A Break 4 MommyJourney to Appleville: Interview With Author Veronica Appleton

Journey to Appleville follows six kids (Kenan, Tu-Tu, Pedro, Liu-Liu, Lizzy, and Cassie) from a local neighborhood with a common goal—to visit Appleville, overcome their fears, accomplish their goals, and earn a Golden Apple for achievement.

Journey to Appleville offers children and their families a place, symbolic of “opportunity,” where they can be who they want to be and do what they believe is right. Inspiration for the book derives from my personal journey through pursuing my education and the road to becoming a children’s author.

Inspired by the belief that everyone has a story to tell or a passion they wish to pursue, Journey to Appleville becomes a simple tool to read for children and adults of all ages. This tale of friendship and triumph gives a small ounce of hope for everyone on their path to Appleville (aka, a place of opportunity and success). With hope, families across the globe will resonate with the characters and develop a new-found love for their passion projects and learning expeditions.

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a copy of Journey to Appleville and interviewing the author Veronica Appleton. I read the book to Carter and he enjoyed looking at all the apples and the Appleville Fairy. The book is very sweet for kids of all ages. Kids learn to use to imaginations to set goals and face their fears. There is nothing more refreshing than laughing along with a child as they experience the joys of reading an empowering book.

What inspired your character the Appleville Fairy and how did you determine each child’s fear?

The Appleville Fairy is a piece of hope when children and their families reach Appleville. The Fairy greets the children when they first arrive to Appleville and from there, she asks the children what they wish and hope for in the near future. From learning math to learning how to read at a faster pace, or being independent to learning how to be a magician, the Appleville Fairy exists to provide the children with an extra ounce of hope. The Fairy essentially brings opportunity to life by providing the children with a path to be exactly who they want to be and to do what they believe is right.

Additionally, for each of the children’s fears, I wanted Kenan, Tu-Tu, Pedro, Liu-Liu, Lizzy, and Cassie to represent a career or passion that other children may want to explore. From being a zookeeper to a magician, the variety of roles gives children an outlook on the possibilities of life and what it’s like being within such a role. In the end, the Appleville Fairy and the variety of fears makes Appleville the ideal place for any child to visit—with the hope of being the best version of themselves.

What inspires you to write?

When I first began writing, I wanted to create stories that breathed engagement and interest. My main goal was to entertain, and make a few people happy and filled with laughter. This desire slowly changed as I began seeing the lack of diversity in children’s literature. From there, I sat out on a mission to put literary power back into the hands of diverse families by creating Journey to Appleville. The book celebrates children of all colors, the unique characteristics of being human, and the variety of roles and positions within everyday life.

Since that moment, I have also written plays, television scripts, movie scripts, poems, and the like. Most importantly, I’ve found a true passion within children’s literature and television programming.

Are you working on any new books/projects at the moment?

Currently, I’m working on extending the Appleville Collection, which is comprised of stories for each character featured in Journey to Appleville. The next book is entitled Tu-Tu Goes to School, which will be released in fall 2018!