OCEANA COUNTY, Mich. – She didn’t think it was a possible, but a West Michigan mother just became a published author. Now, she’s hoping it’s a lesson her children will learn from in more ways than one.
Megan Oomen is a longtime Oceana County resident who says, “I’ve been a writer ever since I was in high school. It’s something I’ve always done to calm my nerves and make me feel a little bit better.”
The wife and mother just recently found a paper she’d written in high school expressing her desire to become a children’s book author.
“I’d forgotten all about that paper,” said Oomen who didn’t feel all that confident about the idea. “I just didn’t see, if I didn’t go away to college how I was going to be able to accomplish being an author, ever.”
Despite her skepticism, she decided to go for it.
With the pandemic underway, Oomen wanted to give her son some extra help with his vocabulary words and she came up with an idea.
“He’s always said he’s going to have two kids. So, I added a little girl and a little boy to it and made it as him telling them about the year that school was canceled for him and how lucky they are that they get to actually go to school,” said Oomen.
“The Year School was Cancelled” was born, officially making Oomen a self-published author and allowing her to teach her children a lesson that goes well beyond those vocabulary words.
Oomen said, “I want them to see that no matter what, you can always make your dreams come true.”
She goes by the pen name E.W. Fields and says she already has several more books in the works. She’s hoping to find a Michigan illustrator to take along for the ride. If you’re interested, you can contact her via email: meganelizoomen@gmail.com.
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