I’m Just Dying to Be Queen Bee: A Story About Self-Determination follows a young worker bee determined to change the hierarchy and achieve her dreams. What was the inspiration for your story?

Life is full of obstacles. From a young age, we often feel the stress of competing for fulfilling things. Sometimes life teaches us that overcoming barriers to reach a goal takes hard work and self-determination. When does one realize when to apply the courage and hard work to go after something meaningful? Is it beneficial to create a plan to follow a roadmap to success? Nastassia, the worker bee, demonstrates that setting a plan and sticking to her mission does pay off. She realizes that believing in her abilities and self-determination will earn her the life she wants for herself. Her story will help you persevere to achieve your goals and create a life right for you. 

Did you do a lot of research to maintain the accuracy of the subject?

I researched honeybee facts to ensure the quality of the story creation and to provide the contrast between bee facts and humorous fiction that unfolds in the story. 

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

I create exciting stories with growth-mindset themes focusing on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies. In my writing, I strive to help children develop positive SEL skills through cognitive development that will shape youngsters’ abilities to manage emotions and behaviors and set and achieve positive goals through her stories. Exposing children early on to vocabulary and literacy rules and building academic confidence and independence relating to shaping perspective and interpretation is vital. As a teacher who typically coaches young readers who struggle with literacy, exposing them to fun stories piques their interest. It provokes an intrinsic motivation that assists with making sense of words and word structuring. Additionally, children reading early in life can better form social-emotional skills through their imagination that develops as they read.

What is the next book you are working on, and when is that book due out?

I am working on a project on peer bullying and how the main character overcomes the naysayers. I plan to have this project completed by the end of this year. 

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This story includes over 1800 literacy words, a prologue, a glossary, fun facts, and comprehension questions.