A UA Little Rock graduate student in gifted, creative, and talented education has achieved her lifelong dream of becoming an author with the recent publication of a children’s book inspired by her grandfather.

Krista Hinton, who is also the K-12 gifted and talented coordinator for Lavaca School District, wrote “Grandpa’s Good News Garage,” that was published by Lighthouse Publishing in March. The book for children ages 3-8 tells the story of a grandfather who takes old and worn out objects that others consider as useless and transforms them into something new.

“I wrote this book in honor of my own grandfather. He was my best friend and mentor,” Hinton said. “His example of a life well lived through faithfulness to God, love of his family, and dedication to work made me the person I am today. He also made me a scooter when I was a kid out of old and useless objects. In the story, the grandfather is building a scooter.”

Hinton’s journey to become an author is 14 years in the making.

“I wrote the book 14 years ago and have worked to get it published off and on during the years since I wrote it,” Hinton said. “I submitted, received a lot of rejections, and revised many times before it was accepted by a publisher. It took a lot of perseverance and dedication to the process. Having a book published was a lifelong dream, and I am so thrilled for it to be a reality.”

While Hinton is still enjoying her recent success as a published author, this is just the first in what the educator hopes will become a plentiful series of children’s books.

“I do have plans for more books in the future and have several manuscripts already completed,” she said. “I am looking forward to summer break so that I can devote time to getting my manuscripts to publishers.”