I lived with undiagnosed ADHD well into adulthood, and when I finally began to understand my own brain, I found myself thinking often about the little girl I had been. I was inspired by Toni Morrison's wisdom to write the book I wished I could have read as a child — one that might have helped me name what I was experiencing sooner, feel less alone in it, and understand that struggling with certain things did not make me any less bright, capable, or creative.

Maia's story is loosely based on some of my own childhood experiences, reimagined for a new generation of readers. I wanted to create a character who could open the door to conversations about ADHD in girls, particularly within Haitian families and communities, while still allowing her to simply be a whole child: curious, funny, ambitious, imaginative, loved, and still figuring herself out.

There are also pieces of my real life tucked throughout Maia's world. Many of the names in the story are quiet shout-outs to people I know and love — family, friends, teachers, and others whose names felt special enough to carry into these pages. The characters themselves are fictionalized, but those names are one small way I've woven pieces of my own world into Maia's.

And, yes, Maia herself has a namesake. She is named after my beloved Shih Tzu, Maia, who holds a very special place in my heart. It makes me smile knowing that her name now lives in this little girl's world, too.

More than anything, I hope Maia gives young readers language for experiences they may not yet know how to explain, and reminds them that needing support does not diminish who they are. Sometimes understanding yourself is the beginning of becoming even more fully yourself.