Jenny Strohmeyer

I have always loved to make up stories.

Creating worlds in my mind has kept me endlessly entertained through many workouts, lectures, meetings, and (gasp!) even a sermon or two. I amused my friends with humorous tales during classes by subversively passing them around while the teacher droned on and on. I never missed a chance to drag those same friends into participating in a skit I wrote for an event.

While I initially dreamed up stories for fun, I began to see that they have other uses. Stories have staying power. A list of facts and principles is quickly forgotten, but stories weave themselves into the memory and add impact.

One day, inspiration struck during a particularly uninspiring workout. I grabbed onto that flash before it floated off and was lost forever in the Land of Undeveloped Ideas.

What if, I mused, there were two small, mischievous angels in Heaven who found it difficult to fit into the rigid angelic protocol developed by their more serious comrades? Details began to add themselves to the initial idea. It grew big enough to become a book. And that first book became The Small Ones Series.

I love clarifying a difficult-to-understand concept by adding a creative twist. Through the Small Ones' assignments, I tell the ancient truths of the Bible in a way that's entertaining enough for kids to enjoy, and simple enough for adults to understand, too!

As I'm documenting the journey of these playful little rascals, it's fun to find all the places where a hint about scripture can be tucked. Readers are led to think a little more deeply about how the humans the angels are assisting felt during their earthly conflicts and predicaments.

Adding in all the humor and fun is one of my favorite parts of writing these books. And I haven't forgotten about the adults who read these stories with their children. I scatter plenty of nuggets in the chapters that will cause them to look at each other with a knowing wink that says, "They'll understand THIS someday!"

It's a joy to describe the majesty and beauty of Father God, the Loving Son, and the Faithful Holy Spirit, and to show the joy and delight we will experience in Heaven. I want the love They feel for Their favorite little troublemakers in these stories to transfer to the reader. It's the same powerful adoration They have for all the humans They planned to "knit together in their mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13) when They created the universe.

As I stow these little pockets of Their presence into the series, I hope to create a gift that keeps giving as the reader's understanding grows. If not found in the first reading, perhaps they'll be discovered in a subsequent one.

Most of all, I love creating a place where readers can get lost in a world of delight that hugs them close to the hearts of the Trinity, and that they will want to return to again and again.

My hope for you is that the Small Ones burrow into your heart and become a part of your world, just like they are a part of mine.