The Wonderful World of Zuri Rose

In case you haven’t heard the big news, I am happy to announce that I am officially a children’s book author! It’s taken me four years to get here but I did it!!!!

The last four years have been both amazing and scary for me, both professionally and personally. When my daughter was born, I put my floral design business on the backburner, at the peak of my career, so that I could better lean into my new role as a mother. It wasn’t the easiest transition and some days, I was resentful of how much motherhood changed my life. Writing this book is bigger than adding author to my name. I am reclaiming my identity and regaining a new sense of purpose.

I wrote The Wonderful World of Zuri Rose: Flowers A-Z because I wanted to introduce my daughter, Zuri Rose, to flowers but I could not find a book that appealed to me, so I wrote the book I wanted to see on bookshelves.

The Wonderful World of Zuri Rose: Flowers from A-Z is not just your average alphabet book. This book introduces readers to the world of flowers, through the lens of the character, Zuri Rose, a girl who grew up in her mum’s flower shop. From the character design, to the flower selection, I curated (and obsessed over lol) every detail of this book to teach children about all of the wonderful ways in which flowers impact our lives. It contains some STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, Math) fun facts about flowers described in an imaginative way that will not only teach children but will also inspire their curiosity about nature, geography and culture. The Wonderful World of Zuri Rose: Flowers from A-Z is the first of a book series about Zuri Rose.

My journey to writing this book has been filled with lots of ups and downs. There has been a lot of overanalyzing, stress, doubt and imposter syndrome. I’ve also experienced way too many micro-aggressions to list. I am most proud that despite it all, I pushed through and got the book done.

On April 19th, The Wonderful World of Zuri Rose: Flowers   A-Z  will be available for pre-orders through Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform where creators, like me, raise awareness and funds to bring their project to life. It is an all or nothing campaign which means that if my goal is not met, you will not be charged. Kickstarter is NOT a donation platform like Gofundme. You are paying to receive an actual product. In my case, a first edition, signed copy of my book as well as limited edition merchandise like stationery, flashcards and a Zuri Rose doll.

Self-publishing my book allowed me complete creative control over the publishing process. However, unlike traditionally published authors, I do not have the backing of a publisher to bring this book to bookshelves. I have already invested quite a bit of money in this book and pre-selling it through Kickstarter will enable me to cover the cost of printing a high quality book with all of the bells and whistles.

I hope you’ll consider backing my Kickstarter campaign on April 19th! Your support means the world to me.