MANALAPAN, NJ — For Manalapan couple Aimee and Rashard Spiller, writing has always been an integral part of their lives.
Aimee, 43, and Rashard, 47, have always dreamed of starting their own publishing company. Following the birth of their daughter, Maddy, the couple often found themselves creating rhymes and stories inspired by their daughter and day-to-day lives.
When the two realized they were taking writing inspiration from Maddy and their experiences raising her, they decided to turn their long-standing dream into a reality with MaddyCakes Publishing.
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“She [Maddy] is a big inspiration,” Aimee said. “We see a lot through her eyes and we talk to her a lot about feelings and things like that. We kind of view our books as a way to help guide her and other children.”
Since starting MaddyCakes Publishing, the couple has self-published multiple children’s stories inspired by their experiences raising Maddy.
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The couple’s first book (“Maddy’s Little Tears”), for example, follows their daughter on her own adventure and aims to teach children the good things that can come from expressing their emotions.
According to Aimee, the story originated from times when she was changing Maddy’s diaper and found herself creating rhymes to take herself and Maddy through the changing process.
“When I was changing her and she was just fussing about, I kind of started rhyming and creating a song to get myself and her through it,” Aimee said. “So I came up with that and Rashard was the brains behind creating the actual company, and the one who said, ‘You know, you can really write that and create a story here.'”
In addition to “Maddy’s Little Tears,” the couple has also published the story “Baby, Where Are You?” which focuses on a couple’s journey to have a child.
According to the Spillers, Maddy enjoys having books based on her, though she tends to like some stories more than others.
“She really loves ‘Maddy’s Little Tears,’ and she likes being the face on the cover,” Aimee said. “Our other book, ‘Baby, Where Are You?’ which is about our experience having her, that one she’s not so much a fan of.”
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Beyond support from friends, family (and Maddy herself), the Spillers said the Manalapan community has received them and MaddyCakes Publishing kindly since the company started.
While the two tend to push their content digitally more than they do in person, they cited events like Book Expo at the Manalapan Library as places where they can connect with community members.
“We meet up with friends, family, people in the area and they’re really excited when they find out we do publishing,” Aimee said. “And we get a lot of questions too about how we manage working full time and parenting and doing this business on the side.”
“It’s not easy,” Aimee continued. “But I like to think we’re a little bit of an inspiration to them, and to the kids who really enjoy these stories.”
Going forward, the Spillers said they plan to release more children’s stories and hope Maddy (and other kids) feel seen in their work.
“We have a lot of books in the works right now,” Aimee said. “We’re really just trying to tell stories based on our own experiences, seeing it through the eyes of children and making stories they can relate to.”
To learn more about MaddyCakes Publishing, you can visit their website.
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