
Olivia Shin
Olivia Shin with her book, "Kendall: A Story of a Young Boy with Autism"
TCU student and author Olivia Shin combines two loves — children and creating things — in her book series, each about a different character with a disability such as autism and blindness. By connecting with people who work with special-needs students, she makes her stories come to life, publishing three books in the past six years and now going on four.
She took a moment to chat with Fort Worth Magazine about her work.
FW: What inspired this book series?
OS: I wrote my first book when I was in middle school. I was still in Oregon, which is my hometown. So, the first 10 years of my life I grew up on the east coast in Jersey. My dad got a job offer in Oregon, so the whole family moved out there. One thing that really struck me was how differently school districts — and honestly, individual schools — handle special education programs and really work to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion within their programs and districts. Obviously, it is definitely a more prevalent and significant issue that we are working towards. Back then, I just feel like it wasn’t really talked about a ton, but you just hope that people were being included no matter what special needs they had or no matter how different they were.
On the east coast, we had a special education program, and I just remember as a child always wondering where specific students that left in the morning with a special teacher went. I was really inspired to combine my passions for creation and kids to make a children’s book that could be put out in classrooms or in households where the young could learn about different people that may experience the world differently. But really, education and awareness is the first step towards cultivating compassion, and that’s what I hope my books really do.
FW: What is it about younger audiences that resonates with you?
OS: Ever since I was little, I have loved children. They’re just so fun, and they see the world with a rose-colored lens. I feel like they really do see the best in people. I love their curiosity, creativity, and their connection. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher actually — very specifically, a first-grade teacher, and it’s honestly still the goal. My end goal is to teach young kids. I thought that through the combination of my passion and love to create things, draw things, make connections, and cultivate compassion, I would reach a younger audience, which I really do resonate with. I think I really do have favor with kids, and there’s something special about children’s books. I kind of compare them to a song just because it’s not complicated. Songs usually say the same verse or chorus multiple times, but just this idea that this children’s book is nothing complicated and just a message that you really think is significant. You want to ingrain into the minds of the young because they’re our future, so might as well invest in them to be the compassionate cultivators and lead this campaign of kindness through awareness, education, and acceptance. But obviously, that started with empathy, and you don’t get that empathy until you place your feet in someone else’s shoes.
FW: What was your experience like during the publishing process?
OS: So, I have three books out right now, and I’m working on my fourth one currently. I’d say that every single process for each book has been unique in its own way. The first book, I was [younger], and I didn’t know about limited liability companies or how I was going to do the illustrations and designs. Everything was really new to me and because of that, it was so exciting. I think it was one of the more difficult processes because everything was so new, and just this desire to make the book the best that it can be really strained me because I was worried. Like, what if this book isn’t everything that it could be? Or what if people don’t like it? With all those thoughts that ran through my mind, it made the process longer because of changes I made and different people I talked to.
FW: How did you bring your ideas to life?
OS: I’d say just really taking to a lot of people. My mom was one of them that supported me and not in the creative process, but just motivating me throughout the process with my first book. It’s really difficult to start a small business where you are the only individual that’s creating all the deliverables and doing all of the work because that accountability aspect is not there. It taught me a lot about discipline and really setting priorities and being wise about my time. My mom really supported me throughout the first book. In terms of the rest of my books, I think really just talking to professors.
For my third book, I partnered with one of my education professors who teaches this class called Study of Exceptional Students. We learned about different types of special needs, laws, and how school systems approach it ... She also connected me with a visual impairment specialist. So, really being intentional about making those connections and following up and emailing to meet with people helped me turn my ideas into life. I want to make sure that I’m creating a book that’s really representing an audience where they feel loved and known and connected to.
FW: How do you divide your time as a student and author?
OS: I’d say it’s totally a work in progress every single day, but really just time management skills. I’m a big list maker, so I find myself really setting my priorities in the morning. I’m a big morning person too. It’s really just creating the space and grace for myself to energize in the morning and then start to set my priorities on paper. But again, not perfect at it, nor will I ever be perfect.
FW: Do you have any future plans for this book series?
OS: My hope for these books has never been about making profits. My goal was really to get these books out to the world to educate young individuals, so I really want to get these books out into the school system and school districts. There could be one in every single library or one in every school classroom in elementary schools. I’ve done a lot of donating to different public schools, my own public school, and then just trying to connect with school districts. For future plans, it’s really to get these books out into school systems, organizations, and hospitals.
FW: Where can we find your books?
OS: The cheapest is probably going to be Amazon; if you search my name, Olivia Shin, all three books will pop up. The Kindle version is available, as well as a hard copy and paperback. It’s also available at barnesandnoble.com and some local bookstores in Fort Worth.