Welcome to our About Us Page! Audrey Press was created in 2010, and was born of a passionate desire to inspire children, families, and communities to experience, discover, and create a world together through the power of books.
ABOUT US
Located within the walls of our creative studios at the foothills of the breathtakingly beautiful Smoky Mountains (Maryville, Tennessee), Audrey Press prides itself in working hard to create books, e-books, and enhanced e-books. Our main focus is to create paths that open up the world of possibilities for readers of all ages, through the magic of books, reading and play.
Home of the “Book Jumping” concept, Audrey Press creates and publishes stories that reawaken for us the passionate idea of living inside the pages of a book. Each story is a gateway into a magical world that takes reading from a solitary act to a group adventure that includes friends, families, neighborhoods, schools and communities.
 How did Audrey Press get it's name? Audrey Pauline was my mother and Mom was an incredibly creative soul that used her gift of creativity to bring joy to others as a wedding dress and trousseau designer. My mother Audrey had a passionate love of books and passed that love on to me. She guided me in nuturing my love of books and taught me how to weave it into my family’s life through creating, reading, and writing books. She taught us to go on “book adventures, “ and how to scavenge through rummage sales for old books “of value.” We treasured these words along with her during our family story hours.
When Mom's life neared its end, she sold her beloved design studio she had lovingly built and split the money between us, her children. We promised to further her pledge to “create something in the world to show that you were here, that you existed. Make a change for the better. Be compassionate and loving and never forget what’s important. Loving in its purest form means having a good time and sharing it with those you love.” For a time this legacy sat patiently waiting while we worked and raised our three children. But my heart never forgot and I knew that I would not forget my mother’s wishes or my promise to her. Audrey Press’s first release “The Fox Diaries: The year the foxes came to our garden” is in honor of my mother Audrey Pauline.
During our year with the foxes, we were blessed with sharing our garden with these exotic, playful creatures. As I took photo after photo, a seed of an idea was planted. I knew very quickly that I would make a book about how sharing our space with these uninvited, soon to be beloved creatures, had changed our perspectives and our lives, even if only for that brief summer.
From there I felt a calling to create a publishing house not only for my works, but for the works of others who are inspired to create learning moments through creativity, play, and discovery. All this fosters interaction between children, between adults, and between children and adults. This mind-frame helped form the foundation and mission that is now Audrey Press.
Our Mission: The mission of Audrey Press is to inspire children, families, schools and all of our communities, no matter how small or how large, to experience, discover, and create our world together through the power of books. Audrey Press strives to plant the seeds of adventure, magic and togetherness by taking books off shelves and stories off pages. Discover, Inspire, Share.
We hope you join Audrey Press on it's mission to guide readers to grow together and develop a sense of purpose in our reading. Whether as individuals, as a family, or in ever widening circles of community, when we come together to explore our world, we create strong connections within.
I am so glad you are here.-Valarie Budayr
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