New Writer to watch!

I've been very pleased to get to know one delightful Ms. Courtney Hexham who is an up and coming book creator that you may enjoy.

So far she has two books out there and I have a short review of each for you before we get down to the nitty gritty about this colourful persona!

Hazel and Jade 
​A delightful book where Hazel goes on a trip and makes friends with an Iguana while on a Christmas visit. Hazel learns so very much about iguanas and makes a friend for life! Simple illustrations convey the story wonderfully and children will clap when Hazel makes a new friend! A fun read!

This story was inspired by the real Hazel, from the UK, and a real Iguana named Jade, from the US. The book is dedicated to their families.

---

The intrigue!

The Firefly and the Frog
A firefly helps a frog to find some inner light and shine brightly! Engaging illustrations and simple rhymes will be sure to entertain and capture the hearts of young readers!

The inspiration for this title was a frog-obsessed friend who requested books for her baby shower. Courtney saw a video where a frog swallowed a firefly and then was lit up, and so the story begins...

But what do know about the delightful Ms Hexham? Let's find out, shall we?
​
I asked her if she had always wanted to be a writer. The short answer? Yes! She has always been a writer and a creator. She loves art and bringing stories to life, and in fact studied screenwriting. She submitted a screenplay to the Interlochen Center for the Arts and was accepted into their Creative Writing camp. She later attended the cap for performance, musical theatre and fine art. She also studied media production, design, and journalism in college and obtained an MBA. 

She loves to learn a little bit about everything and infuse creativity and positivity into every aspect of her life!

As with most of my fellow writers, Courtney struggled to find the right platform for publishing. Her goal? To make the books affordable--a big thing in the current economy--and fairly priced. Like many of us she tried several methods and examined proofs, got feedback from her "mom" friends, and settled on self-publishing through Amazon. 

She is currently working on a longer book of stories about her own "adventures" as a child and I must say I am looking forward to it.

Courtney experienced a lot of bullying in elementary school, and that drew her to social psychology and a passion for boosting kids' self-esteem and sense of belonging. She says: "Our formative years have a huge impact on how we view the world and our place in it. No child should ever question if they belong or are they worthy of love and acceptance, no matter how they look or their circumstances." I agree with Courtney on this whole-heartedly!

​​One of the first things I learned about Courtney is that she is a Black transracial adoptee. "Transracial adoptee", for those unaware of the term, means she was adopted by a family of a different race.

This is where I asked her to produce some fun facts for us and here is what she said:

• She is half Zambian. Her parents met in Zambia and she is blessed to have great relationships with her birth family
• She was a competitive figure skater from ages 8 to 13
• She could eat sushi every day and not get tired of it
• Courtney's favourite colour is purple and her favourite scent is lavendar.

To learn more about Courtney and what she gets up to, refer to the graphic below!

---

Courtney's website