One Local Author’s Tale
By: Charlotte Farley | Photos By: Ashlee Glen
On a cozy afternoon, Eliana Lessa Marcilio curls up with her youngest granddaughter to read chapter 11 of Drops of Joy. Somewhere in the middle of a particularly tender passage, the little girl reaches over and laces her fingers through Eliana’s, giving her hand an extra squeeze just as the words on the page swell with emotion. For Eliana, it’s the perfect picture of what she hopes her book will do in the world.
“I like to say, ‘Let’s make it rain joy,’” she explained. It’s a phrase her grandchildren know by heart. In fact, that’s exactly how Drops of Joy began: as a simple, made‑up bedtime story that turned into a treasured family ritual.
Long ago, Brazilian‑born Eliana was a little girl with ink in her veins. She comes from four generations of writers; one relative even held a chair at the prestigious Brazilian Academy of Letters. When she was 10 years old, her grandfather gave her what she still calls a cherished gift: He invited her to “write with the pen of your heart.” Those words shaped her understanding of writing not as performance, but as honest expression.
As an adult, Eliana carried that love of language into a career in education. Regardless of age, she saw again and again how powerful it is when a child is invited to find and use his or her own voice.
While visiting her grandchildren several years ago, Eliana began spinning a very simple story at bedtime, and the kids loved it. When the visit ended and they didn’t want to let the story go, Eliana started recording voice memos they could play when they weren’t together. The story, and the practice around it, became their “family treasure.”
In Drops of Joy, readers meet Lila, a young girl whose rainy‑night dream of mysterious raindrops bringing sudden joy refuses to fade when she wakes. Determined to brighten her family’s routine, she and her best friend Olivia slowly draw others into the adventure, from a kind art teacher and her speedy puppy to a grumpy park regular and a cheerful grocer. As Olivia’s brilliant idea finally brings Lila’s dream to life, joy begins to spread from one heart to another, until it feels as if “drops of joy” are raining over the whole town. The story, Eliana notes, “doesn’t really have an end.” Every time someone notices and shares a new drop of joy, the story continues.
Before long, Eliana’s story escaped the confines of bedtime as her grandchildren started doing what the story suggested in real life, such as leaving small notes, gestures, and “drops” of kindness and encouragement in their homes. Their parents saw just how real and powerful this little practice could be.
That was when Eliana began to sense that what started as a family tradition might be something to bring to a bigger audience. She spent all of 2025 tweaking, editing, and guiding Drops of Joy through production before its release in February 2026.
As a publisher myself, I know bringing a book to life is no small task, but Eliana is quick to point out she didn’t do it alone. “During the editing phases, my grandchildren helped me!” she said with a laugh. They were collaborators, offering ideas for the story, weighing in on the cover, and making sure the language sounded the way kids actually talk. Her grandchildren are now ages 7 to 13, but they still see Drops of Joy as their story, not only their grandmother’s.
Eliana is quick to point out that this is far more than a children’s story, since it can speak to just about anyone. Then there are the literal “drops” tucked within the pages: shapes kids can trace, cut out, and pass along to someone they love. Over time, those little tokens have taken on a life of their own. Adults who have read the book tell Eliana that they, too, are leaving drops for each other, handing them to friends who need encouragement.
Eliana also created an educator’s guide to accompany Drops of Joy, offering teachers ideas for weaving joy‑spotting, reflective questions, and expressive writing into classroom routines. It’s all an extension of her belief in helping children learn to articulate what’s inside them. She talks about the power of giving kids tools and permission to express whatever is in their hearts—whether light or heavy—and connecting those feelings to words on a page.
If you spend any time with Eliana, the book’s focus becomes easier to understand. She is brimming with warmth and hospitality, and joy just seems to radiate from her. She describes herself as “a woman of deep faith,” and that faith feels rooted and real. You sit with her, and her happiness feels contagious.
When she looks at her grandchildren, Eliana sees not just co‑authors, but gifts.
“First of all, I simply love them,” she said. “It is clear to me that each one has their own delightful personality. I treasure that. I treasure them, each the way that they are.” Being a grandmother, she added, “is a gift of joy. They bring life to us. Grandchildren are one of the best things in the world.”
Eliana hopes the effect lingers long after readers close the book.
“Not just a day,” she said, “but the days ahead—if they become more aware of joy and choose to share it, it will last.”
There’s already talk, at least in her imagination, that this could someday become a series. But for now, the choice to focus on joy was spontaneous and deeply personal.
“Joy is something to share,” she said. “The more we have, the more we can give away. Sometimes one drop makes a difference.”
