Lets talk! Learning to bowl follows two friends to the bowling alley where they learn about the importance of wearing a mask and how people with autism communicate differently. What inspired the idea to have this story take place in a bowling alley?

Each book has a different setting and activity that is near and dear to me. I grew up bowling and had even worked at the local bowling alley. In doing that I got to see a lot of children begin to bowl and fall in love with it. I thought it would be great to showcase that in a book. Not many books show bowling and I loved the idea of it being something different that can also inspire kids to want to try a bowling league too.

Was there anything that you pulled from your own experience and used in the book?

Oh absolutely I did! All of my books have things in them that are from my experience in the field. This book in particular though is special and near and dear to me because I did work at the local bowling alley and volunteer coached. In this book I bring back the idea of using the index cards for Emma to understand and communicate. That is a technique I use a lot in my current career in applied behavior analysis.

I modeled the bowling alley and coach after what I knew growing up. The bowling alley is similar to the one I worked in. I decided to use a coach because I had coached as a volunteer too. I had worked with children and seen little ones with disabilities try to bowl. I pulled from my own memories and experiences to shape the character of the coach. It also influenced the front desk and the types of shoes the characters are wearing. I made sure those were all authentic when I wrote out how I wanted the illustrations to look. I loved that I could put my experiences in and be super authentic when It came to the communication device and the activity this time.

What scene in the book did you have the most fun creating?

Most fun creating, I would have to say it was figuring out how to address Emma wanting to take the mask off and helping her to understand why it needs to stay on. Emma taking the mask off is very real and similar to experiences I had in my own career once we were able to go back to in person therapy. I think that was the most fun to actually write and pull from my own experiences. I really loved writing in the character of Coach Phil too. So many people do not realize how fun bowling is or that a little one with a disability can do it too. I loved that I was able to show people that with a little effort and a few questions, our teenage or adult coaches can understand how to work with our littles ones with disabilities too. Also, one last fun part, was making the character of Coach Phil Native American. Diversity is so important to me and being able to showcase that in a main character was really amazing.

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

Currently, I have a few things in the works. I have some books written that under contract. The first book in a new series with the illustrators being amazing individuals with autism. Then there is a third series that was actually picked up by a traditional publisher. That first book in the series is actually written from Emma’s point of view. There will be more information and teases coming up! Also, there is book 4 in the Lets Talk! series which is called Lets talk! celebrating the holidays. This will be available by April 2023. Lots to come! I am very excited for everything that is moving forward!

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