Plymouth Resident to Hold Book Signing Sunday at The Coffee Bean

What started out as a simple plan for guests to bring books to celebrate her daughter's first birthday, grew into an idea for a book of her own that Plymouth resident Holly Skelton is now ready to offer to the public.

Skelton has written a Christian-based children’s book called , that is scheduled to be released in May. A pre-release book signing for Skelton is scheduled at from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 17.

“I live here in Plymouth, and my neighbors have been so supportive and excited for me,” Skelton said of why she chose that location. "I wanted to be at a place where my friends and family were familiar. Where if they wanted to, they could come in and buy the book or stop in to just say hi.”

Written like a letter from God to children, Skelton said Perfect You  is about knowing that God makes each person unique and special, and it is geared toward pre-school, lower elementary school kids.

“It includes scriptures that tie together; letting them know that, you were loved before you were born, just the way you are. "He gives you talents that are perfect for you," she said.

The 33-year-old mother of three daughters-- Schuler, 5; Brier, 2 and Sommer, 8 months, said that at the time that she wrote the book, she was in search of the perfect book for her children.

“I was doing a lot of soul-searching, and I was thinking that I really wished that I had a book for my girls that talked about talents. You can use them to do really great things in the world,” Skelton said. “I wanted to get them thinking that God had a plan for them in their life."

As she searched, Skelton didn't find any special books for her daughters that conveyed the idea that she was searching for.

She said that for her middle daughter, Brier’s first birthday party, in lieu of toys, she asked the guests to bring books for her daughter.

Skelton said she realized that the book idea that she was searching for was already in her mind, on a whim, she wrote out the story in one evening  and decided to present it as a birthday gift to her daughter.

“I literally wrote down the story then and there,” she said.

Skelton said that after her husband Bryndon, 34, read the book, he told her that she should do something more than just give it to their daughter for her birthday-- so she decided to send the story off to several publishers.

"I encouraged my wife to move forward," Bryndon Skelton said.  "It was definitely something that she was passionate about." 

After that everything fell into place, the couple said.

Holly Skelton, who was an engineer at the time, got the call from Tate Publishing in February of last year, after receiving about a dozen rejections for the book.

“Just as I got laid off from my job I got a call from a -- on the very same day,” she said.

Bryndon Skelton said his wife's life is "sort of that book". 

"As a woman who is good at math she was encouraged to become an engineer, but that she did not find fulfillment in her chosen career," he said. "She is much more passionate about writing and now she feels that she has found her calling. I'm a firm believer in what the book says ... I just encourage her all the way and I hope to do the same for my girls as well."

Plymouth Coffee Bean Manager, Donna DeMeyer, said she's glad to be the host site for the book signing.

"We have people of all ages coming in with their children and grandchildren who came here when they were in high school," she said. "We encourage community events, especially things that are family oriented."

For more information about Skelton and Perfect You, visit www.hollyskeltonbooks.com.