I am happy when I can craft stories around real characters, in real situations, finding solutions to real problems with the help of friends and family. Characters who discover life by being curious, kind and wise and who ask relevant questions as they actively seek answers. And as they discuss solutions to problems, they teach readers how to have similar conversation, how to recognize and gain a voice. How to be confident and brave enough to share it.

Children love to have heroes but even better, they’d love to be heroes and they can be. As an author, I want to create very relatable characters who discover their own, innate ‘superpower’ because of the challenges that they face in a series of adventures and alliances.

By having my characters be observant about people they encounter, but had possibly never noticed before, they can learn how to act on their feelings and observations. By having characters connect and become relevant to each other, the reader can, hopefully, develop similar relationships.

Maybe idealistically, I feel I need to provide global settings with children asking questions of their peers and adults in other countries and situations to gain new perspectives. Discovering the United Nations’ Sustainable Developmental Goals opened up a whole world of possible adventures. Writing fiction enables me to place my characters wherever I want, where they can help each other understand their worlds and discover future pathways.