Clara and Mr. Milo’s Adventures follows a five-year-old girl who wants her pet and takes the time to ensure she gets the right pet and takes care of it correctly. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My husband and I adopted Mr. Milo from a shelter in central Florida. We walked by so many sweet pets needing a loving home that it broke my heart. I wanted to find a way to encourage others to adopt shelter pets. A few days after adopting Mr. Milo, my niece Adelyn came to visit and meet Mr. Milo. She was very interested in learning about shelter pet adoption. Adelyn was only six years old, and her sweet and caring questions inspired me to write about the process we underwent to adopt Mr. Milo. Adelyn reminded me that children are eager to learn and that their innocence and selflessness can encourage the kindness and compassion needed to help shelter pets find a forever home.

The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Lana Lee?

Thank you! I enjoyed working with Lana Lee. I initially submitted a picture of Mr. Milo as a kitten and a picture of me as a child to different illustrators at Upwork. When Lana sent me her initial illustrations, I knew she was the right illustrator for my series. Lana allowed me to give her my vision, page by page. We worked together, going back and forth during the dates scheduled and at different hours of the day. Lana would send me a draft of the illustrations, and if needed, I would request changes. We worked hard on refining the images to capture my vision. Sometimes, it was a simple color change or changing the details of the expression of a character. She amazingly created every page as I imagined and finalized every episode on the scheduled dates. We worked together for almost a year, and she was easy to work with. I’m thrilled with her work. Lana Lee is a very talented illustrator, and I look forward to continuing our partnership.     

What educational aspects were important for you to include in this children’s book?

My goal is to educate children about the process of shelter pet adoption and the responsibility involved in caring for a pet. As well as to highlight the rewards and joy pets give us in return. I hope to inspire kindness, compassion, patience, and love toward shelter pets.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

We recently completed seven episodes of this series. It has been an incredible experience and an absolute joy to create. I’m currently focusing on using this series to spread the valuable message of shelter pet adoption and hope to expand on Clara & Mr. Milo’s Adventures very soon…

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