FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #32 Mora Soan's Journey: Illustrating Life Through a Gnome's Adventures
What happens when a mother's attempt to stay connected with her child during travel transforms into a beloved children's book series? Meet Mora Soan, a local legend in the Fredericksburg area who turned a small traveling gnome into the star of captivating stories that teach children about kindness, respect, and courage.
During our conversation, Mora reveals how a 2019 trip to Cambodia after 37 years away from her homeland became the unexpected catalyst for her writing career. With a layover in Japan and missing her children, Mora brought along a small green gnome at her daughter's request, snapping photos to send home. This simple act of connection blossomed into the Jacob the Gnome series, featuring adventures across Japan, Canada, and Korea.
What makes these books truly special is the family collaboration behind them. Mora's daughter Lana and Lana's best friend Yewon serve as illustrators, creating vibrant visuals that capture young readers' attention. As Mora explains, children "read with their eyes first," making the partnership between author and illustrators crucial to the books' success. She dispels the myth that writing for children is easy, revealing the careful craft behind creating stories that are concise, engaging, and use repetitive language that reinforces important lessons.
Beyond her writing, Mora works as a paraprofessional at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School and maintains an extensive garden with her husband – mirroring the garden that Jacob has in her stories. Her 22 years in Stafford have given her a deep appreciation for the area's growth and charm, from antique shops to beloved restaurants like La Petite Auberge.
Ready to discover these delightful stories? Find Mora's books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, in local libraries throughout Stafford and Fredericksburg, or at the MCX Exchange. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram to follow Jacob's continuing adventures and see where this little gnome travels next!
Mora Soan
soan_m@hotmail.com
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we feature stories of local legends in the Fredericksburg area. Today we'll be hearing from local legend and children's book author, Mora Soan. Mora, welcome to the podcast. Hi Dori, how are you today? I'm good. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. I'm excited to dive in and learn all about you. So let's start off. Can you tell us about your books?
Speaker 3:Well, I'm a self-published children book author and I wrote three books actually. My first one is Jacob in Japan, followed by Jacob in Canada and my newest one is Jacob in Korea. What makes this book so special about it is that my daughter, lana Priyap, and her best friend, yewon Grissom, are the illustrator, and the best thing is I don't have to pay them. I just give them a cupcake and they're good with it yes, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:I love that. It's so nice to be able to incorporate your children in your passion project. So tell us about the characters. Give us a little bit of background. You know what's happening in the books. What can readers expect?
Speaker 3:Well, jacob is a little gnome that I travel with, actually, because it's happened in 2019 when I went back home for the first time in Cambodia after 37 years. So on my way to Cambodia, I have a layover in Japan and I knew it's going to be a long vacation without my kids, so I'm going to miss them and my daughter's like Mom, can you take the little green gnome and you know, when you go along, snap a picture of him and you know, send it to me and it's always to keep connected. Picture of him and you know, send it to me and it's always to keep connected. And that's what I did and that later Jacob become. You know, it's inspired Jacob the Gnome, the Siri.
Speaker 2:I love that. That's such a great, great background. I love it. So what walk me through? You had that experience in the airport and traveling and then what made you decide you know what I want to write a book.
Speaker 3:tell me a little bit about your journey actually, um, I came back and I was like oh, lana, I have so much fun, you know like, and I want to tell all my story to my daughter. And she's like oh, that's fantastic, you know. And I say well, you're a good illustrator, why not combine your skill with my, you know, ability to write? And we can, you know, just write a story about traveling gnome and, um, we share a story to different place that we go together. So now on, it's like, it's like a little thing, mothers, mothers and daughter. So we travel together. We come back and I write the story, she read over, she corrected and then she illustrated.
Speaker 2:I love that I love that so much. Tell us a little bit about your background.
Speaker 3:My background. Actually, I work as a paraprofessional at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School. I love my job. I am like in my environment because I love kids so much and I also read story for them so, and I do a lot of gardening. I'm a mom like being a mom is the best thing that I really enjoy it because you know I get unconditional love from them and it's just something. I really enjoy it because you know I get unconditional love from them and it's just something I really enjoy doing it.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. Well, the students at Kate Waller Barrett are lucky to have you. Oh, thank you. Amazing, okay. So when you're not in in the schools or or writing books, what are you doing for fun?
Speaker 3:I own a real garden in my backyard, my husband and I. We grow a lot of vegetable. We have zucchini, okra, we have berries, we have a fruit tree, we have apple tree, piscine, asian pear, we have flowers. It's like Jacob the gnome he has a garden on his stuff. I have mine in my backyard, you know, wow, and I love gnome as well, so I love that.
Speaker 2:I love it. I bet it's beautiful. So you live in Stafford, so tell me what is it that you love about living in the Stafford, fredericksburg area?
Speaker 3:Actually, you know, I see this is my 22 years and I see Stafford growing so much. You know like it's this, the market, you know the, the little free market, the grocery store. I love the antique shop in Fredericksburg downtown. I go there often with my daughter. We just, you know, stroll around. I also love the restaurant I go with my husband, la Petite Aubert. She's one of my favorite because it reminds me of, you know, france and Montreal, the bistro, the cuff coffee shop. I mean, I think Fredericksburg and Stafford is a good, good place to raise family yes, I agree, I agree.
Speaker 2:Uh, I've lived in Stafford since 98 and raised my kids here and I agree, and our restaurant game is stepping it up every day. I feel like there's another great new restaurant.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's like the restaurant is popping up like mushroom, you know like we are lucky.
Speaker 2:We are lucky, that's for sure. Yeah, so if, if someone came to you and said, hey, Mora, I'm thinking about writing a book, what advice would you give them?
Speaker 3:I can do a lot of research. You know, read a lot of book about your genre and also, you know, you can Google online. There's a writing group that you can belong to. You can also go to the library. That's what I did. There's a free writing group and also I also part of the I think it's called the Riverside Writers, and yeah, I think just do what you love and just put it out there. Don't be afraid to express, you know, your, whatever you want to express, you know just put it out there.
Speaker 2:That's really great advice. Just take the leap, the leap of faith. Yes, yes, I love it. So do you find that there's any myth or misconceptions, either about about your books or about being an author of children's books?
Speaker 3:I think most people think oh, you know, writing children's books is easy but it's actually very hard because you have to make something, a story that is short, engaging, and also you have to find a good illustrator. You know, like I say, I'm lucky to have one, two, actually best friend and you have to use simple words and it has to be repetitive, you know, so kids can remember. And you know, just writing something that kids can rely to relate to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, it is a lot harder than it looks. Yeah, yeah, no, it is a lot harder than it looks. And you're right, kids do love repetition and it helps them remember it and then want to come back to it. Because kids are so funny, look, you always ask them you know, what do you want to watch on TV? They always say the same thing they want to watch the same movie over and over, they want to watch the same show over and over.
Speaker 3:And if they love a book, they're going to want to read it over and over again. Yes, yes, and illustrator like you, have to find the right one Because you know, as you know, kids read with their eyes first. You know, they see it, they love it. That's how you get the attention you know.
Speaker 2:What is something that you wish the listeners knew about you or about your books?
Speaker 3:Well, like Jacob is a little gnome that traveled through different country. Right now he's in Japan, canada and Korea, and through his adventure he learned to be kind, respectful and courage. So Jacob also make friend along the way, so you can see the character changing into a better person.
Speaker 2:I love that. Yes, so much. Kids can get so much from reading your books.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think all kids can rely on. You know like relate to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, I love that, I love that. Thank you for writing these books.
Speaker 3:You're welcome, it's my pleasure.
Speaker 2:Yes, bringing this to the kids. So if the listeners want to buy a book or connect with you, where's the best place to find you?
Speaker 3:Well, right now I'm on Amazon. You can also find me at Barnes Noble. I am also at the library, in every library in Stafford and Fredericksburg, and you can see me at the MCX Exchange. And I'm also, you know, if you want to contact me personally, at my Facebook, Mora Soan. And also I have my Instagram at Jacob underscore der underscore, no, and yeah, you can just email me, you know.
Speaker 2:I'm all the place. You're everywhere.
Speaker 1:You're everywhere.
Speaker 2:I love it. Well, Mora, we are so lucky to get to have a local author like you in the Fredericksburg area. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast and sharing Jacob the Gnome with us.
Speaker 3:Well, it's a pleasure to meet with you, dori. Finally, I know, yes, see you in person. I mean not really in person, but see you, it's very, you know it's wonderful. Yes, yes, this has been, but see you, it's very, you know it's wonderful.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, this has been fun, thank you. Thank you to you too.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com. That's fxbgneighborsPodcast. com, or call 540-534-4618.