Illustration cover by Emilia Dziubak: https://www.behance.net/emiliadziubak

Today I feel like sharing what my children book is about, and why I decided to write it.

It’s important to know why you came up with your story and how it will connect the writer and the reader. 

I explained in a previous post why I choose children as the audience of my first book. The inspiration that guided me through the process of writing it, comes from the nostalgia of childhood recollections.

The main character is called Julie. A 10-year-old little Vietnamese girl who recalls her tales and memories growing up in a small village in the French countryside.

Julie relates her thoughts and memories in the form of a diary. She narrates little fleeting anecdotes that come together to create something moody and memorable. The book evokes what it is like to look and feel different from other kids, and how children can react to life in an adult world.

I wrote this book through a child’s point of view. I choose words that reflect how children speak. I aimed my book to remain as true as possible to a child’s language and attitude.

Looking after 4 children aged 6 to 12 for a year, definitely helped me to capture their world. This was the inspiration I used to come up with my own story.

My book depicts the memories of my childhood that I want to keep alive. From picking mushrooms and chestnuts with my dad to punching a boy at school because he said I was yellow, I value and nurture every single memory of my childhood that makes me feel warm inside.

These memories remind me of what I used to love or dream of and the true appreciation of simple and honest moments. When we grow up our sense of wonder diminishes and we forget the little boy/girl we once used to be.

I like to think that all grown-ups keep a child’s mind buried inside, despite the toughness of life.

As a true nostalgic, I have dedicated my first book to my childhood because I don’t want to forget my memories. I want to remember the little girl I used to be. The things that I used to do, the walks in the woods with Dad, Mum’s perfume when she gives me a goodbye kiss, and the love letters I used to write to a boy who never noticed me.

For my first book, I want to pay tribute to my childhood and hopefully, make all my readers remember their own.