I posted about Alika’s book, “June Peters You Will Change the World One Day” a little while back as part of my book a day for black history month posts. My children still really love reading this book. It teaches children the importance of showing compassion, being a leader, and setting goals. There’s even a nod to stranger danger. So I believe it will spark some wonderful conversation with your little ones.
After doing some digging, I found out the author has a 6 year old son who is also an author! The book is called “Things I like”. This really took me out to see that her little 6 year old can say he’s the author of a book. I love it. The lesson here is, don’t sell your kids short. I say it all the time, let age be an asset and not an obstacle. Kids can do more than we think. This also hits home for me, because my 9 year old daughter mentioned writing a book and I told her to start out journaling. I think I’ll just encourage her to write her book! I really appreciate the author’s story and wanted to know a little more.
Tell us about yourself please. How did you become a children’s book author?
For me, writing became second nature as a kid. Writing fairy tales allowed me to express a side of me many people didn’t know about. As an adult, the dream to publish a book didn’t become a reality for me until I had the amazing opportunity to work and support fellow self-published authors. Listening to their stories gave all the motivation I needed to get going.
Who or what inspires you?
What truly inspires me is knowing that just 3 years ago all this was simply a dream. Since I became published I’ve watched my book flourish into a real brand a brand that has made its mark all over the world.
You have a new project that caught my attention. It appears to be co-written by your son. Can you tell us more about it?
Yes, my son Makaio Malone is now a published author. To say I’m proud is an understatement. Makaio watched the entire process of June Peters and once he saw the physical copy he was so inspired. Shortly after publishing my first book he expressed to me that he also wanted to write a book. At that point, I put everything down to focus on my son. Since publishing his book at the age of 5 Makaio has visited several local schools and done readings to classes filled with his peers. Expect a 2nd book this year from Makaio.
Do you have any advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors?
My advice to aspiring authors is to stop making excuses and saying you don’t have time. You should always find time to work on your dream. Take 10 minutes each day to write you’ll be surprised how far that will take you.
You can connect with the author via the following links:
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