Question & Answers!
Describe your journey to becoming a children’s author?
I worked corporate for twenty years culminating as a Vice President of Sales. In 2020, I experienced severe burnout, due to stress related health issues, from the intensity of my career. For the majority of my life, I didn’t feel like I made a positive impact to society. I decided to make a change leaving corporate to pursue a path of passion that includes writing. My ultimate goal is to bring more laughter and joy to the world for both children and adults alike when they are snuggling together enjoying one of my books!
How did your year away unplugged help shape you today?
In 2010, before mindfulness and meditation was mainstream, I took the road less travelled by unplugging and living in an Ashram in Northern California for a year. Here I studied happiness, mindfulness and became devoted to my meditation practice. This experience radically changed my outlook on life. I weave the main essence of mental health in my stories using a fun and simple approach that children can relate to.
What is On Your Way! about?
On Your Way! is a rhythmic story that inspires children to be adventurous, imaginative and explore what’s around them and within them. Yielding a superhero vibe, this magical journey will take children all the way from outer space to the center of the universe! With rainbow trees, rocket ships, dances with the stars, and tapping into the powers of the universe, this story inspires immense creativity.
Are there secondary messages in On Your Way!?
Absolutely. The book has a mental health component by touching upon the mental obstacles we all face like anger, worry, and fear assuring that they are natural but can be overcome. Mental health and wellness are such critical issues in our society and I want to ensure that children are heard and understood. Another central theme throughout the story is encouraging children to get off their electronic devices such as their tablets and TVs to explore the world and make new adventures! Finally, the last theme centers around environmentalism and how to become better environmental citizens by taking increased accountability.
Where did the idea to write On Your Way! come from?
After I left corporate, I naturally gravitated towards writing. I started with deep reflection and poetry. During this time, my daughter Bianca and I went through a phase of reading Dr Seuss books. Our favourite was Oh, the Places You’ll Go! I thought, why don’t I try rhythmic writing as I enjoyed doing that when I was younger. I planned out multiple scenes for the main character to explore and created this rhythmic text to match! The rest is history.
What was it like having your daughter illustrated as the main character?
It was an incredible bonding experience with Bianca! At the onset of production, I sent my illustrator pictures of her to be utilized in the story. Every time there were creative revisions, Bianca and I would sit down and she’d give me her perspective! I’ll forever cherish those moments when we’d discuss what we loved and what needed changing. For Bianca, it was so cool for her to see the illustrations evolve and seeing herself as the main character! Given this, it was natural for me to dedicate this story to Bianca, which I hope she cherishes for the rest of her life.
Why is it important to you having BIPOC representation in the characters?
I’m a huge advocate of increasing BIPOC representation for authors and young readers. On Your Way! features children from all backgrounds, with the main character a South East Asian girl. I rarely saw children that looked like myself represented in books growing up. This needs to change. I wanted Bianca to feel seen and heard in her lifetime. This is a story that she can see herself in.
Describe the journey of getting published?
To be honest it was a grind! But I used my corporate tenacity to get it done. From the onset, I knew that I had no credibility in this industry as I’ve never written a book or had any contacts. I put my head down and submitted my manuscript to over 150 different publishers globally! There were a lot of rejections but I usually received positive feedback on my creative writing style, which wasn’t a fit for most publishers. Eventually, I was chosen by Olympia Publishers and worked with their fantastic team and illustrator to create On Your Way!
How long did the publishing process take?
It took a lot longer than I had imagined! I signed my contract with Olympia Publishers in June of 2021 and the book released Oct 27th, 2022. The bottleneck was the illustrations but I’m glad we took the time and diligence to get them to their vivid and vibrant end state! Some illustrations were revised 6 to 8 times as I had a vision for each page and made sure that vision was realized. The story was also edited numerous times to get it exactly how I wanted it. I have to thank my publisher and illustrator for the incredible job they did. In the end, it was a pretty seamless production process.
What are your future writing plans?
I have a second children’s book called Boban from Zoltan that will release in early 2023. This story is about Boban from Zoltan, a wise and witty wizard! He shows how the world works in a way you’ve never heard of. Guaranteed! He reminds children of the day-to-day things to be grateful for, including the little miracles in life that are taken for granted. All while explaining in Boban’s crazy, rhythmic way! I’ve already written two additional manuscripts that I wish to publish in the future after Boban from Zoltan releases.
I worked corporate for twenty years culminating as a Vice President of Sales. In 2020, I experienced severe burnout, due to stress related health issues, from the intensity of my career. For the majority of my life, I didn’t feel like I made a positive impact to society. I decided to make a change leaving corporate to pursue a path of passion that includes writing. My ultimate goal is to bring more laughter and joy to the world for both children and adults alike when they are snuggling together enjoying one of my books!
How did your year away unplugged help shape you today?
In 2010, before mindfulness and meditation was mainstream, I took the road less travelled by unplugging and living in an Ashram in Northern California for a year. Here I studied happiness, mindfulness and became devoted to my meditation practice. This experience radically changed my outlook on life. I weave the main essence of mental health in my stories using a fun and simple approach that children can relate to.
What is On Your Way! about?
On Your Way! is a rhythmic story that inspires children to be adventurous, imaginative and explore what’s around them and within them. Yielding a superhero vibe, this magical journey will take children all the way from outer space to the center of the universe! With rainbow trees, rocket ships, dances with the stars, and tapping into the powers of the universe, this story inspires immense creativity.
Are there secondary messages in On Your Way!?
Absolutely. The book has a mental health component by touching upon the mental obstacles we all face like anger, worry, and fear assuring that they are natural but can be overcome. Mental health and wellness are such critical issues in our society and I want to ensure that children are heard and understood. Another central theme throughout the story is encouraging children to get off their electronic devices such as their tablets and TVs to explore the world and make new adventures! Finally, the last theme centers around environmentalism and how to become better environmental citizens by taking increased accountability.
Where did the idea to write On Your Way! come from?
After I left corporate, I naturally gravitated towards writing. I started with deep reflection and poetry. During this time, my daughter Bianca and I went through a phase of reading Dr Seuss books. Our favourite was Oh, the Places You’ll Go! I thought, why don’t I try rhythmic writing as I enjoyed doing that when I was younger. I planned out multiple scenes for the main character to explore and created this rhythmic text to match! The rest is history.
What was it like having your daughter illustrated as the main character?
It was an incredible bonding experience with Bianca! At the onset of production, I sent my illustrator pictures of her to be utilized in the story. Every time there were creative revisions, Bianca and I would sit down and she’d give me her perspective! I’ll forever cherish those moments when we’d discuss what we loved and what needed changing. For Bianca, it was so cool for her to see the illustrations evolve and seeing herself as the main character! Given this, it was natural for me to dedicate this story to Bianca, which I hope she cherishes for the rest of her life.
Why is it important to you having BIPOC representation in the characters?
I’m a huge advocate of increasing BIPOC representation for authors and young readers. On Your Way! features children from all backgrounds, with the main character a South East Asian girl. I rarely saw children that looked like myself represented in books growing up. This needs to change. I wanted Bianca to feel seen and heard in her lifetime. This is a story that she can see herself in.
Describe the journey of getting published?
To be honest it was a grind! But I used my corporate tenacity to get it done. From the onset, I knew that I had no credibility in this industry as I’ve never written a book or had any contacts. I put my head down and submitted my manuscript to over 150 different publishers globally! There were a lot of rejections but I usually received positive feedback on my creative writing style, which wasn’t a fit for most publishers. Eventually, I was chosen by Olympia Publishers and worked with their fantastic team and illustrator to create On Your Way!
How long did the publishing process take?
It took a lot longer than I had imagined! I signed my contract with Olympia Publishers in June of 2021 and the book released Oct 27th, 2022. The bottleneck was the illustrations but I’m glad we took the time and diligence to get them to their vivid and vibrant end state! Some illustrations were revised 6 to 8 times as I had a vision for each page and made sure that vision was realized. The story was also edited numerous times to get it exactly how I wanted it. I have to thank my publisher and illustrator for the incredible job they did. In the end, it was a pretty seamless production process.
What are your future writing plans?
I have a second children’s book called Boban from Zoltan that will release in early 2023. This story is about Boban from Zoltan, a wise and witty wizard! He shows how the world works in a way you’ve never heard of. Guaranteed! He reminds children of the day-to-day things to be grateful for, including the little miracles in life that are taken for granted. All while explaining in Boban’s crazy, rhythmic way! I’ve already written two additional manuscripts that I wish to publish in the future after Boban from Zoltan releases.
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