Paul D. Hampton has spent a lifetime telling stories, but until recently, none of them had made it to print. Now, the Owensboro resident and longtime pastor has released “The Snowball Moose,” a children’s book inspired by his years living in Alaska. The book follows three brothers who discover a motherless baby moose and secretly take it in, setting off a series of wild misadventures.
Though Snowball quickly becomes part of the family, the young moose’s antics bring plenty of chaos along with companionship.
“It’s a fun book,” Hampton said. “It doesn’t really have an age limit — it’s easy for little kids to read, but middle-grade kids, maybe 10 to 14, really seem to enjoy it.”
Hampton’s inspiration for “The Snowball Moose came” from telling stories throughout his life. As a pastor, he often entertained children with made-up tales, drawing on his experiences in Alaska to create engaging narratives.
“I’ve always entertained and been silly, telling stories to kids, my kids growing up, and in ministry,” he said. “Over the years, I made up all kinds of stories, and this was one of them. But I never put it down on paper until recently.”
Though the book is fiction, some of its events are loosely based on real-life experiences from Hampton’s time in Alaska and stories he heard from others. But one thing was clear when crafting the tale — this wasn’t going to be a hunting story.
“We did a lot of hunting up there, but I didn’t want to do something about a moose getting killed and bloody for children,” Hampton said.
“The Snowball Moose” is Hampton’s first published book, but it won’t be his last. He has several more in the works, including one set in Kentucky called “Laughter on the Mountains.”
Hampton’s wife encouraged him to take the leap into publishing, and after refining the story, he released the book through Dorrance Publishing Company. While “The Snowball Moose” is self-published, Hampton hopes its success will attract attention from larger publishers for future projects.
For now, the book is widely available online.
“It’s listed across all the major media platforms,” Hampton said. “You can just type my name in, and the book comes up.”
