Within the pages of Sheror C. Moore’s Treasures in an Alabama Attic: The Adventures of a Doll from the Past is a heartwarming story of a well-loved doll who brought much joy to two young girls. Told from the doll’s point of view, the book details a great many years filled with happy memories. But what readers may find most interesting is that the story is fact, not fiction: after moving into their historic Victorian home in Montevallo, Alabama, the author uncovered a priceless treasure in her attic, a doll. As she joyfully watched her granddaughters, Mari and Tori, play with the doll day after day, she was inspired to write a story about it.
“The poem-stories were written over a period of several years, but I always knew it would be a paper doll book one day,” she says. “I knew, too, the minute that I met [illustrator] Martha Fulghum and saw her beautiful artwork that she was the one to illustrate the book. Then we had to put our project on the back burner because my husband was stricken with cancer and I needed to take care of him.”
For the next nine years, Moore says she cared for her beloved husband of 46 years as he battled cancer—until his passing in 2006. Though his death left a gaping hole in her life, she and Martha still had their dream in their hearts as the years passed—a dream to one day publish their book. It wasn’t until recently that God made provisions for them to do so. “One and a half years ago, we were finally able to get back to our dream of the paper doll.”
Once they had finished the book—which is part poetry, coloring, and paper doll book all rolled into one—it was time to find a publisher. Moore was no stranger to this process, having published a book with Xulon Press titled Only the Ice Cream Shows just a year prior, so she was eager to repeat the “very pleasant experience,” she says. Months later, Treasures in an Alabama Attic made its debut in bookstores courtesy of Xulon Press.
Before the book had even been published, Moore utilized word of mouth marketing to generate buzz about it. “I had friends who waited a long time for this book, and the excitement grew and grew,” the author recounts. “Even the local TV newscaster was calling to see if it was done because she had heard about it from a mutual friend and wanted to interview us.”
Thus far, the response to the author’s book has been overwhelmingly positive—due in no small part to the author’s proactive approach to marketing. “Everyone who sees it loves it,” she says. “We have gotten a great deal of interest since we were on local ABC 33/40’s Matters of Faith, which aired Sunday, May 2,” she explains. “I read for a Christian School this morning and will be reading at a public school career day Friday. God is opening doors in interesting places. We have also already had three book signings. We are taking the book to arts and craft shows where I read to children every hour on the hour. The response has been wonderful from grandparents, parents, and children.”
If there is one thing the experience of writing and publishing this book has taught her, it’s that God is determined to see His message reach people worldwide—no matter what. “I have learned in the period of my lifetime to trust in the Lord and lean not to my own understanding,” she says. “Writing is a gift He gave and He will see that it gets in the hands of the ones it is for.”
