Author Interview with Christine Kapanga of Conner's Adventure: Finding Friends at the Zoo

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When did you become a children’s book author?

December 2024 was when I published my first book. 

How did you come up with the story? 

Simply put - it was my kids idea, they wanted to make a book about feeding zoo friends. They absolutely love the zoo!

As a mom, a priority for me was to incorporate teachable moments in the book. In the book, the main character Conner, isn’t able to get what he wants at first. The book teaches readers it is OK to keep trying, and you can still have a good day even if you don’t always get what you want.

How did you come up with the character?

When I first had a vision of what the main character would look like, it was important for me to make sure he looked multiracial, just like my boys.

I wanted readers to look at him and not be able to pinpoint his nationality. I wanted the character to be diverse, to be inclusive, so young children could see themselves in Conner.

Did you hire an illustrator or do the illustrations yourself?  

I hired an illustrator and I highly recommend hiring a professional illustrator, especially if you are a Children's author. My illustrator, Natia Gogiashvili, is amazing; I'm fortunate enough to work with her on both my books. We went through a few versions of the character Conner until he was just right and she truly brought my vision to life.

Are you self-published or published through a publishing company?

I'm self published, my background has been in Tech/ Ads working as a Sr Programmatic Consultant at Amazon. I would train companies how to run Ads on Amazon, so I used my previous experience to successfully launch and target my book on Amazon.

From the day you came up with the idea for the story until you were holding your published book in your hand, how long did it take you to complete this book?

It took about 8 months to fully complete the book. Writing a book is one thing, but as a self published Author, you have to find a good editor, illustrator, then pre-launch such as specs, files for KDP, know the trim size, create the cover etc.

What is one thing you wish you knew before beginning your book publishing journey?

You NEED to carve out the time. It will take longer than you think. There is a reason so many people have THOUGHT about writing a book but never do.

Life gets in the way, things happen and you get busy then you don't make time for it.
Block time off your calendar, say no to things that don't light you up and start creating something!

Any tips for future children’s book authors?

You need to first find your 'WHY' and make sure it's strong enough before you start.
My WHY is for my kids. I want to show them that if they can believe they can write a book in their imagination, it can happen in real life. When I got discouraged by road bumps (because I can guarantee there will be some), I keep going back to my WHY to anchor me.

You need to have a strong WHY to keep you motivated to write the book.

What is the best reaction from a reader, so far?

The best reactions are when moms tell me it's their children's favorite to go to book and read it regularly at bed time!

Where do you get ideas for your stories?

My children! We create from real life experiences in our life.

Do you have any other books in the works?

My newest book launches May 12th!

What does literary success look like to you?

With my newest book,  "Conner’s Adventure: New School… BIG Jitters!", is about practical ways to help children overcome first-day nerves. With the school year coming to an end, many families are navigating the “big jitters” that come with finishing school and starting a new grade. Success to me is having 100k readers read the book and find it helpful for them when starting a new school or grade. 

What was the hardest thing about getting your book published?

You don't know what you don't know and that's ok! Luckily there is SO much help out there. You can take courses online, can go on Fiverr or other sites to contract professional illustrators or editors etc.  

What is your favorite children's book(s) of all time?

The Cool Bean books - I love how they offer teachable moments for young readers.