What has been the most difficult part of my children's book journey?
- Carlotta A. Berry, PhD
- Apr 23, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 31, 2025
My answer may actually surprise you. I came up with the idea for these children's books during the 2020 pandemic and my one year sabbatical. I had all of the books written within six months. So then you may ask, why did it take me until 2024 to publish them? Well there were several reasons. One, busy professor who started my entrepreneurship journey, NoireSTEMinist Educational Consulting, LLC, during the pandemic as well. I also worked with other engineering professor colleagues to launch two non-profits during that time, Black In Engineering and Black In Robotics. So, after getting the books edited, I honestly tried to query for an agent and publisher for over a year because I knew I had a good product. Similar to my #BlackSTEMRomance novels I was writing books I had never seen but wanted to see to #DiversifySTEM because #RepresentationMatters. However, after more rejections than I could count, I knew I was not going to continue down this path for six years. Some folks told me that this was how long some authors had to query before getting an agent or getting published. I was way too impatient for that so my #IndieAuthor journey along with my #IndiePublisher Rebellion LIT, LLC was going to continue. What finally put the fire in my belly was becoming the Visiting Scientist at the largest children's museum in the world, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. After giving a television interview about my work at the museum for Black History Month, someone said you should write children's books. My response was "actually I already have, several years ago." So that was just what I needed to get moving and have them put in the museum bookstore before my year as visiting scientist comes to an end. So, here we are, an engineering professor, roboticist, researcher, teacher, mentor, by day and STEM communicator, #BlackSTEMRomance and #KidLit author by night.
So back to the question at hand, what has been the most difficult part of this journey? After I gave up on the querying, it was finding an illustrator. I am an indie author who does not have money growing on trees. I found some really awesome illustrators who were way too rich for my blood. Then I found some illustrators who were within my budget but the images just did not feel quite right. My brother is a graphic artist and has illustrated children's books but he is busy. I had already waited so long to get this project off the ground and I did not want to wait anymore. So now my illustration journey had come down to three things.
good
fast
cheap
Pick 2
I had already gone to #AIArt to make sample images of my vision so now just to find someone who could execute. Well thank goodness for FIVERR because after scrolling through more profiles than a little bit, I came upon Anak Bulu. She was good and reasonably priced and worked at a speed I could deal with. So here we are! I hope that you enjoy these books as much as I did writing them. Please pick up a copy for all the young people and teachers in your life. My books are about kids, STEM, robots, family, friends, creativity, curiosity, innovation, and learning. Allow young people to see who they can be. #Teacher #Academia #Education
My #KidLitArt vision as #AIArt
Assessment lies at the heart of nursing practice. Before a nurse can act, before a care plan is devised, before any therapeutic relationship truly begins, a thorough, systematic collection of data about the patient must first occur. This isn’t a bureaucratic checkbox or a formality to clear before reaching the “interesting” parts of care; it is the bedrock upon which every later clinical decision is built. Overlooking a finding in an assessment isn’t merely an academic slip—it can set off a chain of events that jeopardizes patient outcomes, sometimes irreparably. Nursing education recognizes this, which is why assessment commands such a prominent and rigorous role in curricula at every level.
Students moving through nursing programs often cite assessment courses as…
Somewhere amid the marathon shifts, the paperwork that trails every patient interaction, and the unending pressures of a healthcare system that never truly stops, nurses begin to wonder—perhaps sooner than expected—what lies ahead. For many, the answer points to further education: a bachelor’s completion track for associate‑degree nurses who have spent years at the bedside, a master’s pathway for clinicians aiming for advanced practice or leadership roles, and a doctoral route for educators or executives seeking the ultimate credential to fulfill their vision. The drive is genuine; the hurdle for most isn’t desire—it’s logistics. Online nursing programs exist exactly because those logistics would otherwise block most working nurses from advancing. The distribution of healthcare means that many seasoned, devoted…
Technology has changed the healthcare industry,
take my online chemistry class and nurses are now using advanced medical equipment and digital systems to improve patient care. Electronic records, monitoring machines, and modern treatment methods have made healthcare more efficient. However, despite technological advancements, the compassion and empathy of nurses can never be replaced by machines.
The growing characteristic of Nursing education in modern-day Healthcare
The healthcare area is evolving all of sudden, setting new needs on nursing experts to increase advanced skills beyond conventional medical competencies. Nurses in the mean time are predicted to combine quintessential idea, manipulate, communication, and proof-based exercise into their each day obligations. academic frameworks along with Nurs Fpx have emerged to guide this variation thru providing based studying pathways that prepare nurses for complicated healthcare environments.
the ones academic packages emphasize a balanced method that mixes theoretical know-how with practical software program software. university university students are endorsed to have interaction in reflective gaining knowledge of, look at actual-global scientific conditions, and observe research-based absolutely strategies to affected person care. This…
The Evolving Nature of Nursing education in current Healthcare
The present day healthcare environment is increasingly more complicated, requiring nurses to personal a large spectrum of skills that make bigger past traditional clinical skills. nowadays’s nursing experts have to show off essential idea, management, collaboration, and flexibility if you want to provide amazing care. academic frameworks which include Nurs Fpx have emerged as hooked up pathways that aid the development of these crucial capabilities.
those applications are designed to bridge the gap among theoretical understanding and practical software program. students are encouraged to engage with real-worldwide situations, mirror on their opinions, and exercise evidence-based totally practices to affected character care. This technique guarantees that they are not totally knowledgeable but also…