CHELMSFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — It's a dream come true for one local teacher who has always wanted to become a published author.
Despena Zouzas is an English teacher from Chelmsford who kept herself busy during quarantine by writing a children's book.
"I've always had drafts in my computer, but once quarantine hit, I really had a lot more time to think about really doing it," Zouzas said.
While some of us were busy binging Netflix shows and baking bread, Zouzas called an illustrator named Maria Katinas, and got to work.
"I think my hope was to get it done by the summer but once I got started, I was like there's no way," Zouzas said.
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With the help of Amazon's self-publishing platform, the two finally made it happen in late November. The book is called "Nala's Backyard Adventures: Nala Stands Tall," starring a curious outdoor cat based on Zouzas real life pet.
"It's kind of a simple story that tells kids it's ok to not follow along with what other people are doing and to kind of make your own path in life, even if other people don't agree with you," Zouzas said.
Zouzas adds her students love her story and on Friday morning, the book held a perfect 5-out-of-5-star rating on Amazon.
WBZ NewsRadio's Matt Shearer (@MattWBZ) reports
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(Photo: Getty Images)