About the Author

I think everyone knows that one dinosaur kid. The kind who can drop dino facts and pronounce names that most folks wouldn't even dare to try? These kids are obsessed with the whole ancient world thing and how different it was from today. They live in their own little dinosaur-filled universe and manage to pull everyone around them into it. My boys have been into all sorts of stuff over the years – sharks, Paw Patrol, sports, and now even girls – yet none have left as indelible a mark on our family as the era of dinosaurs.

We, as a family, fully embraced the dinosaur lifestyle. Swiftly, I mastered the art of wowing a crowd with the pronunciation of challenging names like Pachycephalosaurus. Birthday parties were all about Jurassic Park, and I've lost count of the gazillion dinosaur toys we've amassed. But, hey, the boys were having a blast and learning tons, so we went with it. Eventually, dinosaurs became part of our family identity. Even now, I'm the go-to person for friends tagging me in anything related to Jurassic stuff.

I've seen every dino movie, show, and documentary out there, all so my boys can hold onto that dino world they've built. As they're getting older, it's like a piece of their childhood that they don't wanna let go of just yet.

So, sitting at my kitchen table one day, I jotted down a little poem for my boys titled "I think My Chicken is a Dinosaur." I shared it with my husband, and he was like, "That could be a book!"

Getting Creative:

Now, picture me – a teacher, wife, and mom of three boys – I was busy; so that poem did stay in my Google Drive for a while. It was just a fun thing until I started writing more poems and stories. It became an outlet for me, a way to find some peace in the chaos of life. Then bam, 2020 hits, and suddenly we're all knee-deep in a global pandemic. I'm teaching from home, helping my kids navigate this crazy new world, and somehow finding more free time than usual. That's when I pick up that book idea again and decide, "Why not try illustrating it too?"

 I'm not an art school graduate or anything. I started with paper and pencil, then graduated to Procreate on an iPad. Drawing these adorable chickens and putting them alongside those fierce dinosaurs was a blast. And while I kept telling myself this was just a thing for my boys, there's that voice saying, "What if it could actually be a real book?" Two years go by, with me chipping away at the illustrations, learning and improving as I go.

The First Draft:

So, here's a sneak peek of the original book. I'm pretty darn proud of it. It's a labor of love, a ton of effort, and loads of personal growth. But if I'm honest, if I ever make more books, I'll probably leave the illustrating to the pros. 

So, after what felt like ages, I finally wrapped up and the book was done, dusted, and ready to make its debut. My grand plan was to order a mere trio of copies from Amazon – one for each of my boys – and call it a day. With that notion, I thought I was wrapping up this dino adventure nicely.

I shared the final version with one of my best friends, whose son was treading a similar dino-filled path. I sent it over, not really expecting much more than a pat on the back and a few cheers. Her reply, "This could totally be a book!"

Now, don't get me wrong, I was super appreciative of her enthusiasm and the whole cheerleader routine she had going on. Yet, deep down, I wasn't exactly banking on my manuscript landing on any bookstore shelves. But my friend didn't stop there. Oh no, she kept going. "My husband's cousin – you know, the one doing an internship at a publishing company – let's get her take on it!"

And just like that, things got interesting. A cousin's friend's intern connection in a publishing company? Sounds like one of those long-shot things, right? But hey, life's full of surprises, and I figured, why not? Let's give it a shot and see if there's even a glimmer of potential in this little dino tale I'd conjured up. So, armed with a mix of hope and skepticism, we sent it over to this cousin's friend's intern connection and held our breath.

And you won't believe what happened next...

They reached out and the next thing I knew, I was being welcomed aboard at Warren Publishing. Can you believe it? I certainly couldn't. Suddenly, this whole journey went from "just for my boys" to something so much bigger.

So here I am, working side by side with this incredible team, making edits, choosing an illustrator, giving feedback and direction for illustrations, and getting ready to unleash my dino-filled creation upon the world. It's still mind-boggling, honestly. There's a part of me that's still in disbelief, like I'm in the midst of some dream. But at the end of the day, I'm still that mom who wants just those three books – one for each of my boys. It's like holding on to a piece of their childhoods, a snapshot of this phase that brought us all closer together and taught us so much.

As this adventure moves forward, I can't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia for the days of chasing dinosaurs around the yard and watching my boys' eyes light up with wonder. If you're diving into this book with your own dino enthusiast, I truly hope it sparks the same joy and excitement that it did for my little crew. Here's to embracing those wild passions and enjoying every moment of the journey. Cheers to the dino lovers, the dreamers, and the believers in the power of imagination!