An Interview with Camo Cuddles Author Barbara Keene
August 12, 2015
United Through Reading (UTR): What motivated you to write Camo Cuddles?
Barbara Keene (BK): My neighbors are a wonderful young bunch that quickly became part of our family. Connor, Anna, and Ethan were 6, 3, and almost 1 when their daddy was scheduled for deployment. As the time grew nearer, the kids became more anxious about the impending separation. They were very sad about missing the daily hugs they shared with their dad. Not one that wrote children’s books, I began thinking about these hugs and how I could do something to help them. This is how the idea of Camo Cuddles was born. A stuffed eagle that could fly hugs & kisses back and forth between the kids and their daddy while he was gone might be just what they needed to get them through until he returned. I have written magazine and newspaper essays, and have a few novels in the works, but these books are happily what I’ve been focused on now.
UTR: That is wonderful! What a great neighbor you are, Barbara. Tell us a little bit about Connor, and his family.
BK: This special family moved in my neighborhood in 2009 with an beautiful baby girl named Anna and a terrific four year old named Connor. A few years later came another adorable son named Ethan. Daddy served our country as an Air Force Reservist and Mommy kept them healthy and happy at home. Not having any grandchildren yet, these three kids soon became my “pretend grandchildren” and stole my heart from the get go.
UTR: Tell us more about how you have seen deployment and separation affect the military families that are in your life, like Connor’s family, and how you have seen them fight to stay connected.
BK: I had never personally been affected by military separation. I’ve seen the stories on the news, and felt empathy with the situations these young families went through, but never saw it first hand until my neighbor-family was affected. Connor’s focus in school suffered and some days were very weepy for him. He is the worrier of the three children and that became even stronger leading up to his dad leaving. Anna went from a relaxed, calm, and sweet little girl to one that became quite nervous at times and cried at least two or three times a day about her daddy leaving for the desert. They were very proud of daddy that he was going to fix airplanes for the United States military that keep us safe but could feel his absence even before he left.
Ethan was only 11 months when Daddy left and sadly, celebrated his first birthday during deployment. Thankfully the family used Skype as best as possible to allow these special moments to be shared half way around the world. In addition to their Camo Cuddles experience, the other main item that helped the kids was the package they received from United Through Reading with the books and video of their dad reading to them. This was especially helpful for the baby because he could watch Daddy and not forget him. It was adorable when they were finally reunited five months later and Ethan recognized him after realizing that he was the same guy in the television and computer.
UTR: That’s great, we just love hearing about families staying connected with United Through Reading! Tell us why you feel your book is still relevant during the drawdown. We personally think programs like United Through Reading, and books like yours, are still very relevant in military families as they continue to face all types of separation. What do you think?
BK: I believe Camo Cuddles and your organization will have relevance as long as we have a military. Children are affected every single day by the honorable choices of their parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, etc. If they can get hugs and kisses every weekend from their loved ones, it has to help if even just a little bit. I reached out to your organization for the same reason. United Through Reading gives children a priceless gift from someone they love and miss. And even in the most awful situations where their loved one doesn’t return, that package becomes a memory of a lifetime.
UTR: We couldn’t agree more! We were also curious to hear about the series you mention in your book. Camo Cuddles was just the first of the series, correct? What are your future plans to build on the series?
BK: As I worked on Camo Cuddles I lost my beloved mother to cancer and Connor, Anna, & Ethan’s grandfather died of a heart attack. Anna is the main character because she was so extra emotional about her Pappy’s death. It was then that I realized that the same concept could work with children missing a loved one that has passed. Carrie Cuddles is a white dove that flies hugs and kisses back and forth from Heaven. And since Connor and Anna are main characters of one of my books, I had to think of one for Ethan. His book will be the third in the series. The silly, cuckoo bird is named Cooper Cuddles and he eats bedtime monsters that live under the bed. This is actually what Ethan needs because even though his daddy built a “monster trap” in the basement, he has trouble staying in bed as most 3 year olds do. The series is named “And a Hug Around the Neck” after part of the song my Grandma Adams used to sing to me, and is the song I now sing to my five grandchildren that have arrived during the last three years. Connor’s momma teases my children that she broke me in as a grandma with her kids so I would know what I was doing when my “real” grandchildren arrived.
UTR: It sounds like a very special relationship you have with those kids, Barbara! And, what a creative and adorable series, we can’t wait to read them all!
A special thank you to Barbara for her donation of 100 Camo Cuddles books and eagles to the United Through Reading program! To learn more about Barbara’s books visit www.camocuddles.com