We were lucky to catch up with Monica Voicu Denniston recently and have shared our conversation below.

Monica, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My debut children’s book, “Maggie the Military Rat” was inspired by my children and their experience as “military brats.”
While preparing for their first military move, I searched in vain for a quality picture book to explain to them their unique role as military brats. When I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I was inspired to write my own book.

It all began with a misunderstanding. My then-three year old heard the phrase “military brat” and exclaimed, “But Mommy, I’m not a rat!” And so the idea of a military rat was born. “Maggie the Military Rat” tells the heartwarming story of a patriotic rat on a mission to serve. It shows children that even the smallest of us can serve…just by being a friend. The book fills a void in children’s literature, portraying the military lifestyle in a positive, validating, relatable, and meaningful way. Because military kids deserve to see themselves in quality picture books!

Monica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a children’s book author, active duty Air Force spouse, and mom to three military brats. I am a first-generation Romanian immigrant who developed a passion for picture books while using them to learn English when I was eight years old. I have a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, where I currently teach legal writing. Thanks to the military, my family and I have lived in Sacramento, California; Newport, Rhode Island; and Madrid, Spain. We call the San Francisco Bay Area, California home.

I was inspired to write my book “Maggie the Military Rat” by my children and their unique experience as military brats. At the time we were embarking on our first military move as a family, there were not a lot of quality picture books geared toward military kids on the market. As a result, I decided to write my own. When I first pitched the book to traditional publishers, they were not interested in a book about a military rat. Undeterred, I eventually decided to self-publish the book and ran a successful Kickstarter to fund its printing. I published Maggie in October 2023, and it’s been heartwarming seeing military kids connect with this beloved character ever since. My hope is that my book will help military kids feel seen and understood.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Self-publishing a book is very expensive. I invested quite a bit of my own money on illustrations, book design, purchasing ISBNs, filing my copyright, editing, marketing, and other costs, but needed more capital in order to do an offset hardcover print run. I wanted my book to be a cherished keepsake in many homes, so I was committed to creating a high-quality hardcover children’s book with printed endpapers and bright, vibrant colors on premium paper. Given the subject matter of the book, it was important to me to print the book in the United States, but this was about 60% more expensive than printing overseas would have been. For that reason, I launched a Kickstarter campaign to cover the printing and shipping costs of the book. I ended up raising over $17,000 to this end. If you would like to read more about my Kickstarter experience, including my best tips on running a successful crowdfunding campaign, you can check out my blog at https://www.monicavoicudenniston.com/blog.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I first came up with the idea for “Maggie the Military Rat” in 2017, and took a Children’s Book Illustration course at Rhode Island School of Design with the thought that I might try to illustrate it myself. I quickly learned that I am not a professional illustrator, and decided to focus my efforts on refining my draft manuscript and submitting to publishers instead. One international move and many drafts later, I submitted the manuscript to dozens of publishing houses but had no luck. Undeterred, I paired up with a critique partner and got my draft into even better shape, making some headway with a small publishing house. Ultimately, however, they rejected the manuscript as well, and between another international move, a pandemic, and a baby, the book went to the back burner yet again. Finally, in late 2022, I decided I wanted to make my dream a reality, and hired a local illustrator that I found through SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). It was a match made in heaven, and I self-published “Maggie the Military Rat” in late 2023. It has since earned a Kirkus starred review as well as a Silver Medal in the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.monicavoicudenniston.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiethemilitaryrat/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggiethemilitaryrat

Image Credits

Copyright Amy Huang Photography (for the photos where I am wearing the red dress, other than the photo with Mychal Threets)