Starting the Year with Gratitude

What are you grateful for today?

Last week I was reflecting on my writing and author journey in 2024.  

It can be easy to keep thinking about the future and what's next to work on, which is useful to stay motivated. 

However, when you take time to pause and focus on what you're thankful for it can help you slow down and come back to the present. 

While catching up with some admin work I realised that I was getting close to reaching my goal of sharing mindfulness through storytelling with 1000 families in one year.

When I first set this aim I thought I was being too ambitious and it was an impossible goal. Yet, now I think it might be possible over the next few months.

Back Story 

Last April, I published my first book ‘Slow Down Amaya’ without knowing anything about publishing 6 months before.

In September, I was surprised and delighted when I found out my debut children's book had been shortlisted in the inaugural Ink Book Prize 2024. 

Before launching 'Slow Down Amaya', I set myself a goal to reach 1000 families with mindfulness through storytelling in a year.

This could be through book readings, school visits, book sales, and workshops.

When I calculated how many children and families my books have reached so far, the number was…

783 across the world!

This includes my two other books ‘Slow Down Sammy’ and ‘Mindful Living: A Guide for You and Your Family’ too. 

I knew I had reached a lot of people but not quite as many as that.

I feel extremely grateful to have been able to share my work with so many people in only 9 months. 

The Future

I would love to reach 1000 families by April to mark Slow Down Amaya's 1st birthday.

This would not only mean a lot to me, but to literally 1000 families learning tools to look after their mental wellbeing and supporting the next generation.

If you're looking to add diverse and inclusive wellbeing books to your bookshelf or to explore workshops/author visits, you can find out more here.

What I've Been Working On 

If you're wondering what I've been working on, keep reading below.

The characters in my picture books ‘The Mindfully Slow Down Series’ are Black and neurodivergent. 

When creating the stories I wanted to promote diversity and inclusion to increase representation in children's literature. 

Being in a neurodiverse family myself,  and having worked with many neurodivergent children for seven years, I realised that I hadn't seen any books with Black and neurodivergent characters. 

I have been creating a new mini-course ‘Supporting Siblings in Neurodiverse Families’ to help support their mental wellbeing. The course includes ebook copies of my children's books, a variety of interactive wellbeing activities, and my digital‘Kid's 365 Day Gratitude Journal’. 

If you are a parent raising a neurodivergent kid and their sibling(s) or know someone who is, you can discover more about the course by tapping here.