About the Author

Judy England-McCarthy has been telling stories all her life and became a professional storyteller in 2009. She was selected to tell one of her original tales at the National Storytelling Conference in 2013. In that same year she performed in Canada. Published author and poet, one of her poems was presented at "The Just Listening Event" by The Missouri Arts Council in 2016. This book is an updated and revised version of the original printed in 2013. Another book out soon by this author is "Twas Midnight" a story for Halloween based on a poem she wrote. Judy is currently working to make "Amazing Petunia's Adventures" into a children's animation series. Below is the story of what inspired Petunia. At the South Plainfield Library I was talking to the Children's librarian about my newest adventure as a professional storyteller. To my surprise she told me that the library had a collection of puppets that she was happy to lend to me, to use with my storytelling. Surrounded by boxes and boxes of these puppets, I began opening them. I felt like a kid in a candy store, each box unfolding new surprises. Soon a cascade of puppets surrounded me and with them came countless thoughts and ideas, all whirling around in my mind about the unlimited possibilities they offered. Many original stories would flow from my imagination as a result of these puppets. As I opened one of the cardboard storage boxes I came across a different sort of puppet. It fit on your head instead of your hands. Your hands were meant to be free to maneuver the attached string, which moved the appendages. No sooner did I see it in the box, then it was upon my head and I was rushing around looking for the librarian shouting in a loud whisper, "It's a flying pig." Unlike most librarians of my experience this outburst was embraced for the unbridled enthusiasm from which it stemmed. She smiled at me as I announced, without hesitation, " I am definitely going to make a story about this one." Thinking all the while how I had grown up hearing the phrase "when pigs fly," which is an adaptation--a figure of speech so hyperbolic (exaggerated) , because it is a way of saying that something will never happen. I knew at that moment, my pig would fly and change the meaning of the idiom forever. I would write a story to show the world that not only can pigs fly, they can prove dreams really come true. I can say without a doubt, that without the puppets Petunia would not have gotten off the ground, both figuratively and literally. To think my adventure began with the discovery of an unused hat puppet, in a box on a library shelf.

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