Magical…
It was a quiet Sunday morning. We were gathering our things for a hike in the Rockies, when my li’l four-year-old daughter, Annie, plopped down next to me. She was wearing a tutu over her denim overalls, mismatched socks, a sparkly crown askew on her head, almond butter smeared on her cheek, and carrying a pair of hiking boots.
With eyebrows furrowed, she asked, “Mommy, do princesses have to wear hiking shoes?” Before I had time to think up a thoughtful reply, she asked another question. “Do princesses brush their teeth?” “Do princesses go potty?”
I was awestruck. It did not occur to me in that moment that my daughter had just handed me the title of what would later become my first published book—and that, even later, that question would become the flagship to my 11-book Do Princesses . . . series, illustrated by Mike Gordon.
I was not thinking about princesses that day, but Annie sure was. I often wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t heard her question. More importantly though, her questions challenged our preconceived idea of how an everyday princess should behave, think, and carry-on in the world. I loved that concept. It had self-acceptance and can-do spirit written all over it.
Soon after, I grabbed my pen and paper, and began writing Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?
A few years later, and with the help of former agent, Sandy Ferguson Fuller, the story landed on the desk of Theresa Howell (editor) at Rising Moon Books.
BOOTS, as we have come to fondly call it, went under contract shortly thereafter.
Here’s to Annie . . . and girls everywhere! May your important questions always, always have answers—especially the ones you answer for yourself.
