FYI…

What made you want to tell this story?

I wrote this book because I want kids to understand that, even if you’ve had little control of your past, you can control your future. You can choose to push through life’s obstacles and get to a place you want to be. Negative experiences don’t have to ruin you. They aren’t a sentence for doom. That pain can help you grow stronger, wiser, more empathetic, if you make the effort to choose a healthy path.

 I also want others to see the bigger picture, have greater empathy, take some time to show more care, reach out a little more, even when it seems you are being pushed away. Most kids are so accepting of differences now, but when it comes to challenging behavior, there is much less tolerance. I know firsthand how frustrating it is to be a student or teacher or EA in a class, when the negative behavior never seems to stop. A lot of students will avoid these kids, sometimes out of fear. It’s tough to notice anything else about the student, other than what you see on the outside. Try and look a little more deeply, though. What is the behavior all about? It’s communicating something to us, but we have to make the effort to understand it. 

This is your first novel. What were the challenges you faced as you thought about, and then created, such an ambitious project?

Time has been my greatest challenge. I work fulltime and have a busy life, with a lot of responsibilities. My family is very important to me, and so is my job—I love being a teacher and counselor. So, finding the time to balance everything was always a challenge. These characters became a part of my life for many, many years. They were continually on my mind. Every minute of the day, I thought about them, worried about them, and wondered how they would respond to certain situations. New ideas would suddenly pop into my head, and I would get excited, but I couldn’t just stop my life and write when I had one of these brainwaves. I had to be patient and wait until I had an hour or two, and then I would immerse myself in my book. I looked forward to this time every single day.

Another challenge was the fear of working so hard, never to find a publisher. I’ve always believed that if you want something badly enough, and you put in the effort, you will make it happen. I’ve taught my own children and students the same thing—to put your mind to something and make it real. So, deep down, I knew I would never give up, and I would get this book published, but many times, I had to be stronger than my own fear. I had to work hard at maintaining hope.