When Alpharetta resident Carol Casey could not find a book to read to her granddaughter that expressed her feelings, she began writing her own.

In January, Ms. Casey and her husband John launched the boutique press DearBaby Books.

Inspired by her 2-year-old granddaughter Ava, Ms. Casey has written 12 books, which are a part of her Dear Baby series for babies and toddlers.

“I just started writing, and before I knew it, I had written 12 books,” she said. “A lot of books out there quantify how much a child is loved, but I wanted to write a book that told the child why he or she is so loveable.”

The author’s first board book “Dear Baby, What I love about you!” hit bookstore shelves in August, and she has two more books from the series coming out in early 2010.

Ms. Casey said she was nervous about starting a company during rough economic times, but the positive feedback she received from bookstore employees helped her press on.

“It’s scary to launch anything right now, but two things make me feel good about it,” she said. “The first is knowing that people are always going to buy books for their kids, and secondly, we thought we had something fresh to offer.”

The mother-of-two said her method when writing is to look at the world through a child’s eyes.

“A lot of baby books are animal-themed, but babies love looking at other babies and things from their lives, like blankets and bottles,” she said. “I try to write in a way that is stimulating for the child but also enjoyable for the adult reading it.”

Before she began writing, Ms. Casey was a stay-at-home mom who worked to raise funds and plan events for several women’s and children’s charities.

The former Country Club of the South Charity Guild president recently signed on with the distribution company National Book Network to market her series.

“When Carol came up with the idea to start the press, I thought it was a perfect fit for her,” said John Casey, who handles most of the company’s financial and operational tasks. “It gives her a chance to show what her talents are. It’s amazing the response she gets.”

Ms. Casey said she hopes toeventually publish more authors and is in the process of hiring a second illustrator.

Dear Baby, What I love about you! is available at select Barnes and Noble stores and at www.amazon.com.

Information:

www.dearbabybooks.com