Q: First tell us something about yourself.
Cozy is a lifestyle. We live our brand and we live our lives aiming to make others feel safe and loved. Nicole and I have been married for nine years. Although we are both educated, we seek a life of calm and simplicity where daily teatime is a must and God’s little creatures occupy our hearts and home. Nicole was born in Chile, raised in Miami, Florida, and has a master’s degree in Geology. I was born in Ventura County, California, never left, and have a master’s degree in business.
Q: How and when did your journey start as writers and illustrator?
I can imagine that many of us begin this journey during childhood. Nicole and I can say the same. As a young boy I was scribbling my first sketches under the chairs while my parents congregated in church. Nicole has always been a director of sorts, acting out dramas and figuring out how to lead her team through group projects. The joy that we share working together has a lot to do with the natural passions we have carried since childhood finding an outlet. In 2023, we decided to create an illustrated word search book together. Before we knew it, the illustrations were taking on a life of their own and we began to give the characters their own personalities. The Cozy Critters were born.
Q: When did you write your first story? Is it published or not?
Our first picture book, Cozy Critters on the Ark, is part of our Cozy Critters Storytime Series. It focuses on Rufi the mouse, who learns that a family and home can be found in unexpected circumstances while aboard Noah’s Ark. It is appropriately our “genesis” and was published on August 12, 2024.
Q: Tell us something more about your books.
We write our books with a deep sense of childlike wonder, experiencing them as we write and savoring the emotions evoked by the main messages and subtext we select to achieve our ends. In contrast to the norm, we often illustrate and then add words later. I like to write from my heart. When we tell a story, we want the reader to feel something deep, whether it’s joy, connection, belonging, or concern. We want children to connect deeply with the adults in their lives as they read, so we aim to use visuals and words that invoke feeling rather than preaching a direct message.
Q: How did these stories and characters come to your mind?
For our main character, we wanted to create a vulnerable character that adults and kids can relate to and bond with one another by sharing emotions when they read our books. Rufi the mouse is set in his ways, busy, and proactive. However, he’s also vulnerable and unsure of what he is feeling at times. Cooper is based on our real-life best friend, Cooper the guinea pig. Cooper loved to be with us and spent time in our bed every night cuddling and laying across us. We learned a lot about love from a little 1200-gram animal who couldn’t do anything for us, but adored our company and made us feel special. In the books, Rufi, Cooper, Henrietta, Noah, Noah’s wife, and their animal companions possess characteristics which are taken directly from our own personalities. All of our characters have flaws and idiosyncrasies to make them more relatable.
Q: Do you want to leave any message for your readers?
Love never fails. There is a place for you where you belong and can be yourself. That place is with a group of people, whether it’s your family, extended family, lifelong friends, or a community that supports you. We want every child, parent, guardian, and mentor to know that there is a place somewhere in the world where you are very important and wanted.
To follow their adventures with the Cozy Critters, you can find them on Instagram @thecollazonook.
