In December 2020, my son, Palmer, was born. It was the height of the pandemic, political insanity and massive social divisiveness. Concerned about the world he would grow up in, I realized that as parents, it is our responsibility to sow seeds of positivity and equip our children with the tools to become compassionate and empathetic humans. Whoever my son grows up to be, I just want him to be a kind and authentically happy person. Drawing on my lifelong passion for writing and storytelling, I started to tell Palmer stories, each carrying a positive lesson, such as the importance of kindness.

My own childhood was unique, having grown up in a blended family where two families merged after years of growing up separately. We had diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and upbringings. My mom and stepdad couldn't have been more different, with opposing religious views, divergent political perspectives, and polar opposite childhoods. Yet, almost three decades later, their bond endures through love. My parents taught us the value of open-mindedness towards different viewpoints, the appreciation of diverse beliefs, and the acceptance and love for others, no matter how different they may be. Although being in a blended family was not without its challenges, I cherish the lessons we learned along the way.

My mom and stepdad were the inspiration for the characters in my first book. The culinary octopus and rockstar turtle, though different creatures, epitomize acceptance and kindness as they form a bond and set out on a mission to show kindness to a mistake-prone seahorse.

Now that my husband and I have built our own family, we have an adage in our house that goes “be good, but be yourself” and my son says to “be awesome!” My intention is to continue writing stories that inspire children to be good humans, be true to themselves and to always “BE AWESOME!”