How did you choose the setting for your book?
Being a native San Franciscan who grew up near the zoo, I just had to pick the SF Zoo for Zoofari. I used to wonder if wild animals would turn up in my back yard if they escaped. What's really interesting for me is to write about the places tourists wouldn't have time for, or couldn't even begin to know in a single snapshot. I like to re-view the meaningful places of my adolescence, where my history was made, like the sea cave below the skeleton of the old-time sutro baths, where one scene takes place. Who wouldn't want to read about anything that takes place at a zoo near the ocean in San Francisco's Sunset District?
And then - one of the main characters and a couple of other key members of the fictional SF Zoofari Co-Operative are from South Africa. Young adult readers can learn a little bit about South Africa and some of its tumultuous history; a timely subject.
What stands out about your writing?
Zoofari is a pretty unique novella because the protagonist is a teenager who is legally blind. She is a regular person who has had to overcome more obstacles than the average 16-year old, and has to fight harder to prove her independence than your average sophomore.
Through my writing, I aim to open the world up to the public to meet my characters who are blind or visually impaired, and to see they are just like everyone; they are very capable citizens who often are misunderstood because many people have never met or interacted with them. My characters speak for themselves and do things for themselves, making their own decisions in order to overcome their conflicts. Overcoming adversity and maintaining independence are important concepts I think about all the time
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