Q: How and when your journey started as a writer?
When I moved to the United States I didn’t know how to speak English. I went to a very good school located in the New York suburbs and they had a good English Second Language program. We spent a lot of time on creative writing.
Q: When did you write your first story?
Is it published or not? I wrote my first (Young Adult) story when I was in College student. I kept the manuscript for many years because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to publish it. I have since decided that the story needed to be told so it will be published in early to mid 2021. Please follow me on social media for updates.
Q: Tell us something more about your books?
My current book “Mommy, I Need My Wheels” is a story about a young boy named Eddy who just realizes that his training wheels are missing. He doesn’t think he can ride without them so he is begging his mother to put them back on.However, Eddy’s mother and father are not letting him give up. Even as he tries and falls, his parents continue to encourage him to keep trying. This book is also published in Haitian Creole “Manman, Mwen Bezwen Wou Mwen Yo” because I think it’s important for children to learn to read in other languages early.
Q: Why do you choose kids as your reader ? is there any specific?
I am a mother to three young children and they love to read. My oldest child can read a young adult book in one day so I wanted to create something they could appreciate.
Q: How did these stories and characters come to your mind?
My middle son was three years old when he learned to ride his bike without
training wheels. I remember watching him trying and falling in our backyard and then one day, he did it. “Mommy, I Need My Wheels” features an interracial family. You see, Eddy and his mother are black but his father is white. I have an interracial family and I wanted my children to see our family in a book. When they see the pictures, they don’t ask any questions related to race because it feels normal to them that Eddy and his father have different skin tones. When people see my book’s pictures, I don’t want them to get caught up in the characters’ race, I want them to simply see a family enjoying their lives.
Q: Do you want to give any message for your readers?
Read as many books as you can and keep an open mind. Try to expose yourself and your children to diverse books as much as possible. There’s just so much to learn from those who appear to be different from us.
