Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

After over a decade of work, a local author has published her first book.

At age 75, Janet Davis Talbott of Prince Edward County fulfilled a lifelong dream of publishing her own book. It started out as something to do when she found herself with some extra downtime and now after 11 years of perfecting the story, her book is available for the world to read.

“Best Friends” is a story about how even after tragedy there can be good things in life. The story follows 10-year-old Sarah as she learns this lesson with the help of her family and her best friends, Trudy the pony and Hopalong the dog.

“Been a lifelong dream,” said Talbott. “I want other people to see our experiences growing up. I only went to one year of college, but I learned more by being on the farm. I learn what is good and bad and about respect and that sort of thing.”

The book pulls many experiences from Talbott’s childhood as she remembers playing outside with her brother and cousins on their farm and the adjacent land that was also owned by family. Next to her family, Talbott has a strong love for animals and the outdoors. She hopes her book can share these experiences with the younger generations who don’t spend as much time outside exploring.

One memory she shares in her book is drinking straight from the creek on the farm. The water from the creek was pure so it was safe to drink, but according to Talbott, she did have to watch to make sure she didn’t get a tadpole or a crawfish.

“Kids today don’t know about the good life,” said Talbott. “We had a fun life growing up. Even if I was able to I couldn’t have bought a better life.”

As the book also talks about family, Talbott’s family has been very supportive of this book. Her brother, who has also published some writings helped her map out the story as she was putting it together to make sure it had the best flow. Her grandchildren have helped by creating a Tik Tok on a horse farm to help promote the book.

The book is aimed for children ages 8 to 14 years old, even though anyone can enjoy the story. Talbott said she received a call from a man who enjoyed the book and read it twice because he found it interesting.

This may be her first book, but it will not be her last. According to Talbott, she currently has six other stories in the works that she is finishing up. These will have similar themes focusing on her two loves, family and animals.

“Best Friends” is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Dorrance Publishing Company.