FLORISSANT, Mo. — Florissant resident Kristin Mosley wanted to be an author as far back as she can remember.
"And here I am in 2021 and it's coming to fruition," she said.
The inspiration for her first children's book, “Queen Olivia and the Lava Monster,” is a real life 4 year old. Her friend's daughter, Olivia, has a playful spirit and wild imagination. Kristin knew she would be the perfect story book character.
She describes a fun interaction they had on a playdate, "She said, 'Let's fight the lava monster.’ And we were running around attacking this lava monster and I thought, ‘You know what, this would be a good story.’”
Kristin knew she would be the perfect story book character.
She said, “This is a simplistic story about facing your fears. The lava monster represents your fear, your giant your obstacle.”
Krtistin has more books in the works.
She said, "I believe we need more diverse books and that's another reason why I wanted to become a children’s author. That me, as a child, would want to see a reflection of myself."
Kristin has some big plans to make a difference. The Cooperative Children's Book Center tracks diversity in children's books and in 2018, found that only 10% of the stories published featured African American characters. And in an effort to change that statistic, “Queen Olivia and the Lava Monster” is just the beginning of what she's calling Krissy's Kids Book Club.
She said, "Eventually down the road, create some sort of subscription box so I can bring kids in and open them up to literacy and reading because that’s something I fell in love with as a child. I want any child to be able to use their imagination in any way, shape, or form. So that's Krissy's Kids Book Club at the moment."
Right now, Kristin is looking to partner with libraries, schools, and daycares to get her book in the hands of children.
She said, "Literacy is something I really believe in and the only way to do it is to partner with local organizations to further advance that in our community."
This might be her first book, but it won't be the last you've heard from this author.
She said, "This is not the last time you'll see me, for sure."
Story time with the author will take place April 24th from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. at EyeSeeMe Bookstore on 6951 Olive Blvd. And a book signing event is May 1st from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Urban Sprouts Child Development at 6757 Olive Blvd.
To purchase the book, go to kmosley.org.