Amy Pflueger
This Is Me! I am who I’m meant to be!
This Is Me! I am who I'm meant to be!: Autism book for children, kids, boys, girls, toddlers, parents, teachers and caregivers
Tell your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.
I am a Best-Selling Author and a proud mother of two totally awesome boys who both have autism. I have a bachelor's degree in business, and I am an autism self advocate who loves learning about autism and supporting autism organizations. I advocate for kids with autism to be heard, valued and understood. My mission through this book is to encourage self belief and resilience, to embrace different abilities, and to empower kids with autism to reach their full potential no matter what challenges they have.
What inspired you to author your book?
I have 2 boys with autism. I was inspired to create this book to help them feel accepted and to show others the workings of their inner mind.
Where did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?
My boys have told me that they wish they could be superheroes, so my inspiration was the superheroes they have mentioned, it fits in well with one of the themes in the book that autism is a superpower. The character was created based on a cute picture that my younger son had drawn.
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Who has been the most significant influence on you personally and as a writer?
My family. My children influence me more than they know.
What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written?
Self doubt and anxiety, I didn’t feel like I am good enough to write a book. English is not my first language and I never saw myself being able to write a book. I doubt my language abilities and if it makes sense, do the words convey the right meaning? I tried to find an illustrator for the longest time, but I couldn't find anyone that could do the illustrations the way that my son had drawn them. In the end my family helped me and it was just what I had in my mind.
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Tell your readers about your book.
This book explains autism through the lens of an autistic child in a special way, to help people understand more about autism and the reasons behind their unique behaviors, to embrace differences and to raise acceptance. This story is to empower kids with autism to believe in themselves and reach their full potential no matter what challenges they have; encouraging them to be confident in being who they are- because they are who they're meant to be!
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Who is your target audience, and why?
Originally, I thought my target audience was kids with autism and their parents and caregivers. But after receiving a lot of positive feedback and reviews saying that this book is a great learning tool in the classrooms, it made me realize that my target audience is actually wider than I thought. This book teaches both autistic and non-autistic children about their differences, and embraces this acceptance. It can also be used by teachers as a reference point to better understand their students’ behaviors during a busy classroom environment.
If you were going to give one reason for anyone looking at your book to read, why should they buy it?
This book was written from an autistic child’s perspective, inviting you to see his unique life. I poured my whole heart into creating this book, I made sure each and every word was the correct one and helpful. Within this book, Social Emotional Learning is implemented by exploring self-awareness and social awareness aspects. It takes the reader on a journey of self-acceptance with a deeper understanding of why they act a certain way and how their communication methods may impact day-to-day situations- not just as a reference for the child, but also for the adults in their life. This makes the book relatable to anyone who reads it.
What do you consider your greatest success in life?
Successfully created and published this book. Within 24-hours of announcing the launch of my book, it reached #1 Best Seller in 2 categories, and hit #1 New Release in 15 different categories on Amazon, and still stays as #1 New Release after a month. This book has received a lot of positive feedback and reviews.
What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?
As a writer on the spectrum myself, I remember going through many of the same things that I see my kids experiencing. At the time when I was going through this, people just thought that I needed more discipline or was just acting badly. Now; however, I can look back and see it for what it really was and how these differences were not wrong, I was just who I was meant to be. That experience together with watching my children also go through similar experiences gives me a very unique perspective on this subject.
How do you overcome writer’s block?
I told myself “You can either make excuses or you can make a difference, your choice!”. It was hard to keep going at times, but this book and the message that I wanted to send through it were really important to me. I didn’t know if anyone would read it or enjoy it if they did read it, but it was just something that I had to do for myself and for my kids.
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What one piece of advice do you have for new authors?
If you don’t take any action, there will be no change. I have seen other people that I talk to get discouraged because they didn’t know how to do something, maybe they couldn’t get the illustrations to be what they had in mind or couldn’t find an editor that they liked. if you don’t take action and just push yourself to the next step by either doing research or reaching out to other resources then your situation will not change.
Tell your readers anything else you want to share.
Children with autism tend to question why they feel different- this book aims to showcase that they are not as different as they feel. They are unique and special in their own way, which in some cases increases their proficiency in certain subjects due to their hyper-fixation within their specialized interests and in other cases may detract from their learning because they are not able to focus on anything else. My mission is to spread understanding, acceptance and love to people with all different abilities!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097X5VRH4
