Author Carrissa Carrillo chatted about her new children’s book “Bearly Made it.”
Carrillo collaborated on this book with David Johnston, who also did the illustrations.
In this book series, the protagonist, Bearly, is a bear with butterfly wings who gives you the courage to try new things. “David is so talented, he is an artist and a musician,” she said. “We did music for this book even though it’s not out yet.”
Inspiration to write the book
On her inspiration to write this book, she said, “I worked at Child Protective Services, and I saw all the children there missing inspiration and hope. We had a working system but there was a lot of holes in it. I couldn’t help all the children but what I can do is remember the feeling and this moment, and I wanted to help at a different angle.”
“Years later, I decided to help the kids. David, one of my best friends, and I created the pun ‘Bearly’ and it was kind of fun because it was so simple and it could teach kids how to step into the unknown and how to find light,” she said.
“I wanted it to be something universal, especially if somebody feels out of place, and they can look for Bearly for inspiration,” she acknowledged. “Bearly doesn’t just do one thing. He is barely flying and barely meditating.”
“The first book is the origin story. Then, we will be doing a series, where the follow-up book will be about teaching Bearly about flying, and the third book will be about meditating and how to stay grounded and how to breathe,” she said.
“This is good, especially for children or adults, since they can find different things that they can be good at through watching the journey of Bearly,” she added.
The digital age
On being a children’s book author in the digital age, Carrillo said, “It’s really cool because there are more ways to get your hands on something. I call it edu-tainment, it’s basically educating children through entertainment.”
“Kids are all on technology now, so if we can get their eyes and help them learn and give them some positive messaging, that would be awesome,” she added.
Regarding her use of technology in her daily routine, she said, “I’m a people person. I like to do more in-person things. I do a lot of creating and I do a lot of reading. I study a lot of mythology and Ancient Egypt. I study universal truths and laws.”
Future plans
On her goals for the future, she said, “My big dream is to get ‘Bearly’ into an animated TV series that show Bearly flying, meditating and gardening. There are so many things you can do with it, and educate.”
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “Forward ever, backward never.”
Superpower of choice
She listed the following as her superpower of choice: “I would be able to communicate with everything in the entire world; if there are aliens or other galaxies, I would love to communicate with all of them.”
Success
On her definition of the word success, Carrillo said, “Success, to me, means leaving a beautiful, big inspiring legacy behind, where I touch the lives of many people, and give them a sense of hope and I remind people of the courage they have within themselves.”
Closing thoughts on the moral of ‘Bearly’
For readers, Carrillo concluded about her new children’s book, “I want readers to know that learning is a never-ending journey. The book also touches upon the concept of mindfulness.”
“Bearly Made it.” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
To learn more about the “Bearly” book series, follow them on Instagram.
