In Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals, when Santa’s reindeer search for pen pals, they find three young girls with whom they form lasting friendships. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The inspiration for my first Christmas book has been my 3 beautiful daughters, Corryn, Kylie, and McKenna. I have always loved the magic of Christmas, and I wanted to amplify that with my girls. I wanted them to feel the magical power and imagination that brings Christmas to life. My kids were always inquisitive. We had woods in our backyard, and deer would calmly walk around late at night and early morning. That inspired me to the concept of Santa’s reindeer doing check-ins for Santa and engaging with my kids by becoming their pen pals. My kids dove into letter writing, drawing check-ins, and asking such fascinating questions to Dasher, Prancer, and Vixen. I so enjoyed writing back to them, and I saw their magical creativity blossom into this beautiful Christmas tradition.

The art in this book is fantastic it reminded me of my own childhood and eagerly watching the old classic animated Christmas stories. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Prabir Sarkar?

For the artwork, I had a vision of the creative works for the story. Prabir was able to take my descriptors and bring them to animated life. He listened to what I wanted the see and feel and was able to translate it magically onto the page. We enjoyed working together and sharing our passion for storytelling and Christmas. We had so much fun making this story translate through the artwork.

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

I so admire the innocent, vulnerable creativity children have.

Having a pen pal can be a great way for young kids to develop their creativity, as well as other skills and values. I wanted the kids to always tap into their creativity, imagination, writing, and drawing. You are never too young or old to ask questions and create dialogue.

I see a portion of the sales from this book is being donated to Kids in Crisis. Can you tell readers more about this organization and why it is an important group for you to support?

Kids are amazing human beings that have the right to be safe and thrive. Unfortunately, so many kids are facing adversity, and when kids are homeless they lack the physical, mental, medical, and educational support they need. Kids in Crisis is there 24 hours a day to help kids in any form of crisis. This can range from homelessness and domestic and emotional abuse to hunger. I want kids to have housing, medical and therapeutic support, to be kids, to live, dream, explore, learn, build positive relationships, and live in a safe world. I want to be part of the solution to making their lives better.

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