Allison asked Maranda Russell:

Hello, Mr. McDonald. I'm contacting the authors of books that I've recently read with my daughter Layla, to help her engage with the idea that books come from imagination. Our question to you is: How do you come up with an idea for a children's book? Thank you!

Maranda Russell Hello! Not sure if you asked the wrong author this question or not lol, since I am not Mr. McDonald, but I'll answer anyhow, just in case it was meant for me :) Anyhow, the way that I come up with ideas for children's books varies, but the main inspiration is typically experiences I have in my own life or people/animals that I have known. Many of my children's books have been inspired by the personalities of the pets I have had or even the children my husband and I fostered in the past, or the kids I worked with when I used to work in the elementary school system. I very much draw my inspiration from real life and the people/things I care deeply about. I am especially inspired by funny, weird, or silly experiences!

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