We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sheila Vasquez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sheila thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I have written two children’s books; “Play Outside, Let’s Go!” and most recently, “Travel to Grow”, which will be released at the end of this year. The inspiration for my books is my daughter and co-author, Jazara Jones. To explain how this love of writing and becoming an author started, first, I will share that I went to culinary school for my undergraduate studies at Johnson & Wales University. Cooking was always my first passion. For years people have asked me to write a cookbook and it’s something that I said I would do in this lifetime, become an author. But it was not until I had my daughter and I saw the excitement in her eyes and the smile on her face every time she picked up a book, that made me say to myself, ok, I need to do this. During the pandemic I took the extra time I had at home and developed my first book, “Play Outside, Let’s Go!” with her. I used the words she used daily and loved the self-publishing process as I was able to take total creative control of the project with her guidance along the way. Having her see herself in the illustrations, beautifully created by the very talented, Lana Lee, was the most overwhelming experience. Knowing that this is something she will always have made the process all worthwhile.

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 am an attorney, chef, and self-published author. I pour my heart into every creative project I am passionate about and decide to take on. I independently hired my illustrator, editor, and formatter to create a children’s book that is fun, interactive, and engaging for my daughter and young readers. Because I am a lawyer and like to research everything, I spent countless hours researching the self-publishing versus traditional publishing route. Some of the things I researched include color schemes that are engaging for a young mind and touches on kind and productive interactions, what words are age appropriate for my audience yet also introductory enough that learning is provoked, and word count and word play all while telling your story. My current book, “Travel to Grow” will be released by the end of the year and it focuses on travel. My daughter, Jazara, also the main character in the book, explores different countries and take the reader on her journey. I wanted to share my passion for traveling with her as she visits new places, and for young readers so that they can be exposed to different people, places, cultures, and foods.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, having total creative control of my craft is extremely important. I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing the final product come to life. Once I complete my book and receive the physical proof and can “touch” the pages with the words I wrote, see the illustrations as I directed and imagined, is extremely rewarding. Most importantly, it’s a craft of love that I poured into, and I can share that with friends, family, and anyone I can touch who reads and loves the stories.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal and mission are to continue writing books for my daughter to share with the world. When I wrote my first book, “Play Outside, Let’s Go!”, Jazara was 2 years old. I wrote that book appropriate for her target age group. It was more simplistic, with primary colors, common shapes, and less distractions on the pages. This second book, “Travel to Grow”, is now targeted for an older audience as Jazara is 4 years old. In this new book, there is more text to the story, there are more details on the pages and illustrations, and the vocabulary was thoughtfully used to target a growing and learning toddler in their primary years. As Jazara continues to grow, so will my creative journey and my writing to share with her and the world.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Jazara_Unlimited

Image Credits
Lana Lee Alan Hubbard