High school was terrifying. Picture me, a nervous ninth-grader, standing at the edge of the diving board, staring into the deep end of high school and the uncharted territory of growing up. Scary, right? But it’s also where my journey as a writer began.
During that year, I wrote and wrote and wrote, filling up an entire notebook—my prized possession. Its pages held my hopes, dreams, wild ideas, and even a few cringe-worthy moments. As the school year went on, I knew I wanted to make a difference, to do something big. My passion for writing and the environment blended, and suddenly, I had this idea: what if I wrote a children’s book about animals facing climate change? Bingo. My writing could set off a chain reaction of educated and empowered youth leaders!
The lightbulb went off. I mean, full-on Eureka moment. And just like that, I dove into creating The Wildlife Warriors: Saving Their Habitats.
My process? Not super glamorous—my room turned into a chaotic creative zone, with sticky notes plastered on a corkboard like an investigation scene straight out of a crime show. But it worked! Square neon notes filled with character ideas, facts about climate change, and even doodles of animals covered my wall. Slowly, those notes turned into a story.
Of course, I had some writer’s block. Writing isn’t always a walk in the park. Some days, I’d sit in front of my computer, staring at a blank screen like hello? Where are the words? But I powered through, jamming to Hamilton, and somehow made sense of my messy thoughts. Fun fact: Who you now know as Paisley the Polar Bear was first Peyton the Penguin. Wild, right? And Kenny the Koala—totally named after my sister’s stuffed animal.
But writing the book was only half the battle. For me, the hardest part of the entire process was the illustrations. Countless nights were spent hunched over my sketches, erasing and redrawing until every detail looked perfect. It was a serious draw, erase, repeat situation, but I was determined to bring my vision to life. When it all finally came together, it felt like magic.
Juggling school, extracurriculars, and writing a book wasn’t easy, but I stuck to a schedule, and with my family’s feedback, I managed to polish my work. I’ll never forget the moment I held the printed version in my hands. It was emotional like everything I’d worked for was suddenly real. I was an author, and I knew I could make a change.
So, what’s next? This is just the beginning. Each year, I plan to release another book, continuing to educate and inspire the next generation of changemakers. Stay tuned, because I’ve only just begun.
