What inspired you to write "The Empress' New Hair?
The book is loosely inspired by my life growing up in the beauty industry, along with my unruly hair and the journey it took for me to embrace the fact that, like me, it is very diverse and that I should appreciate this. Encouraging others, especially girls, to also embrace what they have because they are unique and they define their beauty, not external forces, is the intent of the story.
What is your process when writing? Detail character development.
My process is abstract. My ideas come to me. I don't conjure them. I was driving on one of my long commutes when the idea for 'The Empress' New Hair ' came to me-like a whisper. I've always loved the story: The Emperor's New Clothes so it was natural for me to create Empress Zaina and her plight to appreciate her hair and all its madness.
How have children received the book?
Surprisingly, boys seem to get many laughs and giggles when I read the story. This brings me joy. Girls normally like the story too and they are normally asking for more.
How is The Empress' New Hair different from other books in your genre?
I would say the vocabulary sets the book apart from others-I've included the definitions on the pages in which the words appear.
Where can readers find your book?
The Empress' New Hair can be found at: theempressnewhair.blogspot.com; walmart.com; amazon.com;indiebound.org; barnesandnoble.com and Wayne State University.
Do you have any upcoming events? What are you working on?
I don't have any events scheduled at this time. I'm working on completing my second children's title: The Selfish Boy Who Shares.
What are future plans for S.F. Hardy?
To my delight, I will soon be a children's librarian. I will continue to work on branding Empress Zaina as I intend to create a doll in her image along with an animated series highlighting various hair traditions across the globe-with Empress Zaina being the main character.
I am looking forward to purchasing my copy of The Empress' New Hair by S.F. Hardy because of what the book represents which is to encourage the reader to define their own beauty. Ms. Hardy's book is very important because we as women and or girls are bombarded with imagery daily via television, magazines, billboards and even the dolls we purchase for our children that define what the standard of beauty is for Us.
ReplyDeleteLoving who we are includes our hair. I can remember growing up and that majority of the compliments I received was about my hair. My Mom would do pencil curls, bobby pin fan or the braids with a thousand beads. These were happy moments for me and I took pride in my hair as a child because of my Mother's work to create hair art of some sort and this helped me embrace my hair.
"Image is Everything" and our hair play a huge part in who we are. I look forward to seeing Ms. Hardy's book character Empress Zaina expand into a doll because doll reflection is important for a child's self esteem. We would love to have the Empress Zaina doll on exhibit at Sandy's Land Doll Show www.detroitdollshow.blogspot.com
Thank you for this wonderful and empowering Literary feature.
Hair is a big thing for girls nowadays and any book that teaches them to love their hair is a book I'm willing to buy. Congrats on the book and interview!
ReplyDeleteThank you for being my first interviewee. I am inspired by your journey.
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