What Inspired the Story

A Lost Pet Story: The School Pet Who Went Missing

Zuni Detective Mya Dove, What Inspired the Story ,

~~STORY SPOILERS BELOW~~

The School Pet Who Went Missing book cover, A Missing Pet Story

If you haven’t read The School Pet Who Went Missing yet, please stop reading this blog post because I’m going to spoil the story’s ending…

Okay, let’s start! The story features Detective Mya Dove. She investigates Malcolm, the school pet who went missing. She suspects that their lost pet was kidnapped, but unfortunately he passed away.

What inspired this lost pet story?

My cat went missing one night and we never saw her again. It was so painful to have her with us one day and live without her the next. Her toys, bed, and photos were all reminders that she was still missing.

I went outside every morning before school, shaking her food box and calling her name. Unfortunately, she’s been gone for 25 years now (Time flies!), so we’ll never know what happened to her. I hope that she found a new family and lived happily for the rest of her days.

So did my missing cat inspire The School Pet Who Went Missing, a lost pet story? Yes, but so did my hamster Malcolm who passed away…

Was Malcolm the hamster real?

Yes, he was such a lovely hamster! I remember him running around in his massive orange ball, knocking into this and that. When I took him out of his ball, he would sit there and watch a little TV with me. Then he’d try to run away to explore the house. One time he almost escaped because I wasn’t paying attention. Oops!

I met Malcolm when he was only two weeks old! He was so tiny and cute! We saw Malcolm with his mum and several siblings. I chose him because he playfully (I think…) slapped one of his siblings. Fortunately he grew up to be very friendly and loving.

Unfortunately most hamsters only live for 2 years. Malcolm was two years and nine months old when he passed away. The Malcolm in the story died of illness, but the real Malcolm died of old age.

What should you do when a pet dies?

Losing a pet is similar to losing a human family member. It makes you feel so sad. You wonder how you’ll live without them. Fortunately there are several ways to accept a dead pet and move on with your life.

Grieve them

Common signs of grief include crying, losing your temper, feeling extremely sad, and even denying what happened. It’s okay to grieve your own way.

When my hamsters and dog died, I cried a lot. It hurt so much. You might cry a little or a lot. You might not cry at all. Do whatever feels best.

Announce the bad news

Soon you’ll have to tell family and friends that your pet died. They might cry because they had happy memories with your pet.

Hold a funeral

It’s time to say goodbye. You can say a prayer, read a poem, share happy memories, leave flowers, and anything else you feel like.

When we buried Malcolm, we placed him in a tiny box and left some treats inside. My dog was at the funeral, so she had the chance to say goodbye, too.

Be happy

It’s hard losing a pet, but you’ll feel better when you remember the good times together. What moments made you laugh or cry happy tears? You can write happy memories in a book and include photos of your pet so you’ll never forget them.

When my cat went missing, I remember seeing a photo of her when she was a cute, little kitten. I missed her a lot, but it was nice seeing how tiny she used to be.

Love other pets

Your other pets might grieve too. Yes, it’s true. Dogs, cats, small pets and even horses show animal signs of grief. So remember to show them lots of love!

What should you do if your pet goes missing?

The Malcolm character in the story was missing at first, but turned out to be dead. Fortunately, some missing pets are found alive and well. If your pet goes missing, it’s important to act fast to find them!

Here are some steps you can take right now:

mya dove picture
  • Check your whole house at least twice. A tiny pet like a hamster could hide anywhere.
  • Check your front and back garden. A house cat might hide in bushes or a shed because they’re scared.
  • Ask neighbours to check their homes and gardens.
  • Email local vets, animal hospitals and rehoming centres. Show them your pet’s photo.
  • Ask your parents, carers, etc to put up missing posters around town.
  • Ask an adult to check social media to see if someone found your pet.
  • Ask God to bring your pet back or make sure your pet finds a new loving home.

I wanted to share what inspired The School Pet Who Went Missing, a lost pet story. The next book I’ll discuss will be The New Boy Who Hears Buzzing. If you want to know what inspired that story, sign up to my mailing list for future updates.

Thanks for reading!

A Selective Mutism Story: The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks

Zuni Detective Mya Dove, What Inspired the Story ,
A Selective Mutism Story: The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks

~~STORY SPOILERS BELOW~~

The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks book cover, A Selective Mutism (Social Anxiety) Story

If you haven’t read The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks yet, please stop reading this blog post because I’m going to spoil the story’s ending… Okay, let’s start! The story features Detective Mya Dove. She investigates Libby Smith, a girl at school who never speaks, smiles or plays with others. Mya reveals that Libby acts this way because she has selective mutism.

What is Selective Mutism (SM)?

Selective mutism (SM) — also known as Situational Mutism — means sometimes the person is extremely nervous when they speak. They’re comfortable speaking to some people, like close family or best friends, but are very quiet or silent around others. Selectively mute people do want to speak, but find it extremely hard to do so.

What inspired this selective mutism story?

Writers are told to write about what they know. I know about selective mutism because I am selectively mute. It affects me every day and stops me from doing certain things. For example, I would love to visit schools to share my stories with children, but it’s too scary for me. I tried it once and was treated so nicely by the staff and students, but I struggled so much.

There are others like me out there. It feels good to raise awareness of selective mutism for them. Most people have never heard of SM, even though it affects 1 in 140 children. That’s why this selective mutism story is so important! The sooner SM is diagnosed, the sooner children can get treatment. Unfortunately it’s harder to treat adults like me, but not impossible. By the grace of God, I have hope that one day I’ll speak without fear!

Do you know someone who has selective mutism?

Maybe you do. Here are some SM signs, according to SMIRA (Selective Mutism Information & Research Association) and the NHS (Britain’s healthcare service):

a picture of Libby Smith looking scared in The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks
  • Speaks freely in some situations but stays silent other times.
  • May be expressionless e.g. not smile.
  • May freeze when they’re expected to speak.
  • Their quietness isn’t explained by another speech problem e.g. stuttering.
  • Avoids eye contact.
  • Their movement is stiff or tense.
  • Uses gestures instead of speaking e.g. shakes their head.
  • Says as few words as possible.
  • They mumble or whisper.
  • Looks nervous in social situations.

Those are common SM signs, but not a complete list.

Can selectively mute people get better?

Yes, we can! There is treatment available, so contact a doctor and/or therapist. The most popular and effective treatment is therapy, particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT reveals the connection between our thoughts, feelings and actions. With treatment, children can get better, so it’s very important to get diagnosed and treated ASAP. It’s not too late for adults like me, but it’s much harder to change because we’ve been socially anxious for so long.

How can you help a selectively mute person?

There are many ways to help us manage our condition. Here are six useful tips:

  1. “Say something!” – Please don’t say this. It puts us on the spot and makes us more nervous about speaking.
  2. “It’s okay, you can write something instead of speaking.” – We might send handwritten notes, messages online or emails instead of speaking. Please let us write essays or give written presentations instead of giving speeches. Or you could let us give a speech to only one or two people, ideally people we know.
  3. “You’re so quiet!” – Please don’t mention how often we speak. It makes us feel bad about not talking.
  4. Please don’t ignore us. It makes us feel invisible and unwanted.
  5. “It’s fine, take your time.” – Thanks for being patient with us. We’re trying our best to speak. We appreciate your compassion and understanding.
  6. “How can I help you?” – Ask us to write down, email or text ways you could help us. Please don’t do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, breaks any rules or is against the law.

I wanted to share what inspired The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks, a selective mutism story. The next book I’ll discuss will be The School Pet Who Went Missing. If you want to know what inspired that story, sign up to my mailing list for future updates.

Thanks for reading!

Ask Zuni: Where do you get ideas for books?

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Where do you get ideas for books?

Sometimes my ideas come from life experience e.g. The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks. The story is about Selective Mutism, a type of social anxiety I struggle with.

Other times my ideas are based on interesting places or animals. Crocodiles inspired The Blue Crocodile, an African mystery adventure.

My ideas also come from wanting to teach readers important lessons in a fun way e.g. Booger King Fights Back. The story shows how nose-picking is a gross habit.

My non-fiction books are based on topics that interest me e.g. 1500 Writing Prompts for Kids. It’s about writing stories, poems, speeches, etc. I would’ve loved a book like that when I was younger.

I have so many ideas that I always have something to write next. It can be hard to decide which idea I should go with. My solution is to stop trying to pick an idea. When I do that, one idea starts to develop by itself. Without trying, my brain starts expanding the idea. Characters and their problems develop, and even the story’s ending might appear. That’s when I sit down and start planning the story…

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