Kloe’s New Start follows a young cat excited for her first day at a new school who becomes caught up in her troublemaking brother’s drama. Where did the idea for this story come from?

The idea for the story came from my personal difficulties of going to the same school at the same time as my older sibling who has mental health issues. He was supposed to have graduated a year prior to my starting this high school but was held back. It created a lot of personal and emotional circumstances that were very hard to deal with as a high school freshman. A new school with new people – I was so hopeful that I would blend in and stand on my own two feet but that wasn’t the case. As in the story, it was found out fairly quickly that we were related.

Which scene did you have the most fun writing?

The last chapter. It was fun to write because although it was one of the most difficult high school years of my life, it was also a great way to internally come to terms – as much as one can at 14 – with who I was wihtin myself. It was an awakening to realize that it really is ok to be different from everyone else. That you bring your own personality and talents to those who really matter in your life – your true freinds and family.

Is there anything from your own childhood included in the characters in this story?

Yes, alot was taken from my own personal story. I wanted to let others who may be struggling with their own anxieties about who they are or where they came from understand that things will turn out well in the end through persistence. We are not alone. We should and need to be true to ourselves – always. This will lead to the best outcome for our future selves.

Can young readers look forward to more books featuring Kloe? What are you currently working on?

They definitaly can! Book 2 is in the works that will go a little deeper with what Kloe had to deal with within her own family as she grew up with mental illness setting a tone in her home. I’ll be creating more stories that will hopefully come out shortly that offer other anecdotes of life within Kloe’s World.

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