s fun to say things like “sloppy sloopy slurp.” You try it! I bet you smile afterwards.

What else? I adore dance! Years ago (please don’t guess how many) I studied dance and theater, and taught classes to help pay for college. After more than a decade of writing for television, (my degree is in Radio, TV & Film) I eventually got back into the arts and began teaching dance again. It’s amazing having the opportunity to choreograph afresh, share my love of music and movement with students. My favorite part is when I get a child who, in the beginning, is clearly hesitant, not comfortable on that dance floor. Then, by the end, that same kiddo is rockin’ it, moving to the beat, and confident about it. He or she might not go on to be a dancer, but they walk with their chin up and perhaps have a bit of added grace in their step.

Okay, enough babbling. I SO appreciate this chance to share with you. Here are some places you can find me online…

My Website – Facebook – Pinterest – Goodreads

Amazon

UK – USA – Canada

Barnes & Noble