By Kay Whatley
Children’s book author Emily Claire Huneycutt, who writes under the pen name, E. Claire, is an ECU engineering graduate who worked for a time as an engineer in Tarboro, North Carolina. Mrs. Huneycutt wrote the recently-released children’s book, Princess Peppermint and the Kingdom of Swirls.
Huneycutt said:
“Growing up I always had a vivid imagination. I was determined that princesses, fairies and magic existed (a part of me wants to still believe that they do). This book helps me re-live that part of my childhood and that’s how the story began.
“I write things that I would have wanted to read as a child and “Princess Peppermint and the Kingdom of Swirls” would have been my go-to book if I had it when I was younger. It takes you to a world where all things are sweet, and you can have a carefree life filled with love and laughter.”
Her second E. Claire children’s book is already in the works. Titled Jupiter Jones and the Space Cadets, Huneycutt says that she is tapping into her engineering background for the Space Cadets’ adventures — projected for release in early 2020.
Huneycutt said that the math and science she enjoys led her to include a “hint” of rocket adventure in the Princess Peppermint book:
“With being an engineer, I wanted to add some part of a science to the story, so in the end when Princess Peppermint’s mother is reading a book to put her to sleep, you can see that there is a rocket on the front cover of the book.
“Then once Princess Peppermint falls asleep, you can see her dream of riding through the sky on that rocket. I thought this would be a good way to lead into the Space Cadets’ adventure, even though the two books are unrelated.”
Huneycutt, now living in Gastonia, NC with her husband, says she misses Eastern NC.
Both of Huneycutt’s “E. Claire” books are published by Mascot Books. Mrs. Huneycutt describes how Mascot helped her to find an illustrator to bring her visions to life.
“…[Mascot] hand selected artists that they thought I would like to illustrate my book. From there I was able to narrow down the list and have three draw my main character, Princess Peppermint. Once I saw Rachel’s portrayal, I knew she was the one to go with from all of the detail she used in her drawing.”
Mascot Books, located in Herndon, Virginia, was co-founded in 2003 by Naren Aryal. Mascot Books has published over 1,000 books with a diverse library of titles including children’s, young adult, fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, and more. Learn more at mascotbooks.com.
