Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charissa Bates. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Charissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

In the summer of 2019, I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer – Triple Negative Breast Cancer. During that time, I had to reflect deeply on what was important in life and what was taking up space in my head, heart, and time that wasn’t productive.

Chemo, surgeries, and constant unknowns flooded my day-to-day life. I made a bold choice to find joy each and every day. My kids embraced this idea alongside me, and together we created our first children’s book, We Find Joy: Cancer Messed with the Wrong Family.

I’ve always craved creativity. It helps balance my scattered thoughts and everyday stresses. Writing children’s books has given my wild imagination a place to land—and that place is in my stories. I write about all the things that bring me joy: Little Free Libraries through my Traveling Book series, my Norwegian heritage in I Do Declare! A Norwegian Fair, and my Brain Builders series where play and neuroscience collide. The Brain Builders series was written for my daughter when it was difficult to find an early chapter book that was both educational and deeply relatable.

Through the risk of writing children’s books, I’ve discovered something I was missing – an outlet for connecting with others and seeing my ideas come alive. In life, we are not guaranteed tomorrow, so taking a risk and investing in yourself is vital. Whether you want to be an author or a professor, taking a risk is the only way to move closer to that goal.

Look for joy. Create joy. See joy. It’s all around you.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started creating after my cancer diagnosis. It was a great distraction and outlet. Over time, my work has expanded beyond books. I now create classroom lessons that pair literacy with social-emotional learning, and I collaborate with Expound Publicity on PR projects that help authors bring their stories to life. I’m represented by Kristen Terette of Martin Literacy and Management, and I currently have a picture book out on submission.

I help authors bring their book to life. I have been writing books for 5 years and have learned a lot during my time. A lot of mistakes were made and I can help future authors not make the same mistakes. I also have a very active social media account where I offer clients influencer videos to get their books seen by other bookish people.

I’m most proud of the books I’ve put out. Seeing my books being read by kids and adults makes my heart so happy. My classroom lessons allow books to come to life and I love creating them for authors. I remember the first book I fell in love with, A Wind in the Willows, and hope my clients can have a child fall in love with their book through classroom lessons and discovering them!

And I’m still dreaming big. One day, I hope my book about dreams will be discovered by the perfect publisher. Until then, I’ll keep writing, creating, connecting, and seeking joy in the everyday moments. I hope the same is true for my clients.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have two main social media accounts: one that focuses on finding joy and my books, and the other that focuses only on bookish items. My bookish account, Hogwarts Little Free Library MN, is full of like-minded, book-loving people. It is a great outlet for me to connect with others who love books as much as I do.

My biggest advice for building a social media account is to be genuine. Offer your audience valuable information. Do not just market yourself. I follow accounts that have a voice, give me information that is relevant to my world, and cover topics I connect with. For me, that includes cancer, books, autism, mental health, and cats.

It also takes dedication to post regularly. This helps you be seen. Along with posting consistently, make sure your content is high quality. This may come naturally to you, or you may need to hire someone to help. It took me years to figure out social media, which is why I offer services now.

Follow your passions. Share your passions. And the social media followers will soon come.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My biggest goal is to have a publisher discover my book. I’ve had two traditional publishers offer contracts for a couple of my books, but unfortunately the books never made it to printing for various reasons. One day I hope someone reads one of my books and sees it come to life. Sees the illustrations being drawn and falls in love with my book.

The Traveling Book series is my best selling book. It has already been published, but I hope a publisher picks it up and wants to rebrand and release it with their current books. TB, Joy, and Twisty are all characters I’ve fallen in love with and I’d love to expand their reach beyond what I am currently doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://substack.com/@charissabates?
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/hogwartslittlefreelibrarymn
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/charissabatesauthor
• Other: https://instagram.com/findingjoyintheunknowns

Image Credits

Prudlick Photography