From Teacher to Writer
The Journey of Children’s Author Ronda Eurey
Story by Stephanie Meyer
Photos courtesy of Ronda Eurey and Bailee Eurey Shirley
For more than 30 years, Ronda Eurey dedicated her career to shaping young minds as an elementary school educator. A wife, a mom, and now a self-published children’s book author, she has transformed her lifelong love of storytelling into a beautifully illustrated picture book inspired by the people who have filled her life with imagination: her mother, her children, and the students who sat in her classroom.
Eurey’s debut book, Floppy’s First Day, follows a young girl as she heads off to her first day of school, accompanied by her pink stuffed bunny, Floppy. While fictional on the page, the story is rooted deeply in Eurey’s real life. The characters are inspired by her own children, and the spark for the story reaches back even further, to the tales her mother used to share with her.
“She would always tell me funny stories as a child,” Eurey explains. “A lot of it she doesn’t remember now, but those stories stuck with me.”
When she became a mother herself, storytime became a cherished ritual, full of silly voices, animated gestures, and lots of smiles. Those moments planted the seeds for what would eventually become her book.
Certain scenes in Floppy’s First Day also carry special personal meaning. Readers may be surprised to learn that the classroom number in the book is a nod to Eurey’s real classroom, where she taught for more than 15 years. And the memorable water fountain mishap in the book began as one of her mother’s childhood stories, lovingly adapted into the illustrated world of Floppy.
Preserving these family stories, she says, was one of her biggest motivations for writing.
“One day when my children have their own children, they can read it to them. It’s something that can be passed down.”
The book, in many ways, is a legacy, and one she hopes will be carried forward through generations.But transforming that legacy into a published book was no simple task. Self-publishing, Eurey discovered, is a labor of love that requires patience, research, and persistence.
“It’s not an easy process,” she admits. “It took a lot longer than I expected.”
Drawing on her decades of classroom experience, she researched picture books for ages 3–6, learning about word counts, pacing, and structure. Writing, editing, and rewriting took time, and once the story was finalized, there was still the challenge of illustration.
“You may have the words you want, but maybe they don’t go exactly the way you think with the illustrations,” she says. “It was a learning process. And I learned a lot.”
Illustrator Stacey Pilkington-Smith played a pivotal role in bringing “Floppy’s First Day” to life, though their partnership began purely by chance. After Eurey’s children both graduated and her once-busy schedule freed up, she decided to pursue something she’d always wanted to try: art classes. A Google search then led her to Stacey’s studio.
“I didn’t know Stacey at all,” she recalls. “But I attended one of her open houses and thought it would be great for me because she does individual instruction.”
One day in class, Stacey mentioned that she had written a book, prompting Eurey to share her long-held dream of writing one herself.
Eurey created a “dummy book” filled with handwritten notes and sticky-note illustration ideas, which she handed to Stacey to review. Stacey agreed to collaborate, offering suggestions and ultimately translating Eurey’s vision into charming, expressive illustrations. Stacey’s husband, Cecil, completed the team by handling pagination and layout.
“They helped bring it all to life,” Eurey says.
With Floppy’s First Day now in print, Eurey is already at work on her second book. While her debut centers on themes of friendship and the excitement of beginning school, her next story will focus on sharing. She plans to release it in time for Christmas next year.
Readers can purchase Floppy’s First Day on Amazon, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and directly from her website at rondaeureyauthor.weebly.com. Though the book is widely available, she says orders placed directly through her website are especially appreciated.
“If people order there, I can mail them a personal note, and I receive more of the profit than if they order elsewhere,” she says. “But I didn’t do this to make a lot of money. As long as people buy it and enjoy it, I’m very happy. I had a mom send me a picture of her reading the book in bed with her kids and it just warmed my heart. That’s what I wanted, just for the children who come across it to read it and enjoy it.”
For Eurey, the journey from classroom to author’s desk has been filled with creativity, nostalgia, and the joy of preserving stories for a new generation—exactly the kind of magic she once brought to storytime with her own children.