Photo courtesy of Alana Smith.
Alana Smith, who works as a nurse anethestist, recently wrote a book for children to help them prep for surgery.
It was while Alana Smith was on maternity leave in 2014 that she created her blog, Holy Moly Motherhood, as a way to vent and share her emotions as a new mom during sleepless nights.
Two years ago, the Oak Mountain mother began sharing more stories through a monthly column in 280 Living, and now Smith has become a published author.
At her day job, Smith has been working as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) for the past 11 years. However, when she began looking for books for children heading into surgery, her search came up empty.
“As a mom to two boys, we love books, but I realized we didn’t have any books about surgery,” Smith said. “There was nothing on the market that would prepare my kids if they ever needed surgery. I was already in the writing space as a columnist, so I decided I would learn everything I could about picture books. Then, I wrote it.”
Smith paid a visit to her local library where she said she studied “probably 100 picture books” while writing her story to figure out what made readers want to turn the page and what made her as a parent love a book. Some of her favorites are “Dragons Love Tacos” by Adam Rubin and “Stuck” by Oliver Jeffers, and she wanted her book to have the same fun, lyrical flow.
In her job, Smith said she knows that surgery can be scary for everyone, and most people don’t know what to expect unless they’ve been through it before. Even then, she said the anesthesia is what seems to scare people the most.
“I think it’s even scarier for kids because they have zero control over anything that happens in the hospital,” she said. “In most pediatric hospitals, kids are currently only given a paper pamphlet about what to expect on surgery day. I want to change that.”
Smith initially wrote out the first draft of her book, “Magic Air: Ten Kid-Sized Steps to Surgery,” on paper and revised it over the next year.
Her sons, Cannon and Luke, were the inspiration for the characters in the book, and Smith believed it would be relatable to have an older child who had been through surgery to tell younger children what happens. She said the young narrator’s voice and the fun illustrations make this scary topic approachable.
Smith said the search for an illustrator was the most time-consuming part of the project. She had five illustrators from different writing groups submit sketches, but when she saw a book illustrated by Polish artist Roksana Barwinska, Smith knew she was the one.
From across the world, the two women collaborated and spent many hours in conversation over Zoom to get the illustrations just right. After six months, their creative process was complete.
Smith decided to independently publish her book in order to have full creative control, so she created Sleeping Bird Books. While she funded a large portion of the book herself, she created a Kickstarter campaign in 2023 for customers to preorder books. To her surprise, word of mouth spread quickly and she sold 1,100 copies in just 28 days.
“I was really pleased at how quickly it grew,” Smith said. “It raised over $24,000 in the preorder phase, and over 500 books are now being donated to pediatric hospitals and organizations across the state.”
The book was sent to the printer in January, and she expects copies soon. Once they arrive at her home in north Shelby County, she will sign, package and ship out the orders. After that, the book will be available for purchase on her website and on Amazon.
Smith said she would love to see “Magic Air” in hospital pre-operating bays, waiting rooms, pediatrician offices and hospital gift shops.
“I’d love for every parent that is facing a surgery for their child to know that this book exists,” she said. “I hope that any time someone has a child headed to surgery, that they will recommend this book as the go-to. This book will be a success if kids read it and think, ‘OK, I got this. I’m not scared anymore.’”
To order a copy of “Magic Air,” visit Smith’s website at sleepingbirdbooks.com. To arrange for bulk orders or book donations, email her at sleepingbirdbooks@gmail.com.
