If H is for Hope and I is for the Independent Man and R is for Rocky Point, then one thing is certain: We are not in Kansas. We’re in Rhode Island, flipping through the pages of Jill Austin’s RI Loves: Showing Love for the Ocean State from A to Z, an alphabet book about the places and things that make our state unique—and a bit quirky.

Her journey to becoming an author—and illustrator—started with her 3-year-old daughter, Gwen, a reading machine. A mother’s love being what it is, Austin decided to try her hand at writing a book—just for the toddler. Using Adobe Illustrator, she created RI Loves for the family, but her husband, Patrick, also a 2001 URI graduate, had bigger plans. He suggested she publish it herself: 500 copies sold out in four months.

Writing the book happily took Austin back to her childhood days, riding the C for Carousel in Watch Hill, picking applies at Jaswell’s F for Farm in Smithfield, and hanging out at the O for Ocean in East Matunuck. Her adult years figured in, too, including K for Knowledge, a shout-out to URI, where she cut her teeth writing.

The book is such a hit Austin is thinking about writing a companion book to RI Loves and also working on a book about the Rho Dyelinn accent, as in, “Where’s the bubbla? I’m wicked thirsty.’’

“What started as a fun, creative project for a stay-at-home mom has turned into a dream come true,’’ says Austin, also the mother of 3-month-old Hannah. “To be called an author is, for me, a tremendous accomplishment.’’