What was your inspiration for Your Face Lights up the World?

Writing Your Face Lights up the World was such a liberating process. I let my imagination take me where it wanted to go without parameters, a key differentiator from my previous books.

My first title, When You Lived in My Belly, was written to fulfill my beloved deceased mom’s dream of writing a children’s book and to answer my son’s question: What was it like when I lived in your belly? A delightful month-by-month storytelling of pregnancy from the perspective of both baby and mom, When You Lived in My Belly gives children a glimpse into a past they can’t remember, and takes moms back to a time they will never forget. It features kid-friendly descriptions of the developmental milestones babies reach in utero, coupled with the corresponding physical and emotional changes experienced by moms. This book also includes a page for moms to pen a personal note to their children about their individual pregnancy journey.

I wrote my second title, Goodnight Star, Whoever You Are after my young son’s father and three grandparents died in quick succession. It helps kids cope with grief, loss, and longing in an enchanting way, sparking meaningful conversations about the everlasting power of love. With an imaginative point of view, kids discover that the connection they share with the person or pet who died transcends the space between them. Children can reflect on their unbreakable bond with an “I Remember” page at the end of this beautifully illustrated picture book, providing comfort during trying times.

When I sat down to write Your Face Lights up the World, I didn’t have an angle or an outline. I just started writing. Intrinsically, this is the story I wanted to tell. If I had approached this title with writing fundamentals in mind and boxed myself in with an outline, I don’t know if these characters would have emerged. Harper and Hunter were developed through a journey of creative chaos and self-discovery.

Do you see elements of yourself in Harper or Hunter?

Upon reflection, Your Face Lights up the World is a book I needed to read when I was a young girl. I had conflicting feelings about the spray of freckles that appeared on my face during the summer. One day, I embraced them. The next, I tried to scrub them off. I was all over the place, with pangs of jealousy over a friend’s porcelain skin. Alternatively, I envied another friend’s beautiful face full of freckles. I just didn’t feel that comfortable in my skin, which is something I still struggle with at times, though I have made significant strides at age 51!

Besides my internal push-pull with self-acceptance, I was inspired by my son, as always, and by my neighbors’ children, who are growing up before my very eyes. Harper’s name is in honor of an exquisite little girl with a fantastic spray of freckles who lives a few doors down. The twin concept is inspired by the adorable red-headed identical twins who live next door. Characteristics of both main characters are rooted in a precocious, insatiably curious little girl who devours books in a house to my right. Harper and Hunter are a culmination of all of us. Though generations separate us, coming of age issues are timeless and universal.

Can you share with us a little about the collaboration with Jody King Camarra that led to such fantastic illustrations?

Jody King Camarra, illustrator extraordinaire of all my children’s books, has been my best friend for more than 45 years. We first met in kindergarten, immediately bonding over our shared first and middle names (Jodi Lyn and Jody Lynn, respectively). She was my closest confident throughout my formative years, and we graduated together from Sharon High School in Massachusetts. I served as her matron of honor, she held me up after I lost my mother to ovarian cancer. We have steadfastly supported each other through triumph and tragedy and everything in between…and that will never change.

After my mother’s passing, I approached Jody with the idea and verse for When You Lived in My Belly. She automatically agreed to illustrate it in my mother’s memory. The unexpected success of When You Lived in My Belly spawned Goodnight Star, Whoever You Are and Your Face Lights up the World. I am so grateful for her unparalleled talents and friendship.

Your Face Lights up the World has won a number of awards prepublication, including a Literary Titan Gold Book Award. When will the book be released?

I am honored and humbled by the Literary Titan Gold Book Award and other accolades for Your Face Lights up the World prepublication. Your Face Lights up the World was recently recognized as a #1 New Release on Amazon as well, in large part to the excitement surrounding this title. It will hit bookshelves on October 15 and is available for preorder wherever books are sold online right now. I am looking forward to getting Your Face Lights up the World in the hands of young readers who will benefit from its hopeful message of self-acceptance. I can’t wait to meet many of them at upcoming book tour events.

For more information about Jodi, please visit jodimeltzer.com.

About Your Face Lights up the World

Harper and Hunter are fraternal twins with only one thing in common: they once lived together in their mom’s belly. When their mom tells them they must play outside together after a fight, they decide to build a fort tall enough to keep her out!

While gathering sticks and stones to stack, Hunter finds a super-spotty sparkle stone and has a lightbulb moment. He wonders which one has more spots, the speckled stone or his sister’s freckled face?

Your Face Lights up the World is a powerfully written and distinctively illustrated picture book that explores themes of self-esteem, sibling rivalry, and jealousy with flair, whisking kids off on an unforgettable journey toward self-acceptance. Complete with journal pages to capture renewed feelings of confidence, this inspirational book will help kids see themselves in a new light.

About Jodi Meltzer

Jodi Meltzer is the multi-award-winning author of three children’s books: When You Lived in My Belly; Goodnight Star, Whoever You Are; and Your Face Lights up the World. A former television news anchor/reporter, she has also written extensively about grief, divorce, and parenting for various publications, including HuffPost, The Mighty, Scary Mommy, and Thrive Global. She’s a self-described pizzaholic who adores ’80s music/movie binges with her beloved son and crust-loving rescue dog by her side. To learn more, visit jodimeltzer.com.

Author Links: Facebook | Instagram | X