Walking with the Sun follows two best friends who decide to walk to the West in an attempt to escape the scorching Sun, only to find no relief. What was the inspiration for your story?

My humble greetings to all the Readers! Long back, around 2010, I was a member of an online writing community. I had a Basic Portfolio with my poems and writings. We could participate in various contests; this particular contest had a picture prompt. The picture captured a beautiful Sunset; in the foreground were silhouettes of an Elephant on the ground and an Eagle flying. We all know that the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. This idea of what happens if you travel and move with the Sun was the intriguing question that lingered in my mind. I could only think of a Children’s story. And I wrote Walking with the Sun.
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The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Julia Duclos?

Thank you! Yes, @juhd is fantastic. We have collaborated on six books so far. We are working on the next one. I love Julia’s unique, dreamy illustrations and memorable character designs. First, she read the story and made a storyboard; we split the text into a standard 32-page book with 12 full Illustration spreads. Then, we started with the characters Gaja and Garud. I was specific about the characters’ features being expressive. After a few attempts, we locked the character-looks. I was highly impressed! Having your characters come to life after almost 10 years is a great feeling. We celebrated by posting the Character introduction on all our social media platforms. Once the characters were designed, everything else just flowed. Despite any artistic disagreements, we share a beautiful friendship after working together for so long. We have a really strong bond that way. To work together as collaborators, we need the delicate understanding to treat work disagreements separately and not take things personally. After all, both the Author and the Illustrator are walking towards the same destiny and want the book to excel. Keeping the best ideas of both is the key. To more collaborations!

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

“Following Garud’s idea, they walk towards the West to escape the scorching heat. The ignorant friends only learn at the end that they are walking with the Sun. Later, there is a big surprise awaiting Gaja!”

As I wrote the story, I knew I had to talk about sorrow and how to handle discomfort. It is essential to show Children that it is impossible to come out of sad feelings if you sit with them.

You have to walk out and move away to overcome discomfort. And there is hope in any situation. There is definitely a way out.

Three key talking points/messages in the book:

1. An interesting journey with Gaja, the Elephant, and Garud, the Eagle. Beautifully illustrated
   characters and story events. The illustrations are dreamy, soothing, and intriguing all at the same
   time!
2. Morals:
   ●Walk away from discomfort to overcome it.
   ●Sorrow is never permanent.
   ●After every sunset, there is a promising sunrise.
3. A sweet surprise and a celebration at the end!
   Walking with the Sun is a cute jungle friendship story, with an Elephant and an Eagle as
   characters. This book is a winner of 2023 Literary Titan Award and a 2024 Next Generation
   Indie Book Awards Finalist.

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

After Walking with the Sun, I have published a poetry chapbook (A Mirage of Golden Glitter). And I recently published a Science Fiction Novella, Lost. Leap. Loop. Both of these are available on Amazon. Also, I recently published an Audiobook version of Walking with the Sun. It is free if you have a Library Card (Overdrive and Libby). It is available on Audible, too. I am currently working on another Children’s Picture Book, The Work of Art on the Wall.

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