Featured Interview With Douglas Harris
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Southern California and currently live in Santa Barbara with my wife, MacKenzie, and our four children. We also have two small dogs, Phoebe and Phineas.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved books. My mother read story books with me and my sister almost every night when we were young. I remember asking her to read the book Danny and the Dinosaur quite often.
I started writing children’s books almost ten years ago when my then eight-year-old daughter, Bailey, asked me if I could help her write a children’s book. She was inspired to write this book after watching Cosmos, A Spacetime Odyssey with our family. In that evening’s episode, the host and narrator Neil deGrasse Tyson said, “The planets, the stars, the galaxies, we ourselves and all of life—the same star stuff.”. She wanted to share how amazing this is with everyone! We released the book My Name is Stardust three years later.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading both fiction and non-fiction. I just finished reading Lessons in Chemistry with my wife and I’m currently reading Anxious People with my daughter in the evenings. I am a science and philosophy junky and specifically love reading books about the science of happiness, the philosophy of Stoicism, and anything about evolutionary biology. I generally have about three books in the rotation at a time.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
A few years ago, I was writing the book Elle the Humanist with my daughter, Elle. This book was based on her experiences at elementary school and her passion about conversations she was having regarding diversity and beliefs. While working with her on this book over a Friday the 13th, I read an article about this superstition and was intrigued. I was surprised by how much it actually impacts our world (no 13th floor in hotels, no row 13 on airplanes, people not going to work or driving on this day and on and on). Our Stardust Book Series attempts to help teach evidence based critical thinking skills using science and it struck me that we could use the idea of this fun superstition to help teach the same concept from a new angle.
I’ve learned in my own family, with my four children, how important it is to teach children how to think, not what to think. My hope with this book is that by helping children understand the idea of superstitions, we can illustrate how important it can be to use evidence based critical thinking skills as we navigate a confusing world where even adults believe silly things.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Douglas Harris Twitter Account
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