Billy Bee

Once Upon a Time…
I never thought, that a little Bumble Bee landing on the outside window of a coffee shop would be the defining moment to change my life. I guess it’s these split second revelations that have had the most impact on this world we live in and this one was definitely about to change mine! I remember the day like it was yesterday.  It was the end of April in 1991 and I was sitting in one of the local coffee shops, sipping on a large black with no sugar and just gazing out the window.  I had just made one of the most major decisions in my life and I was trying to put it all in perspective. I had been down South in Florida for about 7 years and it was sure good to be home.  The long New England winter was over and new life was popping up everywhere.  The grass was now turning deep green and new blades were pushing there way back up through the earth. The leaves on all the trees were in full bloom and offered a safe haven for the birds who were singing the praises of this beautiful afternoon.  It was just one of those days where you were glad to be alive and I was loving it!

At The Crossroads…
1991 turned out to be a very critical year in my life.  A native of Cambridge Massachusetts, I grew up in a pretty rough part of town in the late 60’s and early 70’s.  The path I choose to walk led to a lot of difficult choices and a very hard way of life. In 1985 I moved to Florida in search of a better way but only to find myself falling deeper into the lifestyle I was trying to escape but 1991 turned out to be a year full of life changing experiences. One fateful day I received a telephone call that my grandmother was seriously ill and a trip home would probably be a pretty good idea, so, back home I went!  The trip was filled with trauma and confusion and it was very difficult time as my grandmother passed on but it was in the middle of all of this turmoil that I met a woman that was destined to change my life. It was there that I fell in love with Gilda or as you will soon get to know her, Jolly Jillie. Just like one of those classic love stories you read about, it was love at first sight and we knew we had to get to work on the happily ever after part of this story and this will show you how we did it!

A New Beginning…
Well, with me in Florida and Gilda in New England I knew a compromise was in order but it was an easy choice to make and back to New England I went. In 1991 the economy wasn’t that great, well at least we thought so back then!  Anyway, it didn’t matter, I would draw on all my previous years of experience in the concrete trades to secure a living for us while we figured out the other details.  I was so excited to be back home in New England and with Gilda, I can remember talking to my Step Dad and laying out all my ideas for my new life and he was being very analytical as most Dad’s probably are, but it was my Mothers response to this turn of events that really took me by surprise and it’s still very fresh in my mind. She said to me “Peter, why don’t you do something with your writing, you have always loved to write and you’re so good at what you create with words.”  At the time I just laughed and said “Mom you can’t live on dreams, I’ll have to do something I can make a living at. I can’t afford to be a starving artist.”  I guess that sometimes mothers can see things others can’t.
Click here to see if you can see the children’s book writer inside ???

I Guess a Mother Just Knows…
It wasn’t long after that Mom sent me a book in the mail about how to write for children. I had to laugh again but none the less I read it and a funny thing began to happen, the more I read it, the more my doubts began to fade. I had always had a passion for writing, but could I make a living at it and to top it all off, writing for children. I’ve been told that I don’t strike people as a typical children’s book writer  but I guess you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. None of this mattered anyway because what I didn’t realize is that I was beginning to uncover a treasure that had been buried deep down inside that was just waiting to be discovered and given back to the world.  All I needed was an idea, something I could write about that would be different. At the time I had so many different ideas I was trying to deal with that when one didn’t immediately presented itself I placed the thought in the back of my mind and went on with the business at hand. It would have been nice if one just knocked me on the head and said here I am but that’s just not the way it happens…Is It???

Knock, Knock, Knock…
Well, lets get back to where I started. Remember the beautiful day in April I was sitting in that coffee shop looking out the window. What I didn’t tell you is the reason I was in there on such a wonderful day is, I was waiting for Gilda to finishing a so called “little shopping” at the mall before we went for a ride down the beach. I didn’t mind waiting as long as I didn’t have to shop and malls just send me into system overload! So there I am looking out the window sipping on a large black coffee with two shots of espresso just enjoying the beautiful scenery and out of nowhere a little bumble bee lands on the outside window right up at my eye level. It was the first time I was ever that close to a bee without the worry of being stung. I remember watching him as he was grooming himself and it looked like he was enjoying the scenery as much as I was and I thought, boy, he’s got a lot of personality, what would be a good name to fit him. Then it was like a light switched on, Billy Bee!!! Bugs!!! I got my idea !!! At that time, no one had written about bugs and there it was, Billy Bee, Timmy Termite, Wanda Worm, Frieda Flea, Doug The Dragon Fly and I went on and on.

Eight Hours Later…
When Gilda came back from the mall I said scratch the beach Gillie, I’ve got to go home and write about bugs. She must have thought I drank to much coffee because she got me right home and I wrote the first Billy Bee story in about 8 hours. “What I didn’t realize at the time was the powerful impact these stories would have on both the children and adults who would read them.”  I was on fire! A fire that would have to burn strong for over 4 years before I got the first book in my hand.

Fifteen Years Later…
There are now 5 books to the “Adventures of Billy Bee” story line, although only two are now available for sale and let me explain why. Billy Bee has a wonderful new Illustrator named John Mahomet who has joined the team. John has been in the business as a professional illustrator for over 40 years and has had experience with some very well know corporations. Trademarks restrict me from saying their names but his work is incredible and is allowing Billy Bee to soar to new heights. Johns first work can be seen in the title we now have available called “Colors of Love” where Billy Bee meets Jolly Jillie in the beautiful land of Rainbow Light. This is a story I wrote for my wife Gilda and it went much deeper than I could have ever imagined. After seeing the response from John’s illustrations in this book, the decision was made to do all the titles over in the same format as “Colors of Love.” So at the end of 2010 “Cally’s Wish” will be released and then in 2011 “Friends Like These” and “Playing The Game” will also be available, then to follow will be “Treasures.” You can join our members section and get notified about the new releases and qualify for the special pre-published discounts.

Critical Acclaim…
The Adventures of Billy Bee and the life adventures of Peter Thomas have been featured on the “New England Chronicle” and have had guest appearances on New Hampshire Public Radio-The Front Porch and many other radio stations along with feature articles written in the Nashua Telegraph, The Union Leader, The Boston Pilot, The Boston Globe, The NH Magazine, Parenting and The National Enquirer along with many local broadcasting and print media pieces.
There have been School Presentations done as far north as Maine and as far south as Florida, with thousands of students and teachers experiencing the same feeling and this is just the beginning!

Come Along…
We invite you to step into the world of “The Adventures of Billy Bee” and see for yourself what all the excitement is about. Read through the book previews and sample these captivating stories for yourself and get a look at the fabulous illustrations . Read through the teacher’s reviews and find out what they have to say about the impact these stories have on both the children and the adults who read them. Look through some of the pictures, they’re worth a thousand words and these will tell the whole story… See for yourself exactly what started as just an idea in a coffee shop back in 1991, that has now touched the lives of thousands worldwide and see where it’s all going. But most of all find out why everyone who reads one of the stories from “The Adventures of Billy Bee” has the same idea, the same feeling …

“It’s Time To Beelieve!”
And We’ll  See You on The Next Adventure!!!