Zoey Wonders Why follows a young girl’s journey to understanding and celebrating her diverse cultural heritage, bringing to life the complexities of self-identity and the power of familial bonds. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My eldest son would go to the library and just didn’t feel that the characters in the books at his time were relatable to him. He too was feeling shy of the cultures in his because they were different from the norm in class and the town. I wanted to write a book for all kids to appreciate and feel its ok to be different and to enjoy sharing your culture with others.

The artwork in the book is fantastic. What was the collaboration process like with illustrator Tasya Nabiella?

Tasya is a global illustrator hailing from Indonesia. Her artwork is very culturally diverse and we built a friendship over social media through Instagram. A vision board of the character’s  physical features and emotions had to be developed through Google Meetings and guidance on every illustration to ensure a book that children would love to read relating to the illustrations. She is a great team member and works with any other authors that might need her assistance even if she is 12 hours away. 

How did you approach the topic of cultural diversity and heritage in a way that resonates with young readers?

I made it in a first person way for the main character Zoey involving the reader in the storyline. Young readers want a storyline and characters that makes them feel that they are part of the story. Many kids are currently going through the dilemma of sharing and learning more about their culture and I hope this story helps them open up to being more inquisitive to learn. Many of the generations like mine, were made fun of for displaying our culture, be it through the food we would bring to school or the intricate henna designs we wore for holidays. I wrote Zoey as a character for kids to be able to learn more about their diverse culture in some way and to learn more about their peers. Without proper knowledge the concept of respect would be lost. Sadly, we see this loss of cultural identity among adults. 

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

I am in the phase of gathering my launch team for my teacher supplemental resource guide. It provides teachers, homeschool parents, and students to get additional enrichment after reading Zoey Wonders Why. It entails reading comprehension, art, history, music, and sight words for students to learn more about culture diversity and heritage. I Have also in parallel started the second book in the series but Zoey is older and discusses the topic of spending time with grandparents and the loss of a job by a parent. It entails the loss in terms of a child’s perspective versus the norm of an adult. 

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