Book: Where Is The Sun?
Q1. Please introduce yourself so that the readers will get to know you better.
My name is Tamar Johnson. I live in New Jersey with my family and our 3 year old Maltipoo Teddy. I work at a Montessori Preschool as a director. I am very silly and over the top, whenever I can be. I am known for going overboard with plans and events, especially when it involves the students at my school or the children in my family. I love having the children in my family with me making blanket forts, having pizza parties, or just watching our favorite movies. Cartoons are not just for children! I love to travel even though I’m bad at it. I hope to see as much of the world as I can, but not as a tourist, as a local. Reading and writing is how I escape the day to day. My favorite genre to read, watch, or write is fantasy adventure, because those types of stories are the best to escape into. They are so far out of the realm of possibility that they pull you completely out of reality and into the fantastical.
Q2. What is your inspiration behind your book “Where Is The Sun?”?
I was inspired to write this book, because of my students and their families during lockdown.
All of my parents were having trouble explaining what was happening in the world to their young children. One family in particular was having a very rough time. Both parents were first responders with two preschool age children, trying to navigate this new world. While also not letting it affect their or their children’s emotional well being.
Q3. When did you realize you wanted to be an author of Children’s Books?
I arrived late to the game. I had always toyed with the idea of writing a book about me and my cousin when we were little (which is the premise of my first book The Adventures of Bree and Tae: The Great Golden Banana). So when we were locked down at home, I decided to take the opportunity towrite.Itookafew onlinecoursesonhow to write a children’s book,and the rest was history. Now I absolutely love seeing the finished copies of the stories I had floating around in myhead.
Q4. Are you planning to release your next book soon?
I have written several other children’s books and can’t wait to release them. Including the second story in The Adventures of Bree and Tae series. That will be the next book to be released. Coming soon. 😉
Q5. For which age group are your books suitable?
My books are great for children ages 3 to 8 years old.
Q6. What is your favorite Quote?
My favorite quote from the book is: “The sun missed having fun. It missed people and color and noise. It missed warming picnic blankets, or peeking through the leaves of a tree. It missed shining on kites as they reached up toward the sky. It missed laughter.” This is how I felt being stuck at home. Separated from the people and places I loved. Being locked down just put into stark perspective the little things in life that we all took for granted. I knew once the lockdown was over I would try my best not to take a single moment for granted.
Q7. What do you like the most about your country?
I love the blend of cultures, people, and experiences. I was born in one of the most culturally diverse places in the country (New York City), and it has shaped the way I see and interact with the world.
Q8. What suggestion do you want to give to parents of little readers regarding a reading habit?
Keep reading! No matter what, read everyday and read everything. My mother read to me every night no matter how tired she was. Eventually, I started reading to her. Please don’t stress on the type of literature. If they want to read a comic or graphic novel over a thought provoking literary classic in their free time let them! They are still building on comprehension skills, vocabulary, and creativity. Start the habit and the love now, and it will continue as they get older.
Q9. What does literary success look like to you?
Literary success is having one of my stories be a child’s favorite. I think we all had that one book we could read over and over again, and I would love for one of my books to be that for a child.
Q10. Lastly, who is your inspiration in life and why?
My mother is my inspiration. I know that’s probably not very creative, but she was everything I hope to be. Loving, patient, and strong. She touched so many peoples’ lives in a positive way, and I hope everyone I encounter can say the same about me. She was loved by so many for her giving heart that even though she has passed I am still running into people who knew and loved her.
Book Is Available On Amazon
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