Moonbeam’s Halloween Wish follows a lonely stray cat looking for a family who crosses paths with a girl dressed as a black cat, instantly forming a connection, and hoping that she has found her forever home. What was the inspiration for your story?

I wanted to write a Halloween story that wasn’t scary, and since I have an adopted cat, the idea of incorporating the concept of adoption was appealing to me.  

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

All of my books include lessons to help children be better humans, and in this book, I combined adoption and caring for those who are lonely as the primary concepts.

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

Taylor is an extremely talented artist and a close coworker. She is also a cat owner and works daily with kids, as I do, so her understanding of the concepts I wanted to portray was seamless. Taylor is also a highly creative individual and brought fresh ideas to her illustrations that I hadn’t thought of. We started with ideas that I had in mind, and after a few tweaks, the book was finished. We collaborated very well.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

I am currently working on a book about a Tulip. It is targeted for ages 6-8, and the theme will be attractive to towns that present tulip festivals.

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