The Love Tank explores the unique idea that children have a vessel that is just waiting to be filled with love and experiences that will shape their behavior and social interactions. I think this original idea is intriguing. How did you come up with this idea and develop it into a book?

The Love Tank was inspired by a conversation with my 3-year-old daughter, who saw me crying over the tragic news of a school shooting. I didn’t know how to explain what had happened, and the concept of a “love tank” came to mind. I started explaining that we all have a love tank inside, which is filled by giving and receiving love. And when our love tank is full, we are able to act kindly and lovingly with others. But when our love tank is empty, it is much harder to be kind and loving. I explained that there are people who have a love tank that is completely empty, and who can end up hurting others, and that I was crying because someone with a very empty love tank hurt others and it made me really sad. A few days later, I woke up and the story was in my head, so I wrote it down and eventually published it as a children’s book.

What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?

I can’t narrow it down to only one experience because there have been various events that have influenced my writing, which is geared towards spreading messages of love, compassion, kindness, empathy, gratitude, authenticity and connectedness. Becoming a mother for the first time turned my world upside down and triggered a journey of self-discovery that led me to where I am now. Losing a really good friend to depression and drug use made me question our values as a society and made me want to contribute (through my writing) to creating a kinder, more loving world in which sensitive and beautiful souls like his could thrive. Similarly, events such as the school shooting that I previously mentioned, as well as becoming a mother to a baby boy in a society that sometimes seems to exude toxic masculinity, cemented my desire to contribute to building a kinder, more loving and more compassionate society through my writing.

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

To me it was important to discuss love as “essential” in our life. The book explains, “just like the gas tank in a car that we fill with gas so the car will run,” we need love to be kind and do good things. I also wanted children to understand that if someone else is hurtful, it may be because that person has an empty love tank, not because of something they did or did not do. And I wanted children to know that they have agency to fill their own love tanks and to perhaps even help others, contributing to a kinder world.

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

The Love Tank is the first book in a series of five books (Wholesome Children: Self-Awareness), which discuss the values of love, kindness, compassion, gratitude, authenticity and connectedness. The second book is titled The Gratitude Goggles, launch date to be determined (to be notified, readers can join our mailing list at www.wholesomechildrenbooks.com/mailinglist ).

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