Author and speaker, Barbara Glazier-Robinson, Ph.D., a former speech-language pathologist and “recovering psychologist,” has been working with and helping children her entire career. In October 2020, she released her first book, Grace From Space: A Race to Save Earth, the first book in her new Dream Catcher Series. I was thrilled to speak with Barbara about the book and to learn a bit more about Barbara’s vision. Her mission and passion are powerful.
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CM: Congratulations on your Amazon #1 New Release, Grace from Space! How exciting for you and everyone involved with the project. Tell us about the book.
BG: Grace is the story of your average 11-year-old who goes to school, has space friends, with the exception of dedicating her life to saving Earth kids’ dreams. In three sentences: A planet with vanishing dreams. A girl dedicated to their safe return. One young heroine must trust her voice to save Earth’s future.
Grace spends every young moment protecting the hopes and wishes of Earth kids. When each plan to return their vanishing dreams comes up crickets, Grace has no choice but to call an emergency session of the mighty Galactic Council. With time running out, Grace’s BFF Conor unleashes a brilliant and daring plan with a heart-stopping catch. When the council agrees to the plan, the fiery redhead realizes she’ll have to face her greatest fear: speaking in public. Saving Earth kids’ dreams has rapidly turned into Grace’s worst nightmare. So the big question is: Will Grace discover her voice in time before hopelessness blankets the Earth?
CM: That’s quite a question. It takes a lot of courage to find one’s voice. Grace certainly has some strong motivation. Maybe that’s the key.
You spent many years of your life working with young people. What is something you feel people often overlook about the creativity and capabilities children possess?
BG: That they are far wiser than adults. They will give us the answers to solving the toughest problems facing our planet. But we have to listen to them and value what they have to say.
CM: What do you hope Grace and her story will inspire in other young people?
BG: So much, Chloé! I believe that when young women awaken to the power of their voice to ignite social justice, we will birth a new Earth. I also know how big the fear of finding that voice can be. But what is even bigger, is the power that comes with lending your voice to a person or cause that can’t speak up for itself. I hope it inspires them to take their dreams seriously. Grace is a girl with big fears but an even bigger desire to make a real difference. I want more young people to trust the value of their contribution. Grace and I wholeheartedly believe in the brilliance of their hearts.
CM: What was the most challenging part of writing and publishing your book? What’s been the most rewarding part of releasing it into the world?
BG: At times I felt dumber than dirt trying to publish my first book. I knew absolutely nothing so everything was a challenge. You don’t know what you don’t know. What I discovered is once you take a leap of faith, help comes from places you did not even know existed. That’s the magical part of the process.
It still boggles my brain that you start out with a tiny seed for a book and that seed can end up on a shelf at Barnes and Noble in Philadelphia. If I could pull it off, trust me, anybody can!
CM: I know you’ve been keeping super busy with Grace since the launch. Congratulations on being named a finalist for the Wishing Shelf Awards, as well as winning the Fall 2020 Indie Children’s Book Cover Award. That’s fantastic! Grace has been popping into libraries, Barnes and Noble, as you mentioned, and even had herself turned into an herbal tea! She’s one busy girl!
What are you dreaming up next? What other adventures lie ahead for Grace?
BG: I wrote ten tiny books of big values as a curriculum to go along with Grace from Space to emphasize empathy and how to translate empathy into action. The tagline would be “Earth’s kids give empathy a voice!” I am searching for teachers and schools to do a pilot program in exchange for FREE books. Holler if interested. I set up Grace to have superheroes from space living on different planets. Each solves a problem on Earth. I would love budding young authors to write the sequels.
CM: Where can people learn more? How can they connect with you?
BG: You can write to me at glazierbarbara7[at]gmail.com. Grace’s mailbox is Mospg333[at]gmail.com.
CM: Anything else you’d like to share?
BG: I write to delight. So Grace is not a boring “teachy-preachy” book. I hope that Grace from Space will be a ton of fun for children in grades three through six who love superheroes, feisty heroines, magical settings, mayhem, mischief and hijinks, happy endings, and joyous outer-space fairy tales.
CM: Well, with Grace on the job, it sounds like your hopes and wishes are in great hands. I wish you continued success with the book and pilot program. Thank you for being brave enough to share your voice and vision with your readers.
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You can get your copy of Grace today on Amazon.com.
To learn more about Barbara’s “10 Tiny Books of Big Values” curriculum or to invite her to speak at your next event, contact glazierbarbara7[at]gmail.com.
PLEASE NOTE: The opinions, representations, and statements made in response to questions asked as part of this interview are strictly those of the interviewee and not of Chloé McFeters or Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC as a whole.