Andrew Conquers the Court: Inspired by a True Story follows a young boy who fails to make the basketball team and sets out to find out why and how to improve so he can do better next year. What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write this book?

As an educator of almost 30 years, I have used many children’s books in my classroom to help teach various concepts to children. So, it was many years ago that I had the idea of writing my own children’s book someday. However, it wasn’t until I decided to leave the education field that the book started to take shape. First, I watched my son, Andrew (who the main character in the story is based on), go through a big disappointment in his life and rise from that disappointment to success with hard work and determination. As an educator, I know how important books are in children’s lives and many children have gone through the same thing that Andrew went through. I started thinking about how his story could turn into a book to help other kids. Then when other parents and teachers kept saying to me, “Andrew has a great story” and “I tell Andrew’s story to my class every year”, I thought this is it! I must write this book!

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

I was so fortunate to work with Eva Morales. After seeing her work, she was my first choice to illustrate the story. Luckily, she was available! Since she lives in Spain, and I live in New York State we corresponded through email. The story in the book, Andrew Conquers the Court, was inspired by real-life events, so I was able to send her photos of the people and places in the story. She took those photos and made the story as it was written come to life! It was honestly one of my favorite parts of writing the book. Eva is such a talent, and I hope to work with her again in the future.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

I wanted the children who read the book to know that Andrew’s story can be their story! Perseverance, resilience, and believing in yourself were the important ideas that I wanted to share in this book. Even though we used the sport of basketball to relay these ideas, it could be replaced with another sport or activity that students are involved in. When things don’t go our way in life, we can choose to give up or try harder and get better.

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

Andrew Conquers the Court launched in November 2023, so right now, I am enjoying meeting with students and parents to spread the message about this story. So I have not started my next book yet, but I am definitely thinking about it! My other son, Sean, is a junior in high school, and I would love to share a story about him in the future. I just don’t know what his story is yet. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on my next book and upcoming events on my website.

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