The Bird Who Was Afraid to Fly follows a young sparrow who is afraid to fly, prompting him to embark on a journey that leads to self-discovery, quiet bravery, and ultimately, a leap of faith. Where did the idea for this story come from?

I have always had a crippling fear of falling. To me, it just seems obvious, like, I could die if I fall from this height, so clearly I’m freaking out. Of course, my friends are dancing on the edges of mountains, so it’s not quite the universal fear of imminent death, it seems to me! Anyway, I was spending a few weeks in Italy, and while visiting a friend in Siena, I was taken by the Torre del Mangia in the city’s main square, Piazza del Campo. I had never written a children’s book before, but for some reason, my imagination took flight (pun not intended!), and I couldn’t help but think about how terrifying it would be to be at the top of the tower. And at dusk, birds would circle above the piazza, and I don’t know when I connected it, but I realized I wanted to write about a bird who is afraid to fly. So when I got back home to Los Angeles, I set about writing it!

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

I wanted it to be a lesson about understanding that fear is normal and even healthy. Fear is our mind’s way of protecting us when it perceives we’re in danger, so there’s nothing to be embarrassed about when you’re afraid. And I thought having Sam just work up the courage to take that first step out of his fear was obvious and easy and had been done a million times. So I wanted another lesson to be that it’s okay to accept help from others when we’re not strong enough to do something ourselves.

What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?

I really enjoyed writing about the different kinds of birds there are in the world. Birds who swim and birds who can’t fly, and how Sam is envious of bats because they can’t see well, and how he wants to flit with the fireflies, and how he imagines starlings to be like stars and bluebirds like patches of sky. I got to be really creative building the world through Sam’s tiny worldview.

What story are you currently in the middle of writing?

I have two more completed children’s books. Up next is Violet’s Pretty Purple Playground, about a little girl who loves purple so much that she wishes for the whole world to be purple (I mean, it sounds lovely to me), and when her wish comes true, she finds that variety–not singularity–is what makes the world so rich. The second is about a young unicorn whose horn doesn’t change color to mark his passage to adulthood, and he worries that means he isn’t special. I also have a story about a tomboy damselfly and a Christmas story called Holly Jolly about a mischievous white cat, both of which still need to be written. And I’m working with a producer on notes for my mind-bending psychological thriller screenplay, The Alexandrite Ring, to get it into shape so he can start looking to attach a director. There’s always a lot happening!

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