Described as an indie rocker with a country twist, Angie Heaton has been called “a local legend.” If you’ve never heard her music, you’re missing out. Lucky for us, Angie has started playing periodically around Champaign-Urbana after a hiatus. But she’s also emerged with a new talent: writing for children. After decades of writing songs, mostly about crushes and death, Angie has taken a new approach to writing in her self-published children’s book “OK The Snail.”
We loved Angie’s book so much, we thought we would give two copies away. See below for how to enter!
Why did you write this book?
The word “OK” has always looked like a snail to me. I can’t really explain that. One day several years ago when I was really struggling emotionally, I asked my best friend if he thought I was going to be OK. He said “Angie, you already are!” I have been clearly receiving this message about being “OK” for several years and I wanted to share it with everyone. And those two ideas merged. I think that if we share how we really feel we find out that we are not alone in those feelings.
It reads like a children’s book, but there is so much more to it. Who is your target audience?
I think the “target audience” is anyone at any age that feels like they are not “OK” … that they are lost, alone, scared, anxious, sad … any of our core feelings … usually all based in the fear that we somehow are flawed or less than.
What do you hope people will get out of the book?
I hope that people will know that they are OK. That they are safe in the world. That they are loved in the universe. That they are never alone. And that the healing comes from the inside of us. Sometimes it’s something we have to re-examine every day …
What’s your favorite part of the book?
I love that I have people in my life who inspired the characters. People that I have trusted with the real me throughout the years. The broken parts. One of the characters I’ve known almost my entire life; one is someone I barely know. My favorite part about this book, and life, in general is that no matter who you’re talking to, if you listen to them, really listen, they will tell you your own story just with different people and different experiences. Yet, the same feelings!
What is it like to write a book versus writing a song? Will you turn the book into a song?
When I write a song it usually just comes out all at one time. Like an emotional purge. This book was more of a process. More thoughtful than my songs usually are. Probably won’t turn it into a song but who knows.
You also took the photos. What is it like to live on Maui – and do you miss it? Which photo is your favorite? 
Maui is a beautiful place. The colors are amazing. The air is healing. But what I learned from spending time there is that saying “no matter where you go there you are” is TRUTH … The mind is clever. I do miss elements of the island, indeed. Ho’Okipa is my favorite place on earth. I would go there almost every day to meditate. That is probably my favorite picture. Sara, the lava rock is at Ho’Okipa.
What has surprised you about publishing a book?
That people really seem to love it. Kids love it. My friend emailed me about what her 3-year-old son said when she read the book to him. The last page is when OK The Snail sees his reflection and sees for himself that he really is OK! And her son said, ‘Is that his friend?’ She said, ‘That’s his reflection, like a mirror.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, but is that his friend?’ She said, ‘Yeah, that is his friend.’ That was really touching to me.
Do you have any other creative projects in the works?
I think I’m going to write a few more OK books. I have several ideas about his journey. I’ve also been writing my “memoirs” which I realize sounds presumptuous, but when I tell people stories about my life they always say “OMG! You should write a book.” I think this idea terrifies my mother! 🙂
OK the Snail is available on Amazon, and costs $4.99. Enter to win one below!