What has your experience of raising your kids been like? How has it inspired you to write?
My experience raising my 4 kids was both rewarding and stressful. I was a single mom both working & going to school full-time. Additionally, my youngest required specific attention as a child with bipolar disorder. My children and specifically my youngest child, struggled to cope the changes that took place in his chaotic mind. At times I was at a loss on just what to do, but I learned and imagined a world where my son, or any child that struggled, could overcome obstacles and be the hero of their world. Taking it day by day and coping helped us.
How has your job as a teacher contributed to your writing?
Living my life as a teacher provides me first-hand experience into the lives of kids and their reading interests. I know not every kid sees themselves as the characters in the books they read, they long for those kind of books. So, I write a book my students have been overjoyed to read.
If you had not become a teacher, what do you think you would have chosen as your career?
I love to write and I did so as a child. If things would have turned out differently for me; perhaps I would have become an author sooner.
What all activities do you like to indulge in in your free time?
Reading, writing-of course, but I also enjoy hiking, traveling, family & technology.
Where do you live and what about the city do you enjoy the most?
Thank goodness I recently moved back to the SF Bay Area, after 2-1/2 years in the California Central Valley. I love the diversity of people & culture, as well as the fresh ocean air.
Were you always a reader? Which was your favorite book to read while growing up?
Yes, I’ve always enjoyed reading. My first books, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Laura Ingalls in Little House, Judy Blume books & V. C. Andrews-Flowers in the Attic series.
Which is the one book you have gifted your grandchildren and they have absolutely loved?
The Giving Tree, which reminds them to love one another, as well as The Kissing Hand, to let them know I’ll always be there with them.
How important do you think it is to inculcate the habit of reading in children from an early age?
Reading is essential to learning. Children that develop a love for Reading early, are more inclined for success in school & on the job. I highly encourage all parents/guardians to help the younger generation read.
Your first book, ‘Birthing a Hero’ was inspired from your son with Bipolar Disorder. What advice would you like to give to any parents who have a child with special needs?
My advice is to advocate for your child. Do your research, know yours & your child’s rights. Support groups, counseling, therapy for your family, helps develop coping strategies for success. Finally, learn to slowly ween your child of their independence on you, so they can advocate for themselves, as they get older. Most importantly breathe & be patient.
How important do you think it is to talk about stigmatized issues like mental health?
My purpose for writing the series was to support kids like my son, but also to help end the stigma through education & dialogue. I’m planning to write a curriculum set to go along with my books, so teachers can use them in schools.
How many books will you write in the series ‘The Ancient Sacred Tree’?
I planned for seven originally, but I’m thinking now three or four.
How will Joshua’s journey continue in the following books of the series?
The second book in the series picks up at Joshua’s new school, two years after he’s become the hero & he learns his journey has only begun. More secrets are revealed and readers will get a taste of what it’s like to suffer from mental illness. Our world can only begin to end the stigma of mental illness when we can find relatable instances to understand it. So it gets real in books two and three. We also learn more of the prophecy and meet new characters.
As you have just started out writing and publishing, are there any other genres you want to explore in the future as a writer?
Absolutely! I loved Hardy Boys & mystery-crime stories; perhaps that genre & as a fan of Nora Roberts, I’d like to tackle romance. But not only that— I have some ideas about books about the human condition & our racial divide. My mom taught me well, I’d love to share my beliefs.
Which is the next book you are writing?
The Ancient Sacred Tree Curse of the Faet is done and currently undergoing edits. I haven’t begun writing book 3 yet.
