Izza’s Tea Party follows a young girl as she goes to her grandmother’s house for a tea party and learns about the stove and hot liquid safety. What was the inspiration for your story?

Years ago, when I became a mother of three adorable boys, my passion for preventing children from injuries matured and grew into motherly love. I realized how much my children depended on my vigilance. A child’s safe upbringing and ability to thrive as a productive community member depends on caregivers. My goal became my passion as research also shows that parents play the most essential role in childhood burn prevention.

This philosophy inspired all my future endeavors from becoming a humanitarian to a loving grandmother and now book author. When I was fighting cancer, my granddaughter Izza rekindled my passion by becoming an inspiration for this book. Izza helped develop the characters using her toys and as I recovered from cancer these characters became alive in “Izza’s Tea Party.”

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

Serving as a humanitarian for over 25 years, I have seen firsthand how a small risky act can shatter a child’s life in a moment. One moment the child is playing happily at home and then the other moment an unexpected accident happens like a child has scalded himself by spilling a hot cup of tea that the caregiver just put on the coffee table or by trying to grab a lit candle on the counter. It is unfortunate that many caregivers are unaware that such accidents can occur and that they may be dangerous.

As a book author, I am eager to share with readers my passion for promoting a safe home environment. I wanted to educate them about risky behavior that can be modified into precautionary behavior. Prevention is the best cure is my one and only reason for becoming an author.

When I was writing the book, I intended the illustration to be very child-friendly so that every child can relate to the story. The concept of always keeping children five steps away from hot beverages and stoves took a long time to develop. The concept was developed with the collaboration of Dr. Ahmad Shahzad, who works with children with burn injuries on a daily basis at Shalamar Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. The first time I saw the illustration of five colorful semi-circular shapes surrounding the stove with toes pointing away from the stove, tears began to flow down my cheeks as I realized I had finally seen my idea represented in a colorful illustration.

It is extremely impressive to see Izza’s Tea Party artwork. During my battle with cancer, my granddaughter Izza rekindled my passion for this book and contributed to the development of the characters by using her toys. Jack Delany’s creative, and colorful illustrations brought these characters to life.

I appreciate you taking the time to read about Izza’s Tea Party illustration process.

What was the writing process like for this book?

It was a memorable experience for me to write Izza’s Tea Party. During that time, I was battling cancer for my life. As I struggled through this dark time, my only source of light was my grandchildren. They supported, motivated, and inspired me wholeheartedly. Every day, for hours, they reminded me that I wanted to write a book on children’s safety and prevention. Izza, my granddaughter, would then help me develop the book’s characters as she played with her toys. My grandson, Adam, would then read aloud to me.

In a flash of inspiration, it seems like I promised them I would fight this monstrous illness and become a published author just like that.

The diagnosis of cancer and the battle to overcome it were grim for me, but it certainly made my blessings shine brighter in light of it. I am grateful to be a published book author. It is an honor for me to share the light of safety and prevention with children throughout the world.

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

The second book in the Safety and Prevention Book Series will be entitled “Izza, the Babysitter”. The book is scheduled to be published by Christmas 2022.

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