Culture and Lifestyle Celebrities Erin Napier's First Children's Book Is Inspired by Her Favorite Place: Home The Lantern House is told from the perspective of an old house. By Meghan Overdeep Meghan Overdeep Meghan Overdeep has more than a decade of writing and editing experience for top publications. Her expertise extends from weddings and animals to every pop culture moment in between. She has been scouring the Internet for the buzziest Southern news since joining the team in 2017. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 23, 2022 Fact checked by Jillian Dara Fact checked by Jillian Dara Jillian is a freelance writer, editor and fact-checker with 10 years of editorial experience in the lifestyle genre. In addition to fact-checking for Southern Living, Jillian works on multiple verticals across Dotdash-Meredith, including TripSavvy, The Spruce, and Travel + Leisure. brand's fact checking process Share Tweet Pin Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Erin Napier is a children's book author! The Home Town multihyphenate teamed up with friend and artist Adam Trest to write and illustrate a heartwarming book called The Lantern House, published in May 2022. courtesy HGTV The Lantern House is told from the perspective of an old house as it watches its occupants grow, love, learn, grieve, and move away over the years—each leaving their mark on the home. "Our homes, when loved and cared for, become part of our families. They shelter and hold us through our best and worst moments, and they live on beyond us. We are just chapters in the book of a house's life," Napier said in a release. "I wanted to write a book for our daughters Helen and Mae that tells the story of home, in a way that's about so much more than aesthetics. To be at home is to be with family, even as a family's seasons of life are ever-changing." The HGTV star first announced the book on Instagram along with a peek at its whimsical cover. "Imagine a house's early days as a home: A young family builds a picket fence and plants flowers in its yard, children climb the magnolia tree and play the piano in the living room, and there is music inside the house for many happy years," Napier teased in the caption. "But what will happen when its windows grow dark, the paint starts to crumble, and its boards creak in the winter wind? The Lantern House dreams of a family who will love it again… and one day, a new story will emerge from within its walls." According to Napier, the narrative was inspired in part by her and her husband Ben's own home, a 1925 craftsman in Laurel, Mississippi: "We know a little bit about the families who built the house, who lived here before us," Napier told People, a Southern Living sister publication. "We know that one girl who grew up in our house got married at the fireplace hearth." "I'm very attached to the books I loved in childhood," she continued, "and I just imagine our girls and the way they're going to love this book." The Lantern House is available online now. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit