Smart and confident women know how to get things accomplished. Atlanta PR pro and children's book author Stephanie Davis saw a gaping hole in the industry and is making her mark with her Kayla The Great series featuring a spunky multicultural little girl. I shared a review of Kayla The Great and The Magic Red Dress with you recently, and I also had a chance to interview the author.
Being a professional in "real" life with a love for writing on the side myself, I am in awe of her accomplishments and her go-get-'em attitude. Read the interview with Stephanie Davis below, and stay tuned for more on the new Kayla the Great book publishing soon!
Stephanie, what inspired you to write children's
books?
I love writing and I love
children. A few years ago, one of my family members gave birth to a baby girl. I
wanted to buy the baby a book as a gift. I searched far and wide, and I was so
surprised at the lack of female lead characters in children's books. I was even
more disappointed to learn there were very few characters of color. I had the
idea of Kayla The Great years ago, but after I realized there was a huge lack of
diversity in children's books, I decided it was time to bring her to life. My
intent was not to make a grand statement with my books. Kayla The Great is here
to represent the world we live in. And I really wanted children to fall in love
with books. I wanted them to enjoy reading and see images of themselves and
others in books. 
Is Kayla modeled after you as a child or any
child you know?
Kayla The Great is the
combination of little girls I've met throughout my life, my nieces and my little
cousins. She's also loosely based on me.
What was your favorite book growing
up?
I really loved books by
Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. But it was Maya Angelou's "I Know Why The Caged
Bird Sings" that made the greatest impact on me as a child. I read it when I was
about 11 years old and I was blown away. It wasn't a children's book, but the
story was really similar to my own life, so I connected with it on a personal,
intimate level. It still remains one of my all-time favorite books.
What is your favorite item of clothing right now?
I'm a big Converse fan, so I have Chuck Taylors in just about every color. They're my favorite!
What can you tell us about the next Kayla
The Great book?
Kayla The Great will be
heading to Washington, DC in the next book! Things take an unexpected turn when
she ends up getting lost in the White House. The book follows her as she
discovers some fun things in the White House and meets some really important
people. 'Kayla The Great Goes To Washington' will be released in February. 
Follow @SmartSweetKayla on Twitter and SmartSweetKayla on Facebook for ongoing inspirational and cheerful info from the Kayla The Great team.
And if you would like Kayla The Great creator/writer Stephanie Davis to be a part of story time/book reading at your school, community center or children's event, please send a request via the website.
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I am a blogger ambassador for the Kayla The Great series. I was provided compensation to share information with you about this book and the upcoming new release. All opinions are 100% mine.
