When hugging is a must

SAMANTHA ELLEY

When Kiralee Strong was volunteering, helping families after the February 2022 foods, she noticed the emotional responses of parents with their children.

“When they’d come into the donation centre, there was always the guilt of what they could have done better for their kids,” she said.

“It kept me up at night, so much sadness and trauma.

“They thought they sent their kids to safety and there was no safe place.”

The Evans Head businesswoman decided to write how she felt, more for her own therapy, but then realised that perhaps what she had written could help others.

“I left it for a little while and thought maybe there’s something in this,” she said.

“I sent it off to an author friend and she said, ‘Keep moving forward with it’ so I did and submitted it to some publishers and it got picked up.”

And that is how Hugs Still Feel the Same evolved.

The book is 32 pages with illustrations by Jenni Barrand, an artist from Sydney.

“(EK Books) picked her mainly because of the softness of her style working against the harsh reality of the story,” said Kiralee.

“I love the idea where (the story) is a situation where your life is turned upside down. The food itself isn’t mentioned.

“There’s plenty of other things I wanted it to be relatable to: changing schools, separation, anything like that children can go through, even adults.

“Based on that theory of fnding the solid thing that’s always there and grounding yourself and focusing on that one positive to get through traumatic experiences.”

The book will be priced at $27.99 and as the owner of the retail store, Beachside Bargains, in Evans Head, Kiralee confrmed there will defnitely be copies sold there.

“The book is being sold in most of the big bookshops and then its also launching in the UK and the US simultaneously on the 5th March,” she said.

The book will also have a local launch on Sunday, 16th March at the Evans Head Bowling Club, starting at 11am.

“It will just be a story time, craft activity and celebrating community,” said Kiralee.

You can pre-order your own copy at The Book Warehouse in Lismore.