Charlie Chaloosy Is Often Quite Choosy follows a young boy uncomfortable with change who makes a new friend and learns that trying new things can be fun. What was the inspiration for your story?

I think my inspiration for creating Charlie is a combination of my 34+ years in education, getting in touch with my “inner-Granddaddy” with the advent of 6 grandchildren over the last 4 1/2 years, and having multiple family members that are on the autism spectrum. I see how anxiety and fear can get in the way of children fully engaging in life and trying things they want to do but they lack the social skills and confidence sometimes to even try. My hope for Charlie is that he provides comfort, encouragement and a platform for caring adults to talk with children about having the courage and confidence to try new things. We could all use a nudge sometimes to engage in a micro-adventure by trying something new outside of our regular routine. I hope Charlie will allow children to see how he is locked into his own routine of comfort and predictability but he longs for more so he thinks about it, makes some plans and takes some action.

Charlie’s character is typical of many toddlers who don’t like strange new things, and it takes a lot to try something unfamiliar. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

As I stated prior, sometimes it’s easier to observe something in someone else than it is to be introspective and admit our own fears and apprehensions. It’s as true for adults as it is for little ones. If children can see that Charlie is stuck in his routine but he was willing to try something new, and like it, then maybe they can think about one thing they would like to try that is new for them. If children experience success like Charlie then they can keep adding one new thing at a time. I’m so committed to the growth mindset that I wanted to move the book beyond being conceptually true and leave a little room for every chubby-knuckled little hand that holds this book to have a call to action. I left the final two pages for the reader to share a picture and a story of something new they are committed to trying. I hope this book moves from being a fun sweet story to a keepsake for a child and his or her parents. Each book will have this feature where children will be able to “write their own story.”

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

I want this book to help get children fully engaged in their life. I would love for this book to be in the toolbox of parents, educators and therapists as we all work together to launch young children into the rest of their respective lives. Oh, and I want children to love Charlie and to feel comforted and encouraged by his adventures.

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?

This is my first children’s book but Charlie Chaloosy is going to be a series. I have already written other books in the series that will be published and I’m thinking through the timing of when to get them into the production process with the owner of Yorkshire Publishing. Over the next couple of years you can be on the lookout for the following books;

Charlie Chaloosy Goes on a Cruisey (Charlie goes on a great adventure)

Charlie Chaloosy Comes Down with Flusy (Charlie gets sick and has to miss an important school function)

Charlie Chaloosy Ends Up with a Bruisey (Charlie inadvertently gets hurt playing with friends and they have to work it out through forgiveness and understanding)

Charlie Chaloosy Refuses to Snoozy (Charlie refuses to take a nap and misses all the wonderful dreams that await him while he sleeps)

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