Sarah Primiano, author of Anchors Aweigh, Mommy’s Underway, joins us to talk about her book, her imaginary friend Toby, her unique illustrator collaboration, her Veteran’s Day Book tour, her complex relationship with the word certainly, and so much more. First, the details!
Anchors Aweigh, Mommy’s Underway by Sarah Primiano, illustrated by Gregorz Wojtowicz, and published by Argyle Fox Publishing.
Description from Goodreads:
What ties a family together when Mom is thousands of miles away? This is a question that many military children face. Maya’s mommy is a sailor in the United States Navy. When Maya’s mother gets deployed for ten months, Maya and her father experience the challenges, sacrifices, and triumphs of serving the country you love. This endearing story highlights the strength and resilience of daughters and sons of Navy sailors. Through love and laughter, Maya’s story shows that when families stick together, they can overcome any obstacles that come their way!
Releasing October 10, 2023.
Meet the Author
Sarah Primiano is an active-duty Navy wife who graduated from Texas A&M University – Kingsville. A licensed pediatric speech-language pathologist, she discovered a passion for writing children’s books while using children’s literature as therapeutic tools. She and her husband have one son, Anthony. Currently, Sarah and her family are stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.
Follow Sarah on Instagram, TikTok, or on Facebook.
Tell us a little about what inspired you to be a writer.
I have always wanted to be a writer! When I was little and was preparing for Santa Claus to visit on Christmas night, my family and I would leave out cookies and carrots for Rudolph and Santa’s other Reindeer. However, I also liked to include a “book” that was written, illustrated, and published by yours truly for Santa to take home with him. As a child, I always had a vivid imagination and loved telling stories. I always had these fictional characters I made up that my siblings and I still laugh about to this day. Since then, I have always wanted to publish a story to share with others.
I swear I am an English major and a speech therapist! But the last thing I googled was to double-check how to spell “certainly!”
What inspired you to write this book?
I am a pediatric speech-language pathologist and had the pleasure of working in an area that has the world’s largest naval base. Therefore, I worked with a lot of military families. Speech therapists are trained professionals who diagnose and treat various forms of communication disorders or differences, like speech sound disorders, language delays, those who stutter, or autistic individuals. I found that children in military families experienced their own unique experiences that come with military life and admired their strength and resilience. In many ways, those children are also serving this country. It is those children who inspired me to write a book so that other military children can find connection, but also to teach children of any background what it means to serve – no matter how big or small.
An embarrassing thing that has happened to me is nearly tripping over my wedding dress when I was walking to my fiance waiting at the altar. Best thing is it is on camera!
What was your experience like working with an illustrator?
I had the wonderful opportunity to work closely with my illustrator, Greg. This is somewhat rare in publishing, but this was special in my experience because Greg involved me in every step of the creative process. From sketching the character designs of Maya to sketching different settings, I was able to send pictures of local areas in Hampton Roads to make my story even more unique and bring Maya’s story to life. It was great to be involved with the process and to have a say in how my characters turned out and how certain scenes played out. That was honestly my favorite step of the publishing process. It’s one thing to envision your character in your head, but it’s another thing entirely to see them drawn out on a page!
I absolutely did have an imaginary friend! His name was Toby. He liked to listen to music and had blonde hair. That’s all I can remember for now.
What are your plans for hosting storytimes or book signings?
I have a lot of events planned in October and November of 2023. I will be hosting author’s visits for various businesses like Kidcreate Studio of Newport News, the Norfolk Book Exchange, locations of YMCA of South Hampton Roads, as we as participating in various seasonal craft fairs as a vendor. I additionally plan on visiting public schools in honor of Veteran’s Day as well as hosting an author’s visit at public libraries. These will truly be busy but fun months this year!
These are both terrifying to me. But I’d have to say space because…aliens.
What else is in the works for you going forward?
I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience in publishing so far! I am planning on writing more children’s books and publishing more in the future. These may specifically fall in line with helping children develop their reading and language development. You can see more updates on future books on my Instagram @thespeechladyslp. I also plan on sharing more information of military life as all as tips and strategies for parents on developing children’s speech and language.
100% would be a comedy. My family and I joke all the time that we could become our own reality show. There is never a dull moment in our lives!
Special Thanks
Sarah sends a special thanks to everyone in the military for their bravery, dedication, and service.
Purchase this book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or anywhere books are sold!
