Zoe Twitt is a children’s book author from Victoria, Australia. Zoe graduated from University of Melbourne with a degree in Creative Writing and began creating children’s stories after the birth of her son Angus. He loved her stories from an early age, and sat for hours helping her to develop characters. Her children’s picture book series, Adelaide and the Cosmic Rescue Squad, includes audiobooks with calming meditations and debuts in the fall of 2023. Zoe currently lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Meet Zoe…

You are an author, but is it your day job? If not, what fills your days? I’m an author and a mother to an 8-year-old named Angus, so I juggle both. I’d say being a mother and author of children’s books has a synergy about it, but it can be challenging to juggle both and do a good job. Now that school has resumed, I suddenly have some spare time!

Did you always want to be an author? Yes! I’ve wanted to be a novelist since childhood but I’m yet to write a novel. I studied Creative Writing at university, but took a detour into fashion and film after I graduated. It took motherhood (and the existential crisis that followed!) to remind me to return to my first love.

What is your most recent book and what inspired you to write it? Adelaide and the Cosmic Rescue Squad was inspired by the many children I know who are afraid of the dark. When my son was small, he was terrified to go to bed at night. He would kick, scream, and cry, which I believed was “behavioral.” When he was able to verbalize his fears, I realized he had been petrified of bedtime and would do anything to keep me nearby. He said “I don’t know what is in the darkness,” which of course made me feel terrible about the entire affair. I wanted to create something in his honor that would help other children to feel better at bedtime and to understand that bedtime anxiety is shared by many.

I borrowed my favorite golden bubble meditation from The Energy Mentor and married it to the cause, because it makes my son feel good and it might work for yours, too.

How do you hope your book uplifts those who read it? I hope it gives a feeling of peace and grounding to children at bedtime. If you scan the QR code on the front of the book, there is a very soporific reading and meditation of the book that will put you right to sleep!

What are you most excited about with this book? I’m most excited about the meditation that is included. I haven’t seen anyone do this with a children’s book and I feel it’s a very valuable tool. It is also infinitely user-friendly as you scan the QR code right to your phone.

How did writing a book help your career take off? It’s helped me to find a niche in parenting.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to succeed in your professional industry? It won’t happen as quickly as you think it will. It’s not a sprint, it’s more of a steady hike.

How do you handle setbacks and criticism? I feel frustrated at times, and I am often hard on myself. I let that help me to try harder and to do better. I make mistakes and I try to live by the mantra “be kind to yourself, love yourself, forgive yourself.”

Being an author today is like running a business. How do you manage all your publicity, social media and keep your engagement up with readers? Unless you are a powerhouse, it makes sense to have people who can assist you with some tasks. Social media, however, is difficult to outsource, as I believe we know our brand best.

How do you hold yourself accountable and achieve the goals that you set forth? I make a list of things I want to achieve weekly. I make a separate list of goals for monthly, and a third list for overall goals I hope to reach over my career.

How do you structure your day and make time for writing? I try to write for an hour first thing in the morning after school drop-off. I make it my priority.

What do you find most fulfilling in the career that you’ve chosen? I really aspire to bringing joy to children. When I was a child, I lived in books. I can’t think of a better way to reach children and to teach them tools for self-regulation. Mental health should be a priority, and helping them to build life-long tools

What book uplifts you? If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall. It’s filled with humanity and gorgeously illustrated.

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?  “Be kind to yourself, love yourself, forgive yourself.”

Connect with Zoe and find more about her book via her website.

Images Courtesy of PR by the Book