Anna i Smith
About Daisy Grace and the Mighty Swimsuit
Daisy Grace is a writing, drawing, dog training, list-making thinker. She is also on the autism spectrum. Only, she doesn’t know it. What she does know is that the world around her can feel chaotic at times and that people can be hard to figure out.
Trying to navigate social cues isn’t always easy but having a fierce sense of humor helps. So does writing in her journal. And then there's her Swedish grandma. Mormor knows her better than anyone. And when Mormor surprises her with a magenta-colored swimsuit, Daisy suddenly finds new powers.
Maybe this will be the year:
1)Her freckles will magically vanish.
2) Being shy but funny counts as much as being loud and pretty.
3) She will figure out why boys are so complicated (all of a sudden).
4) And maybe this will be the year she can put that training bra way in the back of her closet to good use.
When she gets to the last page of her journal there are two things she knows for sure:
1) Being ten was both magical and challenging.
2) And no one will ever find out about the secret powers of her mighty magenta swimsuit. Unless someone happens to find her journal-- years after her magenta swimsuit is worn out and has lost its powers.
"Grandma says we need more listeners in this world. She says you learn more from listening than from talking. If that’s really true I’d be a genius by now."ding 6
"I hate when I get all teary-eyed... I tell people I’m okay but my eyes betray me."
"Whenever I miss someone I kind of make up this picture in my mind of love, happiness, and sadness playing on the same team"ing
"I just realized that Max's last name and my last name both start with the letter H. Coincidence or fate?"
"Writing is the best way to remember things you don’t want to forget and the best way to forget things you don’t want to remember."
Heading
"Ladybugs are cuter than beetles. And don’t even get me started on moths. They look like butterflies but I don’t know anyone who would call them beautiful."
About Anna i Smith
Three decades ago I came up with this idea:
How about writing a trilogy in diary format for the preteen market where each book encompasses exactly one year and where the character writes and draws her way through the ups and downs of a pre-teen's life? My character would be funny, determined, and introspective--that I knew. What I didn't know until deep into the project was that she would also be on the autism spectrum.
With a passion for the written word, forty years of childcare experience, a Master's degree in psychology, and a BA in Public Relations, I am now ready to seek representation for Daisy Grace and the Mighty Swimsuit.
When not writing I can be found reading, baking, faking an interest in growing my own vegetables, and convincing our rescue dog that the world is not as scary as it seems.