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‘Marshmallows and Crocodiles’
(GREENSBURG, Ind.) - Tyler Brown has served as a firefighter in his hometown of Greensburg for the past nine years.
When he’s not responding to fires or car crashes, one part of the job he enjoys is the opportunity to visit schools and children during Fire Prevention Week.
Tyler and his wife, Crystal, had their first child in 2020 and began buying Dr. Suess books and other baby supplies.
“That’s when I got to thinking about my own past as a child,” he said.
Tyler recalled how his mother used to read bedtime stories and change the names of the characters, to names of friends and cousins of his. “I guess it kept us more engaged during storytime,” he said.
The idea of possibly writing his own children’s book began to form during the COVID pandemic.
“Back then we weren’t really able to go anywhere and nobody was able to visit the fire station, so I had quite a bit of downtime both at home and the fire house,” he said.
Tyler started writing in his free time during the evenings. He had a general idea of what the book would be about; however, it morphed over time.
“I'd write a few paragraphs and then I would go back and change bits and pieces. And as I was writing it, I honestly got new ideas about where I wanted the story to go,” he said.
He stayed true to his original idea of writing a book for early readers, between the ages of seven and ten years old.
His book titled ‘Marshmallows and Crocodiles’ revolves around three young adventure-seeking boys who have been tasked with saving their town after a curse was placed on it.
While certainly based on fiction, the tale relates to Brown’s full-time firefighter job of saving others when they need help. Brown says the most difficult challenge of writing the book was using words that kids understand.
“If you just look at a text message you send on a daily basis, there are probably some words in there that a little kid would have no idea how to read or what it means,” Brown said.
He had to catch himself going back in the book to reword certain portions to fit a seven year old’s vocabulary.
It was also Tyler’s first time working with a publisher, which he found to be a smooth experience.
However, one surprising aspect of the process for Brown was that he was not immediately notified that his book was published and available nationwide.
“So, I was kind of late to the game to let my friends and family know about it,” he laughed.
Before even realizing people were reading his book, it was already getting good reviews. ‘Marshmallows and Crocodiles’ has received nearly all 5-star reviews on Amazon. It is also available at Barnes & Noble, Target and other bookstores.
Brown was asked if he plans to write another book and he says that is something he and his wife joke about.
“It's a big time commitment to do one, but I would definitely like to do more in the future,” he said.
