Scarborough author self-publishes children's book - Portland Press Herald - pressherald.com

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Scarborough resident G. F. Bileck’s first book, “Charly and Marlie’s Adventures in Outer Space.” Courtesy photo

SCARBOROUGH — G. F. Bileck began writing her first book, “Charly and Marlie’s Adventures in Outer Space,” in 1980 as an 8-year-old in Germany.

Now a Scarborough resident in 2021, Bileck hopes that her children’s book, which was translated into English, will bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood, making adults who read the story recall tales from their youth, she said.

The book is three volumes worth of stories, staring the titular characters, Charly and Marlie, two chickens who end up on adventures after having planned a picnic in outer space, she said. The story, featuring a variety of alien characters, incorporates humor and Bileck’s vast imagination.

Bileck said she wrote the first chapter at the age of 8, and through her 20s and 30s, the story saw major revisions and changes as she worked on the book in her spare time. Having started writing as a child, Bileck believes the book will encapsulate child-like imagination.

“I hope children will learn from my book that you can find friends in places you will least expect it,” Bileck said. “You’ll always find someone who will help you out or may look intimidating at first but is a nice and friendly character at the end.”

Lately, Bileck has noticed that many children’s books, movies or stories have lost their innocence, she said. She wanted to recall a time where one could write a sweet story that had no dark or political undertones.

“I think what we’ve lost today, especially in movies, is something that’s genuinely for children,” Bileck said. “Genuinely cute and cuddly. For example, the Hobbit movie, you can tell the children’s book is beautiful — it’s kind of cute, but in the movie they make it more serious, and things that would have otherwise appealed to kids are taken out. My intention was to do the opposite, so when adults read my books, they’re reminded of their own childhood.”

“Charly and Marlie’s Adventures in Outer Space” was published in 2015, and Bileck has written three other books, one of which is also translated into English, she said.

One of G.F. Bileck’s biggest aspirations in life is to write novels, she said. Courtesy photo

“I love writing stories, even as a child,” Bileck said. “It’s just what I love doing, turning my imagination into words. I think I was inspired by my dad, really. We used to go on walks in the forest and he’d tell me spooky stories. That really fueled my imagination when I was little.”

Bileck’s work is self-published and is available on Amazon, she said. For the weekend of Feb. 6 and 7, the digital book version will be available for a free download.

“I had a bad experience with major publishing houses,” she said. “I tried to go with an agency in Berlin, and it was very difficult because they tried to turn it into something different, starting with changing the names. I probably could have stomached that, but they wanted to make it more serious and political. I said I wanted to do the exact opposite in this book. We don’t have to bring any political or social elements into this book.”

Now an employee at the University of Southern Maine, Bileck lives in the Higgins Beach area, she said. She’s been living in Maine since 2001 and loves the variety the state offers.

“It has the ocean and it has the mountains to climb and explore,” she said.

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