The Adventures of Moly, The Time Traveling Dog: Visiting Teotihuacan, follows a resilient Beagle Terrier who finds herself homeless and struggling to survive, who is rescued and trained for a mission to travel back in time and learn about the Aztec civilization. What was the inspiration for your story?

Great question. There were a couple of sources that inspired me to write The Adventures of Moly. The first was Moly herself. She was my wife and my first dog and a lot of what happened in the first part of the book actually  happened when we first adopted her. Another inspiration is my background as an educator as a history teacher, a charter school owner, and an Instructional Assistant at Roosevelt Elementary in Mesa. That background also provided a lot of material for the first part of the book. Finally, living in Arizona, I wanted Moly’s first adventure to center on a major civilization somewhat close geographically to that area. That is why I chose the Aztecs. 

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

The collaboration was excellent and it is a testament to how seamless conducting business across the world wide web is. Valeria, who already has an extensive and well regarded background in illustrating children’s books, is a Ukrainian refugee living with her family in the United Kingdom. When I first sent her the draft of the book, I indicated what drawings I wanted and where they should be placed in the book. After the development of the cover and the first sketches, the process went like clockwork. She would routinely send me new illustrations to review and approve. Again, after the development of the cover and the first sketches, especially on what Moly would look like, the process went without any hitches. 

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

For me, it was important not just to tell an entertaining tale but an educational one as well where children in grades K-2 can learn about history and geography. Being a history teacher, I feel that the subject is neglected too much in education and children should be exposed to as much of it as possible. 

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?

It is the first book in the series. The Second Book, The Adventures of Moly: Journey to Pompeii has been written and is already off to Valeria to illustrate. The cover and first drawing is already complete. It will be coming out just before the holidays. The Third book: The Adventures of Moly: Riding on the Underground Railroad will be out in the fall of 2026. 
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