SONIA AND THE SUPER-DUPER DISASTER

Today I’m happy to share this conversation with author and fellow Kidsbookcrew teammate Rachel Funez about her soon to be published book SONIA AND THE SUPER-DUPER DISASTER, illustrated by Kelly Kennedy and published by Free Spirit Publishing.

Just take a look at this super fun cover! It certainly promises a lot of laughter and chaos, doesn’t it? I particularly like there are 2 cats involved.

A bit about this book:

When Sonia forgets Mom’s birthday, she’s determined to whip up a super surprise and become Mom’s hero. But her ADHD foils her best-laid plans, and her anxiety multiplies as the chaos grows. Sonia has to use all her coping skills to find a new recipe for success and become her own superhero. Celebrating the individual strengths and special qualities of neurodivergent children, Sonia helps children with ADHD and anxiety recognize how their bodies feel when they become anxious and gives them tools to calm down with her worry-fighting gadgets.

Activate Breath Blasters! Stellar Self-Talk! Senses Scanner!

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Now on to our interview:

M. Rachel, I’m so happy for this opportunity to talk about your book. Can you tell us why did you decide to write a story that touches the topics of ADHD and anxiety? What inspired you?

R. Sonia’s story was originally inspired by my daughter’s failed attempt to cut a bagel with a butter knife, which resulted in a bagel crumble and a major meltdown. The early drafts weren’t explicitly about ADHD or anxiety. However, after many revisions, I realized that at its root, this story was about my own struggles with ADHD, anxiety, and perfectionism. In particular, it reflected my struggle to accept the messy chaos that comes with raising young children. For me, writing is a way of processing and making sense of the world. And I really wanted to let go of my anxiety and find humor in the chaos of those unpredictable childrearing moments. Once I leaned into those elements, Sonia and the Super-Duper Disaster really came together.

M. How important it is to have characters with these characteristics in stories, I love how they become mirrors for some children reading the books. How did you come up with the title?

R. The title went through many different iterations, as did the text. I eventually chose the title SONIA AND THE SUPER-DUPER DISASTER because it reflected both the chaos portrayed in the book, and the positive focus of the story. I really wanted to celebrate children with ADHD and anxiety and show that they are SUPER, just the way they are.

M. They are indeed SUPER just the way they are, what a lovely and important message. Now, can you tell us how you’d describe your main character and why did you create her that way?

R. My main character, Sonia, is a little girl with ADHD and anxiety (like me) and a HUGE heart (like my daughters). I wanted Sonia to be realistic, sweet, likable, and flawed so that readers could relate to her.

M. I love when our stories get those personal touches from our own experiences, I think those details make them stronger. Can you share your path to publication for this book?

R. Sure. But it’s kind of a long story! 😉 I wrote SONIA AND THE SUPER-DUPER DISASTER in May of 2018. It was my 12×12 draft for that month. It went through many iterations over the next year, from a nearly wordless picture book to a comic-style text with a superhero theme. But the feedback I was getting from my critique group was discouraging. By the Fall of 2019 I was feeling pretty defeated and wanted to give up on this story. I decided to share it with my #PBChat Mentor, Anika Denise, and see what she thought. To my surprise, she loved it! She understood my vision and saw the potential in it. Because of that she was able to help me revise it.

After my mentorship, I submitted it to the #PBChat Showcase and got several requests to submit it to publishers, which resulted in one revise and resubmit request. After I revised and resubmitted it several months later, they asked for another revise and resubmit. At that point, the story was more focused on humor and bilingual wordplay. The anxiety and ADHD elements were not explicit at all. But I had been doing some soul searching about why I write, and I knew my own neurodivergence was driving the stories I was compelled to tell. I decided to make that element more explicit. I hoped that in doing so I could help neurodivergent children feel seen and celebrated, and find positive ways to cope with big feelings. Once I made those changes, the story really clicked. I pitched it in a Twitter #PBPitch event and got a like from Deidra Purvis at Free Spirit Publishing. I submitted it to her, and she snapped it up right away!

M. Perseverance eventually took you to your YES, that shows it’s essential to keep going forward as well as the power of good revisions. Can you share how was it for you see the illustrations of your characters for the first time? Did you have input in the illustrations?

R. Amazing! I started crying the first time I saw one of Kelly Kennedy’s wonderful illustrations. (And not because it was bad!) It was just overwhelming to see something I’d worked on for so many years brought to life with such vibrancy and color. My publisher did offer me opportunities to provide feedback on the illustration notes they sent to the illustrator with the manuscript. Later, they also gave me an opportunity to provide feedback on the illustration proofs, but I didn’t have much input to offer. I thought Kelly did a fantastic job.

M. I agree, illustrations are amazing, Kelly did a fantastic job! What’s the most important lesson you learned while working on this book?

R. The importance of patience, persistence, and fearless revisions. This book went through so many wildly different versions, and it took almost four years for me to discover the real heart of this story. There were earlier versions that I loved, but this was the book that was meant to be out in the world.

Those are great lessons, Rachel, and not just for writing! I’m so glad that your book is finally coming out to the world. I’ll be celebrating you along our Kidsbookcrew when the book birthday day comes. Congratulations and I wish you the best. Cheers!

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RACHEL’S BIO

Rachel Funez is an attorney and children’s book author who knows exactly what it’s like to have ADHD and anxiety. She uses her Breath Blasters, Stellar Self-Talk, Senses Scanner, and other tools to get through lots of tough moments. She wishes she could hug every kid who is struggling with overwhelming feelings, but she will settle for creating stories that celebrate children with special brains and help them cope with their big emotions in productive ways. When Rachel isn’t writing or working, she enjoys walking her bearded collie, playing board games with her family, dancing like nobody’s watching, and cuddling up on rainy afternoons with a hot beverage and a good book. You can learn more about Rachel by checking out her website at rachelfunez.com.

Twitter: @rachel_funez

Instagram: @rachel_funez

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.funez

Thanks for reading!

M

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Cover photo by Andrea Piacquadio.