New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Local author’s ‘therapeutic’ work comes to fruition
ORANGE – A local woman has had her first children’s book published, an inspirational tale about a rooster, that came to be out of her own struggle to have a baby.
Jasmine Buynovsky, 28, got her baby, Emelia, now 1 year old, and a publisher recently released her book, “The Restless Rooster.”
The book is about a rooster, Rudy, who has a dream to fly but was faced with the fact that roosters can’t fly. That doesn’t stop him from attempting and succeeding, despite mocking from his farm friends.
“Finally, he soars through the sky over all of the farm animals that didn’t believe in him,” Buynovsky wrote in a description of the story.
Buynovsky took a crack at the book after her husband, Charles, encouraged her to write after suffering three miscarriages.
“We were trying to have a baby for a long time and I gave up so much hope,” she said. As she started give up, she said, her husband said, “‘We’ll try again, don’t give up, you really want to be a mom.’”
Charles Buynovsky, a cybersecurity analyst, suggested she write something, as she always enjoyed writing, so she produced the hopeful story about Rudy.
“It was very therapeutic,” Buynovsky said.
“You dive into the world they (the characters) create.”
The hopefulness fueled her to keep trying for a baby and soon, she got pregnant with Emelia.
“I wrote this book to enlighten kids again. Showing them that if you believe in your dreams, and work for your dreams then your dreams come true,” she said.
The colorfully illustrated book is 24 pages and came out Dec. 1. The book is sold online at Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.
Sophia Wilhelm, a marketing specialist with Mascot Books, which published the book, said, “‘ The Restless Rooster’ is a fun, inspiring, and colorful children’s book that will bring a smile to any child’s face.”
Wilhelm said Rudy is a funny character who eventually “musters the strength” to fly and proves the other animals wrong.
“This is an important lesson for children to learn to never give up, to conquer their fears, and to find the confidence in themselves to do anything they dream of,” she said.
Wilhelm said the children’s book market is quite a competitive field and “authors need to create engaging storylines and have eye-catching illustrations to make their book stand out.”
She said it is difficult for authors to market their books during the pandemic, since book launches, signings and other events aren’t really happening, so authors have to find creative ways to connect with readers and promote their book.
Buynovsky said the publisher told her they liked the book because it’s “old-school.”
Buynovsky, who grew in Stratford, has another book coming out around next Christmas, “The Christmas Star,” but she can’t talk about the storyline yet.
While Buynovsky hopes to keep writing, she considers it more of a hobby and as an Information Technology programmer is looking for a job as a project manager. She is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University.
“I’d like to get a book out that’s meaningful to at least one child,” she said.