As a child, Melissa Vocelka believed words had the power to change the world.
For someone who has had a passion for reading and writing, the Rainy River Community College graduate decided to throw her words out into the world in the form of her first childrens book, “Oh Mighty Mississippi.”
The book, scheduled for release the first week of May, is inspired by Vocelka’s Minnesota roots.
“I grew up down a dirt road in the country in Sturgeon Lake, Minn.,” she said.
Originally, the idea for the book’s story came after Vocelka and her husband, John, took their daughter, Rebekah, to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park.
“I actually started writing the book at 3 o’clock in the morning,” she said. “I had this burning idea, and this rhyme in my head, and I couldn’t sleep because it wouldn’t go away. I finally got up and started writing. A week later, I had the very first, and very rough, draft.”
Vocelka’s first draft was titled, “River, oh River.” She said the Mississippi theme happened half-way through the writing process, when a North Star Press staff member suggested she give the book a Minnesota theme.
“That was some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten,” she said. “Essentially, I began the entire writing process over again.”
Vocelka’s professional career kicked off after she began attending RRCC in an effort to distance herself from her childhood hometown.
“Attending RRCC turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me. I received a good education, learned to stand on my own two feet, and met my husband,” she explained.
After graduating from RRCC in 2010, Vocelka tackled online education through Ashworth College in Georgia, enrolling in a program specifically for writing childrens books.
“Oh Mighty Mississippi” took Vocelka eight months to write, and she said she enjoyed every minute — even when the going got tough.
“I love everything about the writing process,” she said. “For this book, my favorite was the rhyming. I love playing with words. The hardest part of the writing process for this book was starting over.
I was really happy with the river story, and starting over to make it about the Mississippi River was really hard for me. I felt like I was tearing apart my masterpiece. I learned, however, that sometimes, if you want to make something better, you have to tear it down and begin again.”
With the finished product days away from making its debut, Vocelka says she “wouldn’t change a thing” about her first book.
“The whole process was hard, and scary, and exciting, and stressful, and wonderful. I learned so much from every little mistake I made, and overall, it has been an awesome experience that I will remember for my whole life,” she said.
Artwork in the book was done by Amy Larson.
“Amy was such a pleasure to work with, and her art has turned the book into something more beautiful than I could have imagined,” Vocelka said.
To unveil her book to the community she grew to love while attending RRCC, Vocelka will host a book signing in the RRCC Library from 4-6 p.m. May 3. Books will be available for sale there, on Amazon.com, through North Star Press of St. Cloud, and on her website at www.melissavocelka.com.
