It’s really not surprising that Micah Ducharme is a published author at just 12 years old. You could say it’s all in the family, since his sister Abby, as well as his father Joshua and mother Julie have all written books.
The idea for Micah’s first book, “The Adventures of Jerry the Pug: The Quest for the Secret Biscuit, An Egyptian Adventure with Tom” came to him about a year ago, while eating a biscuit. He thought about combining his idea with his favorite dog breed – pug – into a children’s book because he knew that kids like funny stories. And although he has two dogs, Chewie, a Rhodesian Ridgeback and Mocha, a chocolate Labrador, his favorite dog type is pugs, because he has watched so many silly YouTube videos of them. He definitely plans to get a pug for a pet when he gets older.
He was inspired by his sister, who published “The New Crafters” two years ago; and his parents have always advocated that, “You don’t have to wait to be an adult to be a success in life.”
When asked about his process to create the book, he said he envisioned the story unfolding as he wrote and wasn’t sure how it would end until he got there. The actual writing process took several months, with some of the characters inspired by people he knew, while others were from his imagination. His parents helped him edit it, and while he originally wanted black and white illustrations, they persuaded him that kids like color. They then found an illustrator, incidentally from Peru, who helped make Jerry and the other characters come to life on the page. Micah gave lots of feedback and insisted Jerry wear a stylish hoodie.
Since both Joshua and Julie are published authors, they had some connections to assist with getting Michah’s book published. Joshua recently wrote ”Becoming an Unstoppable Teacher,” which chronicles lessons from his twenty years as an educator. Julie has written several books including ““Leading by My Ponytail: Why Can’t I Wear Pink and be President?” and “Authentically You: Empower Your Way to Success.”
Michah and Abby recently started Smiley Productions because they felt that the world can often be a drab place and they wanted to create things to make people smile. Their online store features shirts, hoodies, phone cases, decals, and more, all designed by them, with positive vibes, along with their books. They also have a YouTube channel devoted to Minecraft, and Micah and his dad are currently creating episodes for a new animated channel with a “Magic Bean” theme.
What else does Micah do for fun? With diverse interests, he enjoys playing basketball and flag football, watching YouTube videos, playing Minecraft, drawing animation, and creating flip books that tell stories. \Creatively, he sees himself as a green dot in a blue picture, and notes that his parents always encourage him and his sister to try everything and be creative. The family has lived in the Coronado Cays for the past seven years and enjoy being on the water.
A new adventure idea for Jerry the Pug and his owner Tom is already forming in Micah’s mind as he plans to make a series. He shares that it will most likely involve peanut butter and space. The future is definitely bright for this creative guy who sees himself eventually working as a Disney animator.
“The Adventures of Jerry the Pug: The Quest for the Secret Biscuit” is a heartwarming and humorous tale geared for readers ages seven to 12, and is currently available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and could be ordered through our local Bay Books.
