I was driven to write this book for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I wanted my own children and students to know that each of them has a unique story to share and that they all have the potential to become authors. Additionally, as I love to read, I aimed to create a chapter book that would bring joy to kids and make them laugh. Lastly, I hoped to inspire others to know that being true to yourself is the best gift you can give to the world. Be kind to others and look to make the world a better place.

One of my favorite books to read with my class is Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. I love that each chapter is its own short story, all of which contribute to a larger overarching theme. Also, the Fudge series are excellent chapter books that encourage children to enjoy longer novels. I hoped to create something similar to this with my own book. Many of the stories were inspired by events that happened in my own life growing up. I fictionalized characters and heightened certain plot points to add more depth to the story. Throughout, I aimed to recollect as many different stories that I could from growing up, focusing on those that elicited strong emotions such as nervousness, excitement, fear, or embarrassment, to share with my readers.

I have been teaching writing for around two decades, and it is my favorite subject to teach. The ability for writers to conjure up images, stir creativity, and evoke emotions is powerful. Each year, I create new stories for my class, and I employ the same approach to writing that I impart to them: brainstorming ideas, creating organizers, and revising, revising, revising! I don't consider myself a brilliant writer, and the process doesn't always come easy to me. However, that is the beautiful thing about writing: it doesn't have to be perfect right away. Writers get the chance to refine, experiment with new ideas, and continually improve upon it until you're happy with the results.

I came across several challenges while writing this book. Firstly, I grappled with deciding on narrative style; I rewrote it twice, once in first-person and then in third-person, trying to decide which narration style best fit the story. Another challenge I faced was deciding the tense I wanted for the book. While present-tense allows the reader to experience the story through the main character's perspective, it can become tricky when the setting is in the past.Also, since the story was taking place in the 1990s, I had feedback from several people encouraging me to make the setting more impactful. What made the 1990s so unique? This took a lot of brainstorming, and I finally decided on including elements of feminism throughout the story. However, since I had already written the majority of the book, I had to go back and look for places to weave in this idea. I'm so happy that I took this advice because it made the entire story stronger.

Number 1: You CAN do it!

Number 2: Take it one step at a time. Brainstorm. Organize. Get the basic ideas down into paragraphs (it doesn't not need to be brilliant right away). Revise. Revise. Revise. (Add figurative language, look for stronger word choices, include sensory details, rearrange sentences, incorporate hooks and dialogue, etc.) Share your story with others and gather feedback about what's effective and what isn't. Then, revise, revise, revise!

Number 3: It helps to have someone to believe in you. My daughter, Violet, was my biggest cheerleader and convinced me to continue working on this book when I thought it didn't have any place left to go. If you don't have that person in your life encouraging you, you've got me. You CAN do it; I believe in you and the stories you have to tell!

Most importantly, I hope that my readers take pleasure in reading this book. I hope it brings out a variety of emotions within them but especially joy and laughter. Also, I hope it inspires them to be true to themselves. God made them each unique for a reason. Remember to be kind to one another, respectful, and know that you are strong enough to set your own path.