Stephanie Raphun, of Lehigh Township, is now the author of a children’s book titled “My Big Brother Is a Superhero” - her first published piece.

Illustrated by Jill Brewer, a friend of Raphun’s, and published by Dorrance Publishing Company Inc., the book, which became available in May of 2022, showcases the special bond between two brothers.

According to the publisher’s website, “Ethan’s big brother, Noah, is a superhero - but not in the ways you’d think. Sure, he doesn’t have super-strength or super-speed, but he’s always there when Ethan needs him! And isn’t that what counts?

“‘My Big Brother Is a Superhero’ inspires children of all ages to set good examples for others to follow and strive to be the best versions of themselves each and every day, even if they sometimes make mistakes along the way,” the website continues.

Raphun is the mother of five children, with Noah and Ethan as the characters in the book. Her third oldest, Brady, is the soon-to-be-born baby at the end of the book. Capri and Georgia are her two other children. Raphun said all her kids love the book and are excited to have a personal connection to it. She added seeing the special bond between her first two boys really inspired her to write the book.

Although it took only about a year to write this book, getting it in print took quite a lot longer - but not for the reasons one would think. Raphun began composing her work at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012. She finished it at the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, using personal family experiences to include in the book.

About 10 years later, the children’s book is now available for purchase.

When the book was completely written, Raphun sent the manuscript to two or three publishers one at a time, having about four to six weeks of waiting for an answer per publisher. She said they all had conveyed that, although they enjoyed the book, it wasn’t what they were looking for.

Her next try was with Dorrance, again sending the manuscript. Raphun never heard back - or so she thought - and the project was set aside as a “someday” return.

Fast forward to February 2021, when Raphun’s email provider warned her of her storage getting full and recommended cleaning out her inbox. Raphun took the recommendation and went through her email, deleting and keeping communications based on importance. After a while, she read a subject line that said, “Congratulations! Your manuscript has been accepted” - from 2013.

“To be honest with you, I don’t know ... what happened more - did I just get tired of waiting for a response and moved on with life, or did I just get busy with kids because there was a lot going on? I don’t know how it fell off the grid, but it did,” Raphun said. “I don’t know why I never pursued it further, but I just figured it’s just not the right time.”

If that part of the story didn’t surprise you enough, there’s more. After overcoming her shock, Raphun called the number listed in the 2013 email from Dorrance, thinking there’s a chance the woman who emailed her might not even work at the company anymore.

“I called her and left this long, rambling voicemail - like ‘Oh my God. I can’t believe it. You’re not going to believe this story. I know I’m a little late calling,’” Raphun explains with a laugh.

The next day Raphun received a return call from another employee at Dorrance, thanking her for reaching out and saying the company would like to see the manuscript again. The clincher: This employee said the woman Raphun called the day before had her last day before maternity leave the same day Raphun made the call.

“The timing is just so weird,” Raphun said. “The whole thing is crazy. It didn’t take me 10 years to get the book published. It just took me 10 years to read an email,” Raphun said with a chuckle.

This time, Raphun saw the second, updated acceptance email from Dorrance, and she told them, “Let’s do this!”

“I think the biggest take-away from all this is to stay true to your dreams,” Raphun said. “It was always a dream of mine to be an author. Your dreams can happen. You maybe don’t know when. The when and how is the fun part through all of it, but if you just stay to your heart’s desire, it’s going to come true for you.”

Raphun has many other manuscripts that are not published - all drama, comedy and mystery - but the next book she wants to publish is another children’s book, this time about stillborn loss as a dedication to Capri and Georgia.

“My kids have inspired me. At the end of the day, what they have taught me, like how important it is to be a hero to somebody else, is just precious,” Raphun said. “Anybody can be a superhero, and you can inspire somebody else just by being who you are.”

Raphun will be reading her book 4:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at Northampton Area Public Library, 1615 Laubach Ave., and 10:30 a.m. April 18 at Whitehall Township Public Library, 3700 Mechanicsville Road.

If interested in purchasing Raphun’s book, visit Dorrance’s website at bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/my-big-brother-is-a-superhero or check a major retailer, such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.