Bebe Birds (BB): What was your inspiration for writing children's books?
Widad Franco (WF): I’ve always loved stories and I’ve always come up with characters and their adventures. A children’s book was a way for me to put these stories in a concrete form. I’ve also always loved making art for children, which are narratives and stories too. I felt that a picture book is a great way to combine both things and tell a story in a poetic and comprehensive way.
BB: Tell us about Mei.
WF: Mei is a mix of many of the women in my life that I admire: my best friends, my mother, my sister, my grandmother and even my martial arts master! Their strength, their wisdom, their drive, their creativity, their kindness... but Mei and I also share a few traits - she’s a dreamer, and she’s determined but also someone who’s not afraid to try the unknown.
BB: You work full time as a journalist for the United Nations (UN). Can you offer any advice for those out there working full time jobs but also dreaming of pursuing other goals? How were you able to honor your work/life balance while writing your first children’s book?
WF: It’s not particularly easy. But just think about that, if you’re pursuing other goals besides the job that pays your rent it’s because you really, really want it. So just find a course, a group or something that gives you structure to begin with, then the rest will come on its own. Sometimes I’ve felt discouraged about the children’s books world and tried to quit but stories kept coming to my head, characters wouldn’t stop flowing through my pen so it’s like I wasn’t allowed to stop.
BB: The moral of this story is that you can achieve anything if you try hard enough. Even though Mei tried many options to fly they didn’t always work yet she never gave up and created her own opportunities. Has this been from your own experience?
WF: Oh yes. My experience and the experience of so many people. There are naturally talented people and many things just come easy and I am really happy life works out that way for them but that’s not me. I’ve always had to invest more time to get what I want, dedicate more hours to study, to train, to hone my craft, to become better. I think at the end of the day this makes you appreciate those achievements even more.
BB: In addition to being an award winning journalist for the UN I never knew you were an artist/illustrator. Was this a talent you had before writing the book or was drawing something you had to work on before publishing?
WF: I am more like an illustrator who writes and my stories come to me in a visual way. I don’t recall not knowing how one of my characters look like before the story is even written. So I have had to work on being a better illustrator but that’s 30 years in the making.
BB: What are you hoping your readers take away from this story & character?
WF: I want them to be inspired and determined. To know that sometimes things don’t happen exactly the way you want them to happen but they can happen if you want them bad enough. Sometimes life makes you take some unexpected twist and turns and that forces you to consider alternatives but being focused on the goal is all you need to get there.
BB: In the future, where do you see Mei’s many adventures going?
WF: Well, she’s reached the Moon already! Maybe she’ll fly a bit lower next time but Mei’s feet will never be totally on the ground.
To purchase this colorful and imaginative story go to UTales-($3.99). Your bebe bird will be sure to love it!
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