Award-winning author Jamie is a strong advocate for children with disabilities and their families. As a mother to a son with cerebral palsy, she emphasizes teaching children to express their needs and opinions. In her book “Roll with It” Jamie is empowering children with disabilities by introducing the main protagonist Ellie to be determined to fulfill her dream and not limited by her disability. “Roll with it” has been personally selected by Amazon kids’ book editor, Seira Wilson for Prime Book Box and has been selected by Kirkus Reviews for Best Middle Grade Book of 2019. Jamie has written extensively about parenting a child with special needs and her contributions have been seen in publications like the New York Times and the Washington Post. Her recently published second novel “Tune it out” is a moving novel about a girl with a sensory processing disorder and must find her own voice.

Can you tell us about the idea behind your book “Roll with It”?J: I created ROLL WITH IT for my son, Charlie, who is eight and has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair like Ellie. I wanted him to be able to see a kid like him on the cover of a book. Everyone needs to feel seen and understood and there’s something magical about discovering a character in a story who thinks like you do or is going through something you are also going through. Every kid deserves that and so the story for ROLL WITH IT began.

Who can benefit from reading this book?J: When I first began writing ROLL WITH IT, there was Wonder and then…nothing. Many books had secondary characters with disabilities but they felt one-dimensional at best. Or they existed only as a plot device for the main character. I wanted to write a story with a protagonist with special needs whose story isn’t about her disability. Ellie is wholly herself, regardless of how she gets around. I hope that helps open up readers to the idea that you aren’t defined by what you can do but by who you are – that ethereal quality that makes you you.
I think anyone can benefit from the empathy that comes with reading about a character that is different from themselves and feeling their feelings for the space of a chapter, an hour, a scene. It’s the kind of experience that books do best. I hope anyone of any ability will be able to relate to Ellie’s story.

What is your most memorable writing project and why?J: The middle grade novel I’m working on right now, ONE KID’S TRASH, is probably the most memorable and not only because it is the most recent! It has also been the hardest to write.
It’s about a boy named Hugo who has been bullied his whole life for being small, and when his dad has a midlife crisis and quits his job to become a ski instructor in Colorado, Hugo decides to re-invent himself using a very particular talent called garbology. He can look at anyone’s trash and tell you their deepest desires and secrets. Of course he becomes immensely popular and of course it all goes to his head and chaos ensues.
It’s a fun book, but Hugo’s true motivations for his actions didn’t come to me until the third re-write. But at least I got there eventually!
With ROLL WITH IT, Ellie’s voice and the impetus behind all her actions were clear from the beginning, because her story was closely tied to my own. I am lucky in how much that book wrote itself.

What are some of the best ways for families of children with disabilities to balance their professional and family lives?J: Build a village! This is my number one piece of advice. I like my solitude. I like to be self-sufficient. But you can’t be that and raise kids, especially those with extra needs. I had to learn to ask for help when I couldn’t juggle work and home life. You need all the kinds of people in your life to lean on…the ones who will bring meals when your kid is sick, the ones who will send the hilarious GIF to cheer you up or drop off wine and coffee on your doorstep, and the ones who will let you sit and not talk at all.

What fun activities do you and your kids love to do together?J: We love family hikes! Because Charlie is in a wheelchair, my husband designed a special hiking backpack for him to ride in. We hike all over the hills of Tennessee and every summer we travel to Colorado and hike the Rockies.
This second one isn’t an “activity” per say, but we have dinner as a family most nights. Charlie is eight and my twins are six and we are just now figuring it out now that both me and my spouse are working from home. It’s not easy. It’s rarely peaceful. But it’s always worth it. It’s the one time of the day we all stop spinning in our own circles. That kitchen table is our touchstone for reconnecting with each other.

What is your suggestion for families of children with disabilities to empower their children?J: I believe teaching our kids to find their own voices and be able to express their wants and needs even when we are not there is the greatest gift we could give them. Charlie is mostly nonverbal, but he uses a speaking device and we have taught him sign language and simple “yes” and “no” signals so that he can give his opinion to anyone in any situation. More than anything, I want him to feel heard.