Since my last Home Business article in 2016, Princess Cupcake Jones has continued to flourish as a brand. More and more people are taking notice (including celebrities!), and we are fortunate to be recognized as one of the few picture book series that truly celebrates diversity.
I created Princess Cupcake Jones after seeing a lack in the market for children’s books with modern day African American characters. I realized there was a cultural need for this, and decided to take matters into my own hands by creating Princess Cupcake Jones.
When I first noticed there was a cultural gap within children’s literature, my oldest daughter was two. She was/is a voracious reader, and back then (around 2006), there were hardly any books that focused around contemporary African American characters. I wanted her to be able to see herself in at least one of the books we read, and there really weren’t any. I knew then that I had to do what I could to change this.
Another reason I wanted to write the books was because I thought it would be a perfect way to use my daughters’ personal experiences to develop a character that little girls and boys could relate to. There isn’t a part of Princess Cupcake Jones that isn’t a part of my daughters. She’s cute, sassy, spunky, determined, mischievous and learning to navigate through situations just like they did. It was extremely important for me that when my girls read the books, they envisioned themselves.
The journey to writing the series started 7 years ago. I met my illustrator, Mike LaDuca, and the stars aligned. He helped me put the project together after some hiccups, and brought Princess Cupcake Jones to life. At first, I was absolutely petrified to take on this venture in fear of failure. However, I decided that it was better to fail than to have never tried at all.
Our newest book of 5, Princess Cupcake Jones Saddles Up, was released last summer. In this book, Princess Cupcake Jones is bored with her regular playtime activities and decides to go on an adventure with her pony, Lacey. Before she can begin her ride, she needs to saddle up her pony, and this becomes a greater challenge than expected. She literally gets stuck in the process! Through Saddles Up, readers learn the importance of helping one another, no matter how big or old they are.
For Saddles Up, I was lucky enough to have Jenni “JWOWW” Farley lend her comments to pen her and her daughter’s love for the series on the inside cover. The brand has become somewhat of a celebrity favorite. Christina Milian and her daughter, Viola Davis and her daughter, and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and her kids are all fans of the brand. Even Kylie Jenner’s daughter Stormi seems to love Princess Cupcake Jones. I never imagined the brand to have such great support from fans across the world and in the entertainment industry!
Over the last few years, we’ve created an entire clothing line to compliment the 5 books in the series. Prior to this, we had a few clothing pieces, but they were more a la carte items. Now, it’s a full-on line that goes seamlessly with the books. We also have birthday party supplies and free downloadable games and activities.
Growth has not come without setbacks and uttermost determination. My advice to any aspiring author is to make sure you surround yourself with an amazing team, have your work edited countless times, and, of course, never stop writing. Keep your creative ideas and thoughts flowing constantly. If it’s not an idea you can use at the moment, write it down so you have it for the future. Perhaps the most important piece of advice of all is to never give up, and always believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.
