Nugget and Bandit’s First Winter follows an adventurous and curious raccoon living on one side of a mountain who makes friends with another raccoon and two squirrels, and together they explore the other side of the mountain. What was the inspiration for your story?

The inspiration for Nugget & Bandit’s First Winter came from my own “tail” of friendship. My adventure started with learning to ski at West Mountain with the instructor who became the inspiration for Bandit. I swear when I first met him, I thought he was crazy, so it was only fitting that Bandit experienced the same first impressions in our wintry “tail.”

The gifts inside our debut chapter book were also reminiscent of the “Chicklets from your chick” I used to give Bandit. The necklace in the book was one of my most cherished gifts from Bandit. The mountains on the map are all places that we explored together, and Bandit did actually gift me a day of skiing at Bromley that ended in a terrible tumble. My right big toenail will never look the same!

The art in this book is fantastic. Each page is filled with wonder and draws young readers’ attention right into the story. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Anthony Richichi?

When starting my author journey, I was encouraged to query traditional publishers, but during my research, I found that was not the best publishing path for me. I wanted to be fully hands-on throughout the whole publishing process, including illustration design and layout. In the end, this desire to retain full rights to all decisions made indie publishing the best for me. When I found Saratoga Springs Publishing, owned by Vicki Addesso Dodd, she was as passionate about creating my books as I was!

As I created this “tail”, images were already swirling around my head like the snowflakes in this wintry adventure. After drafting my image ideas and placements, SSP and I storyboarded. There were so many little details from my own memories that I wanted to highlight! The names of the trails are actually from West Mountain on page 67.

My amazing publisher, Vicki, introduced me and Anthony. I had told Vicki I had all the images already thought of but would be in need of an illustrator and she had happily provided referrals. I fell in love with Anthony’s gorgeous nature paintings.

It was amazing to be able to storyboard with Vicki, and her encouragement has led me to actually like my “Franken-coons” as we call my cat-faced, stick-bodied, and raccoon-tailed attempts at drawing! After creating our storyboard drafts, we all worked together with Anthony through initial drafts to final images. Watching Anthony be able to capture the images that were in my head with such skill is mind-blowing. I look forward to more fantastic artwork collaborations with Anthony and Vicki!

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

In this chapter book, I wanted the message of friendship to resonate throughout the adventure. As a mother of five children, I think that it is important to remember that friendships won’t bloom if you don’t give them a chance. Anyone and everyone you meet could possibly become a friend. While first impressions are very important, I wanted to remind my children that impressions are always changing. Having an open mind to try new adventures with all kinds of people makes life memorable. I would know from experience! If I hadn’t become friends with Bandit, I would not have earned the nickname Nugget. There would have been a lot of experiences I would have never enjoyed as well!

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?

This is the first book in a winter and summer series featuring the adventures of Nugget and Bandit. Fans can expect a sassier Nugget and even bigger surprises from Bandit! There will also be lots of new friends made along the way. The next book will really highlight the underlying message of exploration and believing in yourself as you continue to learn new skills. We anticipate another furry release in Winter 2024! While you wait for the next snowy adventure, check out Nugget and Bandit on the Hudson River in Raccoons Go Rafting. The rafting sequel, Raccoons Ride the Dragonback, will be released this summer!

Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon