Zac Brown Band’s Coy Bowles Pens New Children’s Book, ‘When You’re Feeling Sick’

“I have always wanted to write books and am a storyteller at heart,” Bowles tells Sounds Like Nashville.

Written by Chuck Dauphin
Zac Brown Band’s Coy Bowles Pens New Children’s Book, ‘When You’re Feeling Sick’
Coy Bowles- 'When You're Feeling Sick' book; Photo by Southern Reel

As a musician, Coy Bowles has tasted his share of success as a member of the GRAMMY-winning Zac Brown Band. But, what you might not realize about the guitarist and songwriter is that he has developed into a successful children’s author, with a trio of best-selling titles to his credit. His latest release, When You’re Feeling Sick, offers some light-hearted advice to youngsters who are ailing. Bowles says while penning a book is different than coming up with a song, both allow him to flex his creative muscle.

“I have always wanted to write books and am a storyteller at heart,” he tells Sounds Like Nashville. “Plus, I thought a 32-page book would tell my tales better than a 500-page novel! When we talk to fans of Zac Brown Band, they always tell us how much their kids love the music, so I thought there might be an audience we were underserving.”

Bowles admits that he went back to his childhood to come up with some of the emotions that inspired his latest book. “It’s hard to explain, but I actually remember a lot about my childhood. I was really aware as a young kid. I remember being three and four years old, so it’s easy for me to tap into what I thought was interesting then. Oddly enough, not a lot has changed. Maybe that’s a good thing!”

Zac Brown Band makes sick monster faces

Zac Brown Band makes sick monster faces

When asked what he wanted readers to come away with after reading the book, Bowles stated that “I think I try to leave a message of hope and confidence in all my children’s books. I also try to open up your imagination a little. I hope readers come away with a smile and a laugh. Maybe an appreciation of reading and music, too!”

Speaking of music, it’s no surprise that Bowles was able to include his day job into his book-writing. Readers can go to CoyBowles.com, and find a couple songs that are inspired by the book.

“Carlos Sosa [horn player for Zac Brown Band] and I were working on a track for the latest ‘Alice in Wonderland’ movie. We heard they were looking for an upbeat song with a certain kind of groove, so we started writing in that direction. That song didn’t end up working out for the film, so we decided to flip it for the book. It turned out great! Then we started to write more. Carlos is a blast, and the whole musical side of the project was so much fun. I wrote and recorded two songs, ‘The Sickness Song’ and ‘The Sun Shines Every Day.’ They really bring the idea of the book to life.”

The book also features some beautiful illustration work from Andy Elkerton. Bowles said he thought that Elkerton’s pictures served as the perfect complement to his words.

“I think his illustrations are vibrant and fun and add so much to the story,” he says. “He totally embraced the spirit of ‘When You’re Feeling Sick.’ I purposely didn’t talk to him before we partnered on the book. I did see his portfolio, though, and loved it. I knew if I let him go with it, then it would be better than what I envisioned.”

Are there any plans for a fourth book? Bowles says he hasn’t ruled anything out. “Anyone who knows me knows that I always have something up my sleeve. If my love of writing and performing leads to more kids’ books, that would be awesome.”

And, we couldn’t resist asking how Bowles handled his own sick days. He laughs and says not as well as he would like. “I’m so bad at being sick! In a perfect world, I would have my mom and my wife beside me rubbing my head and feeding me homemade chicken soup. But, in real life, usually it’s just Netflix, a tour bus, Gatorade, and a cell to communicate with them.”

When You’re Feeling Sick is available for purchase HERE.