1. What inspired you to write The Light Inside Of Me?
I was inspired to write “The Light Inside of Me,” by a child who had anger issues. A few years ago I was in a situation where one of our elementary schools had asbestos, so they closed the school to remove it and moved our whole school into another building and we all doubled up. I worked with a friend of mine. Together we had approximately 40 children in the class. While one of us was teaching, the other would co-teach or prep the next lesson. One of my colleague’s students, named Bryce, was giving her an awful time. He was very disrespectful and angry in general. I took a liking to him because I saw that inside that hard shell he pretended to have, he was an amazing kid just looking to be noticed. I sat down at the desk and wrote a poem titled, “The Light Inside of Me” to do a reader response with the kids. It changed Bryce’s life, my life, and hopefully millions of children in the near future!
2. Where did you get the idea to use children's illustrations? What a fantastic concept!
I had this book typed behind my desk for years. For fun, I would have the children illustrate different pages each year. I never saw this book illustrated by an adult; I always knew it had to be illustrated by children because they have an amazing way of expressing their brilliance. When I finally decided to move forward to publish, there was never a question as to who would illustrate the book. I held an art contest in my elementary school and the rest is history.
3. When did your deep love for teaching and inspiring children begin?
