Vanja Skoric Author Bio:
I am a human rights lawyer, civil rights volunteer and mother of two, with a passion for writing, originally from Croatia. I am currently working in a non profit organisation and doing a PhD at the Civic AI Lab in the Netherlands. I enjoy combining my human rights work with promoting social change, especially including children. I always strive to provide children with information and knowledge about how they can make a meaningful contribution to a better world, without feeling lost or overwhelmed.
What inspires you to write?
It all started with real life questions from my daughter, a curious and incredibly observant girl who, like many children, is eager to know why certain situations arise, even if they feel unfair.” In the book called “Tasha, A Little Activist”, the main character, Tasha, feels confused when boys tell her that soccer is not for girls (as it happened to my daughter and I’m sure, many other girls). She wonders, “Why do people say that girls shouldn't do certain things?” She is curious: has it always been this way? Tasha's dad tells her a story about women and girls fighting for their rights. In the book, I connected direct experiences with important historical events to help my and other children understand the power of activism and how to cope with the change. I invite curious children to come with Tasha to find out more about activism! Sometimes adults may feel that issues are too complicated for children to handle. The good news is that all the small steps and actions make a difference. I hope this book will inspire honest conversations and dialogue about experiences, fairness, emotions – including anger and frustration – and what opportunities are there for children to do something about that.
Tell us about your writing process.
Essentially, my children are my inspiration – I only write or plan to write topics that interest them and what they ask about. And they ask a lot! I am terrible at planning on writing, mostly because I have a full time job and raising two children – so I steal moments of quiet time here and there in a really hectic manner. I would not recommend it! But it works for me and brings in spurs of inspiration after the ideas have been cooking in my mind for a long time. For example, I reply in my mind conversations I had with my children upon their questions, thinking how could I have answered it differently, or maybe give more context to them – trying to improve it for them. My next book will be about climate activism and children, inspired by the question – Mom, will our country “drown” in sea? What do you say to 8-year olds when they ask such profound and important questions about our future as a humanity?!
Who are your favorite authors?
I love fantasy books, and writers like JRR Tolkien, L. Carol, Patrick Rothfuss. I also get inspiration from children’s authors who bring in activist perspective, like Dr. Angela Sadler Williamson with her book My Life With Rosie (about Rosa Parks).
What genres do you write?
Children books
How did you choose the genre(s) you write?
It chose me – as it got started organically, trying to reply and find better answers to my children’s questions.
What three things are on your writing desk at any given moment?
Desk lamp, external keyboard and Dutch cinnamon cookies (Speculas).
What hobbies do you have when you need a break from writing?
Writing is my hobby, as I have a full time job. But to take the break from the screen, I started running, I also ride bicycle a lot and I love taking long walks with children when we pretend we are on a trip, or we are explorers – their insights and comments you can’t make up!
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Home Page Link
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Author’s Social Media Links
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All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
