Nurse Florence®, What Are Platelets? follows a school nurse as she answers three students’ questions about platelets, explaining what they are, where they come from, what they do, and how we keep them healthy. How do you approach writing about medical topics to make the topic interesting for children?

I trust in my belief that kids can learn complicated things as long as we explain them thoroughly.

How did you develop the personalities for Jean, Condi, and Sonia, who are prominent characters throughout the series?

My niece, Sandra Islas, you illustrated the first book was the one who came up with the three characters. I loved the diversity of a Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American who were all friends so I just continued it with all the other books. It shows the collaboration I do with my illustrators that give them some guidelines and they create their own Nurse Florence® universe.

What do the words “literary success” mean to you? How do you picture it?

With all the great book reviews and many book awards the series has won, I do believe Nurse Florence® is already a literary success. I wish the series to become a global phenomenon so that health literacy levels around the world are drastically improved.

Tell us something about yourself that we likely don’t know? The more obscure the better.

I write the Nurse Florence® series at my kitchen table surrounded by many depictions of the Florence Nightingale Pledge. She was an amazing woman, and I truly hope my series honors her.

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