Sometimes, the best ideas come out of nowhere. They just show up—like an unexpected guest who rings your doorbell with a mischievous smile, holding a suitcase full of magic. You can either overanalyze, stress over logistics, and let the moment pass, or you can throw open the door and say, “Okay. Let’s go on an adventure.”
My next children’s book happened exactly like that. It arrived as a quirky, delightful whim, and instead of dissecting it to death, I just did it. No second-guessing. No self-sabotage. Just creative flow. And now? It’s in the editorial process.
I’d been working on some scenes for Simply Dag re: Dag’s bizarre experience when he visited Nikita Khrushchev’s villa in Sochi in 1959. I was telling a friend about them and he said, “This is some sort of odd comedic gold.” From there, I had the weirdest impulse to take the story, workshop it around, and turn it into a fictional but fun lesson for kids on manners and etiquette. Why? No idea. I just wanted to and I’ve learned not to question these inspirational lightning bolts.
I want to celebrate this moment—not just because another book is coming into the world, but because I let it happen. Creativity for its own sake is worth it. Art for art’s sake is worth it. Not everything has to be deeply strategic or market-tested. Sometimes, you just make something because it wants to be made, and that’s reason enough.
So, here’s your invitation to do the same. Follow the sparks. Chase the whims. Create because you can. That’s where the real magic happens. 🪄