Cherry’s Big Wish follows a young mermaid who makes a birthday wish that takes her on an exciting adventure to meet fairies. What was the inspiration for your story?

My first inspiration comes from my experience as a little girl and wanting to read more magical stories. I loved magic, mermaids, fairies, and castles. In fact, I believed in fantasy so deeply I remember asking for my Care Bear colouring book to come to life. My second inspiration comes from the universe, which I believe carries an abundance of creativity and magic that is available to everyone.

I would like to add that I think all children’s books are inspirational. My love of reading wouldn’t exist if my mom hadn’t read me books by Dr. Seuss, Robert Munsch, and The Berenstain Bears. My first novel was R.L Stein’s Goosebumps book Say Cheese and Die.  

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

Chloé and I met over Instagram and connected over our shared love of mermaids and fairies. Working with Chloe was a great experience. She did a phenomenal job of bringing the vision in my imagination to life. I enjoyed the anticipation of waiting for each illustration to arrive in my inbox and felt a flood of excitement with each reveal. We very much worked on this book side-by-side, and I think by the end, my attention to detail may have been a bit exhausting.

I encourage everyone to look up Chloé Elimam illustrations. Put her on your watchlist for breakout talent. I believe she’ll be illustrating animations in the near future. 

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

Friendship, big wishes, and believing in the ability to make your dreams come true. I want kids to be inspired by those ideas and to stay connected to their childlike wonder as they grow up. Afterall, dreams come true when you’re young at heart.

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

I have a couple of new stories in the works. I’d like to see Cherry’s Big Wish expand into a series called Cherry and Friends. The next book will likely be a Halloween story as the first book has a birthday theme. In this story, a new boy mermaid moves to town, but he’s shy and afraid to show himself because he looks different. Cherry befriends Frank and signs them both up for the Halloween costume contest at school. Spoiler: Frank might win the Halloween contest for his Frankenstein costume with the support of his new friends.

The next story I’m really excited about is a stand-alone book that’s tentatively titled Susy Snippets. This story follows Susy, an 11-year-old girl who has an incredible talent for turning the boring hairstyles in her town into magnificent works of art. As word spreads about Susy’s talents, she’s asked to style the mayor’s hair for a special event. When Susy’s swivel scissors break the night before her biggest transformation, she must believe her talent lies within herself and not her magical swivel scissors.   

I’d love to traditionally publish Susy Snippets, which means I am looking for an agent. I can imagine it being on store shelves in about two and a half to three years. I’ll make a big wish!

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