Ichi-ban Goes Hiking follows an adventurous pup and her mommy as they explore mountain trails, celebrating the joy of nature and discovery, and the unbreakable bond between a dog and her family. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Ichi-ban was my first dog (1996-2010) and we shared many adventures hiking together in Colorado. She continues to live in my heart and one morning in the winter of 2024, as I was sitting quietly after breakfast, she started speaking in my head. “Hi! My name is Ichi-ban! I know, it’s a funny name…” I grabbed a notebook and kept on writing and in less than thirty minutes I had the first draft of Ichi-ban Goes Hiking.

Within a few days, I found myself with the drafts for three books and it was just a matter creating my vision for them and then slowly bringing them to fruition. I feel like these books are the perfect coming together of my love of dogs, kids, nature, writing, and graphic design.

How do your own outdoor adventures influence the book’s storytelling?

Everything that I write about in the book actually happened, although sometimes simplified a bit to be suitable for a children’s book.

What message do you hope young readers take away from Ichi-ban’s journey?

The outdoors, and life, are a fun adventure. Sure, you might make some mistakes from time to time as you learn, but that’s okay and part of growing up. You can still go on to have more fun.

Do you have plans for more adventures featuring Ichi-ban in the future?

There are three books out now and, at the moment, Ichi-ban’s adventures feel complete.

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