The Heath Cousins and the Ruby Lantern follows a precocious child on a precarious quest to return a precious jewel. What were some sources that informed this story’s development?

This is Book 4 in the series. Addie B. and her cousins are introduced in Book 1, The Moonstone Cave. It is summer time and they are visiting their grandfather after the death of their grandmother Winnie who they were all very close to. Since Addie B. grew up in England and since I am a huge Anglophile, I wanted to follow that thread in the future books. So in Book 2, Kingsgate Bridge, the cousins come visit her in her English village during Christmas time. In Book 3, they are vacationing together in North Carolina when they find a gateway to the Crystal Canyon. In Book 4, I took Addie B. and the cousins back to London so I could incorporate some of London’s famous places in it. I love the British Museum and wanted to include that in Book 4. I love introducing different cultures into my books (I grew up in Asia) and so I wanted to include China Town in it somehow.

I love the mystery of jewels and crystals, their alledged “powers”, and I thought wouldn’t it be cool to include gems and names of gems throughout the books. Many of the characters are named after gemstones: Gemma, Jadira (jade), Daiyu (black jade), Saphira (book 1), etc. The stones they wear and the adventures they go through bring out the talents and gifts that they already have. Addie B. already loves languages, Bodi loves animals and so on.

The characters in the book were fun to follow. What were some ideas that guided their development?

The main characters are based on my two sons and their cousins when they were young. Addie B. is based on my niece Rebecca, who is wicked smart and was often stand-offish with the boys and loved to read. But the boys could always coax her into their imaginary games! They loved playing outside and pretending to be in a different world. I started Book 1 at that point, (fifteen years ago!) but I didn’t finish it until a few years ago. Of course they are grown now, but there are many second round of cousins that I continue to draw inspiration from and that help shape my characters.

It was important to me that their grandmother Winnie was of Native American heritage (Book 1) and that Jack had those physical characteristics. When they first meet Gemma, she reminds them of their grandmother Winnie. (I wrote this part because my grandmother had just passed away at the time and my kids and niece and nephew had been quite close to her. Rebecca especially shared a birthday and name with my grandmother.) Both of my boys are of Native American and Hispanic heritage and I wanted to reflect that as well. Its important to me to have diverse characters so more kids can have someone to relate to. Mai Li and several Asian themes play a big part in the Ruby Lantern as you know, and since I grew up in Asia, I wanted to share some of those themes in the book.

The Garden of Choice is an imaginative place. How did you come about the idea for this place and how did it change as you wrote?

When I wrote Book 1 and introduced the Garden of Choice, I didn’t have plans to write any others. But then, ideas for the next book started coming and I thought, why don’t the cousins find out that the Garden of Choice is only a small part of this magical world and that there are many different gateways to it? So I gradually added more details in each book (in Book 2 I added a Story Arch that showed a history of some of the characters and the names of some of the gateways). Book 3, the Crystal Canyon, shows them a whole map of a land named Ambra (meaning Amber) with the Garden of Choice as only a part of that. (I always loved maps in books!) Of course, all of these were influenced by my favorite books and series such as The Chronicles of Narnia and when my kids were young, I loved reading The Magic Treehouse to them. I write the kind of stories that I loved reading when I was young.

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

I am working on two books right now. One is Book 5, (and probably the last) of the Heath Cousins – The Silver Statue. I’m not sure when it will be out. Maybe Christmas? It also starts out in London but Addie B. must begin her journey alone. Book 5 wraps up some of the cousins’ adventures and introduces new characters who could be main characters in any future Heath Cousins series.

The other book I have been working on for a while is kind of a love letter to Thailand where I grew up. It is called “Under the Golden Raintree”. It is about a young Thai girl named Lily who lives in a Northern village in the mountains. She has a handicapped hand and is not able to help her father farm or her mother to sew beads on bracelets. She is often bullied by the kids in the village. But one day, “under the golden raintree”, she meets a baby white elephant who she names Rambu. Rambu makes Lily feel loved and gives her confidence in herself. She must keep Rambu a secret, however, because white elephants are considered sacred and Lily must protect him from others who would want to capture him and send him away to the King’s Palace. Anyway, its a blend of my memories growing up there and some “myths” that are very much a part of the Thai culture. I love the story, and I hope to finish it up soon.

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