From Dream to Book: The Creation of Sandeloria
Once upon a time... there was a dream that felt way too big
Many of you know that I, Greetje Hakvoort, have been working on a special project for the past few years: my own fairy tale book, Sandeloria. And in the meantime, something very special has happened... The first edition lies here on the table in front of me.
After years of dreaming, writing, rewriting, drawing, doubting, polishing, and starting over, the book has actually become a real book. And honestly? That moment was at least as special as I had hoped.
But at the same time, I discovered something funny. For years, I thought the biggest obstacle would be making a book. Now that the book is here, the next challenge turns out to be lurking around the corner: How do you ensure that a fairy tale book actually finds its way to the people for whom it is intended? Because how do you market something like that? Who do you need for that? And how do you ensure that a story lives not only on paper, but also in people's hearts?
Even as a child, I loved fantasy, animals, and everything related to fairy tales. Yet, I can still clearly remember having to write a short story once in high school. I don't remember exactly what it was about, but I do remember thinking: "Wow... how cool would it be to be able to write stories." And almost immediately after that, a second thought followed: "But I can't do that at all." I envisioned images, emotions, and entire worlds, but how do you turn those into words? My mind simply doesn't work in neat chapters and perfectly constructed sentences. It works in fragments, images, feelings, and inspirations. Not exactly the ideal recipe for a writer... or so I thought at the time.
Years later, I received a special request. Whether I wanted to do something with my own series centered on our spotted friends. It felt like a huge honor, the idea appealed to me, but at the same time, I felt that the story didn't quite fit yet. Moreover, I found it incredibly nerve-wracking. My animals were younger and more inexperienced, and it simply felt like too big a project. During a special conversation that period with someone from the Dutch Disney world, I was asked a question that changed everything. He asked: "If you could tell a story yourself, what story would it be?" Honestly? I had no idea. And perhaps that was precisely the problem.
His advice was simple: "Just start. Write little stories. Discover what you want to tell." That single sentence ignited a fire that never went out. From that moment on, a journey began filled with enthusiasm, doubt, ideas, failures, new insights, and a great deal of learning. Because I didn't want to make just an ordinary children's book. I wanted to create a story that touches both children and adults.
A story full of adventure, humor, emotion, and hope.
A story in which the line between fantasy and reality sometimes blurs a little.
A world you hope might actually exist after all.
The first words of Jolie ever put on paper were surprisingly simple: "Once upon a time there was a herd of horses and a girl named Luna..." My greatest source of inspiration for this was and is Jolie Lune. Together with her, our animals, and by now Sunnery as well, I have been creating little fairytale moments for years. During photoshoots, walks, training sessions, and sometimes just somewhere between feeding the horses and changing a diaper. It was precisely there that the first seeds of Sandeloria were sown.
The writing itself turned out to be an adventure. After all, how do you turn loose ideas into a real story?
A story that is positive, yet also contains emotion.
A story in which animals, adventure, friendship, and personal growth come together.
A world in which you, as a reader, can get lost for a moment.
A world you secretly hope might actually exist.
And how do you prevent yourself from having a completely new idea after just three chapters that seems even better? 😉 Fortunately, I didn't have to make that journey alone. My friend Marcella Westen and artist Mandy Nellestein were a valuable sounding board. I am immensely grateful to them for always listening and for managing to understand and give shape to even my vaguest ideas and images. In addition, I took various masterclasses, including one by Dan Brown. These taught me not only how to build a story, but above all, how much there is still to learn.
And believe me... As a beginning writer, there are moments when you just have to laugh really hard at yourself. Sometimes you write three pages only to find out they are completely useless. Sometimes you spend a week on a chapter only to throw it away afterwards. And sometimes you discover that the biggest obstacle isn't the writing... but the conviction that you might not be able to do it. That is precisely why I am so grateful for this journey. Not because the book is finished. But because I learned along the way that dreams don't start with certainty. They often start with curiosity. With one small idea. With one first step.
Or in my case... With a girl, a herd of horses, and a sentence that began with: "Once upon a time..." In the upcoming newsletters, I would love to take you further behind the scenes of Sandeloria. About the illustrations, the challenges, the lessons I learned along the way, and the next big question I now face: How do you bring a fairytale book into the world when the book is finally finished?
Would you like to experience this journey with us? Via the link below, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter, in which we want to inspire you and keep you informed of all developments at the Human & Horse Academy.
We are also very happy to share a video with you. This video came to life even before Sandeloria was further developed and came to life.
