I’m Zuni Blue. I’ve been writing non-fiction and fiction since I was a kid. I really love telling stories about the amazing world we live in. My characters are different races, genders, and live with various disabilities and abilities. Down below, I answered some questions so you can get to know me better.
Writing and Publishing Questions
Is Zuni Blue your real name?
My real name is Zahra Brown. My real surname is Brown, a colour, so I chose other colours to be my author surnames. None of the colours suited a children’s book author — I considered Black, White, Green, and Grey — so I went with my favourite colour instead: Blue. I can’t remember why I picked the first name Zuni, but it sounds fun!
Where do your story ideas come from?
Some of my story ideas come from life experience e.g. The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks. The story is based on Selective Mutism, a severe type of social anxiety I struggle with. Some ideas are based on topics I find interesting, like alligators and crocodiles e.g. The Blue Crocodile. Other times I want to teach readers important lessons in a fun way e.g. Booger King Fights Back shows how nose-picking is a gross habit.
What’s your favourite thing about being a writer?
Writing! I enjoy crafting characters and everyone connected to them. It’s fun planning stories from start to finish. It’s like going on an exciting adventure. I also love hearing from readers like you. Your kind words mean a lot to me! You can email me at contact@zuniblue.com. Write as much or as little as you like.
What do you dislike about being a writer?
Editing. I edit each story three times. The first draft is the easiest because I’m just writing and having fun. The second and third drafts are the hardest because I’m editing each word, sentence, paragraph, chapter. I have to check that the story details are consistent e.g. a character isn’t black in chapter 1 and white in chapter 2. I check for typos and anything that doesn’t make sense. The fourth, and last, draft is the easiest. I let the computer read the story to me and only stop if something sounds wrong. When I finally finish editing, the story is always much better than how it started.
Where do you write your stories?
I write on my computer in my bedroom. It’s very comfortable and quiet in there, so no one disturbs me. Someday I might have a spacious and sunny office with an amazing view outside…
How long will you keep writing as Zuni Blue?
For the rest of my life, I hope! God-willing, I’ll always have more fiction and non-fiction books for kids to enjoy. I have many story ideas and new characters for you to meet. I can’t wait!
General Questions
What do you want to be remembered for?
I want people to remember me for spreading the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ, and for being a great storyteller. What do you want to be remembered for?
What is your favourite animal?
It’s too hard to pick one. It’s a tie between cats and horses. Cats are so cute and friendly. Horses are so wild and free. I love them both. Do you have a favourite animal?
What is your favourite vegetable and fruit?
Broccoli is delicious and its green colour is lovely to look at. My second favourite vegetable is sweetcorn because it’s so tasty. Just like Mya Dove, I love grapes! Her favourite is the green (white) ones. I prefer juicy, sweet, tasty red grapes.
Would you ever go skydiving, bungee jumping or deep sea diving?
Sea diving would be great because I love the ocean so much. It’s so beautiful to look at. I’d love to see the creatures down there. I wouldn’t dive down too deep because it’s dangerous. I wouldn’t go skydiving or bungee jumping either because it’s too dangerous AND too scary!
What is the scariest monster you can imagine?
I hate spiders, so I’d hate to meet a flying, jumping spider that can swim. How could I escape? It’d be so scary! Can you imagine a monster scarier than that?
What have you created that you’re most proud of?
My books. I love the characters and worlds they live in. I’d love to write hundreds of books in my lifetime.
What were your favourite subjects at school?
My favourite subjects were Maths and English. I enjoyed English because I loved reading books and loved writing stories. I enjoyed Maths because I was great at solving equations.
What is your favourite colour?
My favourite colour is blue. I love it. It reminds me of beautiful oceans and sunny skies. If I had to choose a second favourite colour, I think I’d go with green. It reminds me of plants and trees. When I was younger, my favourite colour was yellow. I even had a bright yellow umbrella. My second favourite colour was purple. I loved mixing yellow and purple things.
Thanks for getting to know me. Email me at contact@zuniblue.com if you have a question I haven’t answered yet. I’ll respond as soon as possible! Before you go, please join my newsletter. As a welcome gift, you’ll get 500 free printables and downloadables for Zuni Blue fans!