If One Child Feels Less Alone
Writing stories that comfort children and help them feel less alone in their fears and worries.
Why I Write Children's Books
People often ask me why I write children's books.
The truth is, I think I write them for the little girl I used to be.
As a child, I had a big imagination, but I also carried a lot of worries. I worried about the dark, about being sick, about losing people I loved, and sometimes I worried simply because my mind would not slow down. I remember wishing there were stories that felt like a hug-stories that said, "It's okay to be scared. It's okay to have big feelings. You are not strange, and you are not alone."
As an adult, I now understand many of those feelings. I live with bipolar disorder, panic disorder, anxiety, and agoraphobia. Some days are easier than others, but writing has become a way for me to give those feelings a voice.
I never dreamed of bestseller lists or becoming famous. I simply wanted to create books that comfort children and families who may be navigating worries of their own.
The Night We Felt Brave and The Day the Butterflies Landed were written with that goal in mind. I wanted children to see themselves in the pages and know that courage is not the absence of fear. Sometimes courage simply means feeling afraid and continuing anyway.
Of course, I haven't done it alone. My two dogs, Chicky and Gigi, have been by my side through every draft, anxious moment, and celebration. They have become faithful companions not only in my life but within my stories as well.
At the end of the day, my goal is simple.
If one child closes one of my books feeling a little safer, a little braver, or a little less alone than they did before opening it, then I have done exactly what I hoped to do.
And honestly, I think little Julia would be proud of that.
