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Zena Steele is a lot of things already. She is an educator, wife, mother of 3, sister, and daughter. Now, she's ready to add Children's Book Author to her resume. When I started SthenoType, my goal was to help people tell their stories that might otherwise never get told, whether real or fiction or somewhere in between. When Zena's husband, Travis, told me that his wife had written a great story, we started down a path to get her as our first published author that isn't me. When I got the story, I loved it. When I found out that it was rooted in Zena's own past, I was inspired by it. Taking her story and using it to hopefully help have conversations about adoption, provide comfort to adopted children, and remove the stigma around it show both her compassion and dedication to children. We had a chance to ask her a few quick questions in order to get to know her a bit better.
Photo © Amy Nghe Photography
What's on your summer reading list?
I currently have "It Starts With Us" By Colleen Hoover on my nightstand. I fell in love with her writing last summer when my daughter introduced "It Ends With Us" before going on vacation. Her writing is easy to read and it gave my daughter and I an opportunity to discuss her books. Another book I would like to tackle is "Malibu Rising" By Taylor Jenkins Reid. I love a nice drama story and have heard great things.
What inspires your writing?
I try to write books that will be fun for children. I love reading stories to my own children and my students that make me laugh or connect to the character. I also love when a story can offer a great theme for children to take into their own lives. I try to make stories that can help children relate to their own lives.
If you could live in any fictional world, which would it be and what would you do?
I've always wanted to travel to Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". It was one of the first books I remember having a love of reading for. I loved the fact that there was a candy world to explore in this story. I would love to go into any of the candy rooms to sample the treats. Meeting an Oompa Loompa wouldn't be too awful as well.
How are you feeling about getting your first book out into the world?
If you were to ask me if I would have published my personal book from college, I would have said no. This book was a way to help me during my waiting period of reuniting with my daughter. It gave me an outlet and was personal. When my husband suggested I publish it, I was skeptical. His faith in me pushed me and here we are! I'm excited and nervous to introduce this book. I'm excited because this is a first for me, and I'm nervous because I'm putting myself out there.
We at SthenoType want to thank Zena for putting herself out there with us and trusting us with her story.
Mirror, Mirror is available now!.
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