Kelly Reddin - April 2026 Featured Author

Kelly Reddin has two book series: the Celebrating Family Series and the Nana Claus series in publication. Her books focus on family, appreciating kindness, and friendship. Kelly is a member of several writing organizations and volunteers in the community with several non-profits. She enjoys reading, writing, and traveling.

Congrats on your recently released picture book, I Love My Uncle, A Celebration of Uncles, which released in January 2026. Tell us a little about it.

I Love My Uncle is about the wonderful relationship an uncle can have with a niece or nephew. Each two-page spread shows a different family; some uncles are called by a different name; some are very active while others spend more quiet time with the children. This book allows uncles to be recognized as important parts of children’s lives and can give ideas to men who are uncles on things they could do with their nieces and nephews. Different ethnicities are included, as well. Healthy relationships are the focus of I Love My Uncle.

How did you get started? Did you always want to be a children's author?

Being a classroom teacher and then a global master trainer for a large education company allowed me to really get to know children. I have written stories from when I was a child; but I wrote a lot of curriculum and articles for publication about education in the last 25 years. I started writing children’s stories again about seven years ago and they just lived in my computer. In 2021, I decided to try to get published and I found two great women to work with me to make my dream come true – Clarissa Willis at Solander Press and Sharon Kizziah-Holmes at Paperback Press.

We'd love to hear more about your writing journey. What's the process been like?

Truthfully, it has been so much fun. When Clarissa said she wanted to publish all the books I had written by 2021, I was astounded. She and Sharon encouraged me and showed me the process to find an illustrator, etc. They continue to be supportive of me in every step and with every new idea. 

How have you stayed connected to the writing community?

I love attending the Joplin Writers’ Guild meetings at the library. I attend conferences, Between the Pages, Ozark Writers’ League, and others. I always learn something and try to put it into practice within two weeks of the conference. Solander Press meets once a month and Clarissa has speakers help us learn about opportunities in the writing community.

How has networking with other writers helped you along the way?

Absolutely! Other writers have taught me so much and I try to pass along the good information to others. I completely believe in sharing information on contests, best practices for websites, scams, etc., so we can all succeed. 

What do you love about being a writer?



Hands down, the creative process makes me happy. I love to reword, rethink, and plan. There is no doubt I will eventually move into the adult book market, but it will probably be two-three years and will be under a pen name. The thought process from story inception to final copy is thrilling to me – I may write 8-10 different stories during that time as I try to get a good ending, or a better character, etc. Contest writing has been great for me because it pushes me out of my comfort zone, gives me a deadline, and I know I am up against some excellent writers. The support of my local writers’ group has been instrumental in pushing me to try writing in multiple types of genres which has opened up an entire new path of creativity.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Volunteering in the community at Ronald McDonald House, the Joplin History and Mineral Museum, the Carl Junction Chamber of Commerce, and Sacred Heart Church to name a few. I also love to travel. Last year was a banner year for travel – I visited Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Italy, and Alaska. This year I am going to Finland and Poland and then head out around the continental United States.

What are you currently working on? Anything else upcoming you'd like us to know about?

I have a new math series for 3rd to 5th graders nearly ready for publication and I think I may complete a Cooking with Nana Claus book that teaches children how to measure as well as make yummy treats. I need to complete that immediately if it will come out in time for Christmas. I am also writing short stories for the Between the Pages, Ozark Writers’ League, and White County Writers contests. That will end up being about 40-50 stories, of which I will probably submit about 35.