In my interview with Maria Hinojosa of NPR’s Latino USA, I was asked how nature influenced my work in the Fairy Godmother Academy stories. My lifelong love of trees, rocks, water, flowers, and birds comes out all over this book series.

In Book 1, Birdie’s Book, Birdie comes to New York City from her beloved green Califa ( her name for California) and longs for a place where she can grow things. When she travels to upstate New York to visit her long lost maternal grandmother, she finds her grandmother, Mo, to be an avid plant lover with a grand garden and greenhouse. It was a labor of love to describe the perfect garden and then go on to describe it in winter. I used my mind’s eye to see in winter what the spring would, not doubt, bring to life.

Using botanical names for people is Birdie’s little game in the story. I think it’s fun to actually compare people to plants. Alongside all the real plant and nature is the fantasy natural world where all the colors are even more vivid than real life and of course gravity is not a problem. I relied on feelings and memories to describe things here.

All of this leads to another form of expression- fashion! Check out this image of Birdie in her special nature- based Fall ensemble!