Tousled follows a lively young girl with long, beautiful, out-of-control hair who learns about kindness and compassion. What was the inspiration for your story?

I actually created Tousled in an afternoon, when our illustrator informed us he had a last minute cancelation. The ending didn’t come as quickly as the rest of the book, and I was completely lost on how to spin it. We have had a lot of experience with cancer through family, friends, and our foundation and have also known a couple people with Alopecia. I felt that Sunny was already so proud of who she was, the next step would be for her to share it with others. I like to end stories in surprising ways that spark conversations with children and inspire people to give.

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

If you are blessed with something, share it. Be kind. Be generous. Also, you are beautiful on the outside just as you are, but it’s really who you are as a person that makes you shine.

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

Andy is awesome! He was super excited to draw the hair and obviously did an amazing job. He was receptive to color tweaks or little things here or there that I pictured a bit differently. I think for the most part, we were on the same page (small pun intended).

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?

Tousled was published at the same time as The Princess Has to Pee which is another twist on an old classic. I am currently collaborating with my husband on a book called The Trashcan Wars which is a silly story about a misunderstanding amongst neighbors. We will also be releasing our first title through our sister company, Grief Glitter, called Jessy Joy and Daddy-O, a picture book memoir for young readers about a father and daughter’s special bond and expression of love through silly nicknames.

Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | Website