Kids book on coal mining published

By Audrey Carter Staff Writer

Wanting her children to be proud of their father’s occupation was one reason a local woman wrote a book about coal.

Casey Lozier Erwin, 26, of Delbarton, W.Va., wrote “Our Daddy Is A Coal Miner,” which was published in December 2007 by Authorhouse Publishing.

Married to her husband, Scott for nearly eight years, they have two young sons, Ashton, 2 and Ethan, 7. Although Casey’s book is geared towards children ages 4-8, she hopes adults will read it and walk away with a positive message.

Casey said she wrote the book to inspire her children, as well as other children, to respect the job their parents are doing and have done in the past.

“I feel like coal has received its share of bad publicity,” Casey said. “I wanted to bring out what a good source of jobs it provides for families in West Virginia and Kentucky.”

Coal is a valuable resource that brings heat and light to the nation, Casey said.

Both she and her husband come from generations of coal miners.

Scott’s great-grandfather, Earl Fraley, was a member of the United Mine Workers of America for more than 70 years. Mr. Fraley died in January 2008 at the age of 101.

“Scott’s dad, Robie Erwin has worked in the coal mines for 34 years,” she said. “My family hails from Kentucky and my great-great grandfather Issac Moore worked in the coal mine until he relocated to Ohio. My uncle, Tommy Vinson lives in Martin County and still works in the mines.”

Casey said she wants to shed a positive light on this area because it gets a lot of bad publicity, especially when tragedy strikes.

Ironically, she submitted her manuscript to the publishing company approximately one week before the Utah mining disaster, Casey said.

“It didn’t take very long to write the book,” she said. “I did the illustrations from pictures I had taken and turned into cartoons.”

Her husband and children were used as characters in the book, she said. Some of the illustrations depict a coal mine, the West Virginia mountains, a coal burning stove and a piece of coal.

“In the book, my husband is talking to our children about where coal comes from, how old it is and its importance to this country,” she said. “I think there’s a huge interest in coal in this area and everyone should be proud of its history.”

Their oldest child, Casey said, is constantly asking questions about coal.

“Whenever he sees a stockpile, he wants to know where it’s going and when it will be picked up by the train. He’s learned a lot about coal. When we travel to Ohio, he tells the family about the book and quizzes them on their knowledge of coal.”

Casey said he reads the book each night before he falls asleep and sometimes even reads it to his brother.

“I think this has been very exciting for Ethan to see himself, his brother and their dad in the book,” she said. “Ashton points everyone out in the book.”

Casey said she has friends who live out-of-state who know little or nothing about coal.

“Some don’t even know mining exists,” she said. “Then there are those who think miners still use pickaxes.”

“I want to educate them on coal,” Casey said. “I’ve always known about it because my family passed the information down to me. However, I didn’t understand until I moved to Mingo County how big a job source it is — whether a coal miner, truck driver or someone who works on coal trucks.”

When she moved to this area four years ago, Casey said it took some getting used to because living in Columbus, Ohio, everything is so convenient.

“I was used to being two minutes away from everything and now it takes at least 25 minutes to get to where you’re going,” she said.

Casey has finished a second manuscript which is also geared toward children. This book is about animals and, if successful, she will be sharing some of the proceeds with the Save Our Strays organization.

A graduate of Teays Valley High School in Ohio, Casey attended the Eastland Career Center where she majored in administration technology management.

The book can be purchased online at www.ourdaddyisacoalminer.com or by calling (888) 280-7715. It can also be found on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.