Brianna was anxiously thinking about her first interview of current residents. She had never interviewed anyone that young before and she was uncertain how the interview would go. She was also aware that many of those that she would interview were troubled and weren’t comfortable around strangers. Emily, her first interview, came to Henry when her mother abandoned her. She never knew her father. She was now 13 and she had been with Henry for two years.
When Brianna entered Emily’s room, she was immediately struck by how cheerful it was. Emily had worked to create a pleasant environment and Brianna was immediately drawn to the colored pages taped to the walls. What she learned during the interview was that those pages weren’t pages from a coloring book, but drawings that Emily had made.
When Brianna asked about the drawings, Emily proceeded to tell her a story that went along with the drawing. As Brianna thought about Emily’s talent, she began to realize that she had a number of prospects.
When Brianna returned for a second round of interviews, she brought with her a graphic novel. Emily had never seen one of those before, but was enthusiastic of the possibilities. “Do you think I could write a graphic novel?” she asked.
Brianna had a flash of insight into Henry’s world. She thought: “Should I encourage Emily to pursue this? Or are the risks too great, and her hopes would be unrealized?” She decided to encourage Emily. She asked Emily to do what would be equivalent to a chapter in a graphic novel.
Emily planned to take the chapter to her literary agent and see if she would help Emily get a contract. While the risks were great, Brianna envisioned several selling points her agent could use. Emily’s life story, her youth, and the fact that most graphic novels were written more for males were what she hoped would lead to a publishing contract.
Brianna agonized over her decision to raise Emily’s hopes. In this case, she had the connections that may help, but what if she didn’t? She began to realize the talent that Henry had in nurturing the talent of others. This was a talent that she had to develop.
* * *
“My children’s books are written on the belief that every child has a talent and a passion. Each story unfolds into an adventure of nurturing that confidence until a passion blooms.”
– Masiela Lusha (Author)