Gertie Saves the Day is about a groundhog competition to be the next Groundhog Day celebration groundhog. What was the inspiration for your story?

I have always loved Groundhog Day. I always found it fascinating that animals were able to indicate to farmers whether or not they should begin planting their spring crops. As a child I was always hoping for an early spring!

It bothered me that only male groundhogs were selected to celebrate Groundhog Day. I began to wonder what it might be like to have a female groundhog celebrate this special day. What would the selection process look like? How would the selection be made? Wondering is a fun place when writing children’s books.

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

The art collaboration process with my illustrator, Daniela Massironi, was amazing. Daniela is a talented illustrator who captured my attention with her portfolio of cute animals with beautiful facial expressions. For me, facial expressions are important when telling a children’s story. We worked together as a team. Daniela first concentrated on the main characters, then she moved on to the page illustrations. Daniela made some great suggestions along the way and was open to my suggestions. It truly was a team effort. I may have written the story, but Daniela’s illustrations made the story come to life!

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

This book began as an introduction to Groundhog Day and as the story grew there were several childhood themes that developed. Competition and disappointment are themes that children can understand and relate to in their own lives. Sharing how Gertie handled her disappointment let’s children know it’s alright to be disappointed and there are different ways to handle disappointment. The book also has themes of friendship, kindness and teamwork. Each of these themes give parents and teachers the opportunity to have meaningful discussions with children.

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

I am writing a series of books for young children about Kindness/Bullying, Sharing, Diversity/Inclusion and Patience. This series should be available late summer, early fall. My next project will be co-authoring a children’s book about acupuncture.

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