Queen Molly and Her Friends follows a young GSD puppy who finds her forever family and shares what her life is like living with her amazing humans. What was the inspiration for your story?

I have a summer cottage in PA, the ‘Summer Palace’ in the book. Molly and I spent all last summer there, and much of the time, we had the place to ourselves. I had a lot of time to really get to know how incredibly smart and unique she is. When she first came into our lives as a pup, she had to try to make sense of being taken from her mother and siblings and starting life anew in a whole new place with a whole new cast of characters. I tried to capture that experience and all that followed from her perspective but with a human slant as well.

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

I wanted to show that change is neither inherently good nor bad; our response to change is what matters. Molly chose to accept the changes in her life as positive experiences due to her strong sense of self-confidence. I hoped to show that change is not something to fear but rather something to embrace and grow with.

Also, the characters in the book all have a great deal of respect for each other and care deeply about each other despite being very different from each other. Molly the Mutt is a great example; some people look at mutts as ‘less than,’ but not Molly. She treats Lilly as an equal and a good friend. Despite thinking of herself as a Queen and privileged, she treats everyone in her life with dignity.  I think that’s an important lesson for all of us.

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

I realized that illustrations would be integral to the story, and I researched professional illustrators online. I was getting frustrated and shared that with my daughter, and she suggested that I reach out to her friend, Samantha. Samantha is a very talented tattoo artist but had never illustrated a book. She was looking to step out of her comfort zone, which I respect tremendously, so we decided to test some ideas out. I sent her photos of Molly, Lillly, the ‘palace grounds,’ etc., and explained where I thought they would fit with the text. She sent some sketches, which I absolutely loved. I fell in love with the cover illustration immediately and decided she was the perfect person to bring the book to life. She added some illustrations from scratch, no pics to work from, and added the crown and cape on her own.  I fell in love with the cover illustration right away, of course. The process took a while since her tattoo business is very successful, and she is quite busy, but to me, it was well worth the wait. Interestingly, we have never met in person. It’s been a text and email-only collaboration.

Do you have more books planned featuring Molly and her friends? If so, when will it be available?

I have two more Molly books in mind. One will focus exclusively on her life at the Summer Palace. The other will focus on a huge change whereby Meghan has a baby, and her boyfriend, his dog Cooper and baby Ellie come to live at 300 Elm Street for a while, then move to their own ‘palace’, leaving Molly alone with me. I am writing the Summer Palace book now, but as for timing, that will depend on Samantha’s availability. I like her work so much that I want to keep our team together.

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