Sammy and Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure follows two fish who wish to swim to the barrier reef in the Flordia Keys who befriend a turtle along the way. What was the inspiration for your story?

The inspiration for the book Sammy and Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure was seeing a tiny sergeant major fish darting about in a sun lit tidal pool in the Florida Keys. For reasons unknown even to me at the time, I turned to my fiancé Stephanie and said “check out Sammy the Sergeant Major down there” as I pointed into the tidal pool. There were many other inhabitants in this mini ecosystem including a tiny yellow tailed snapper fish which was quickly given the name Scarlett. I have loved the natural world since childhood. As an adult, this fascination included scuba diving and snorkeling over coral reefs in Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean among other global locations. I have seen juveniles of both species first hand hiding in the roots of mangrove trees. As an avid diver I have also seen adult sergeant major and yellow tailed snapper over coral reefs in numbers beyond counting. As I watched the two baby fish in the tidal pool, I thought, here is a story worth telling.

The art in this book is fantastic; readers are transported to life under the water in a way that they feel like they are part of the story. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Mary Wentzel?

Mary Wentzel is an extraordinarily gifted, award-winning artist. I had seen some of her wonderful work and knew that she was certainly a person with the requisite skill sets. We set up an in person meeting so that she my fiancé Stephanie Casimiro (who would be handling marketing for the books) I could get to know each other. The creative chemistry was nearly instantaneous. Mary read the first manuscript, did one trial sketch which was awesome and it was game on. We did not have rigid rules of collaboration for the development of the artwork other than “have fun with it”. Mary’s stunning artwork flows perfectly throughout the book with her vivid, one of a kind original images helping to tell the tale of Sammy and Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure.

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

The primary foundational goal of Sammy and Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure is to factually accurately depict how a coral reef and its myriad of inhabitants, coexist in one of the most amazing ecosystems on earth. The storyline was based upon my firsthand observations while diving and snorkeling over the decades. Inspiration for artistic images of the natural world were gleaned from many sources including our undersea photos. Great effort was made to be educationally accurate. Coral reefs are places that children need to learn are worth protecting for their benefit and for the benefit of generations yet to come. These are eco-systems worth saving.

Do you have more adventures planned for Sammy and Scalett in the future? If so, when can your fans expect the next story, and where will it take them?

That is an excellent question, thank you. Fans may be interested in knowing that Sammy and Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure is actually a sequel to the previously published Sammy and Scarlett’s Mangrove Adventure. To your question, I do have another manuscript in the very early stages of development for Sammy and Scarlett. More to come on that soon.

Recently, I have been busy wrapping up my fourth children’s book entitled Kiki and Slugger’s Magic Spring Adventure which is due out this fall. This is a very fun story also set in the iconic Florida Keys, which features the vivid interpretations of the natural world around us by the highly talented artist Mary Wentzel. Our fans will not be disappointed!

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