Eva:  What made you move from the stories of U-Turns in adult's lives to those created especially for children?

Allison:  "The Choices You Make Change the Story of Your Life" is our trademark. In praying about that statement it became clear to me that those choices begin at a very young age. Sure, as kids we don't get to choose a whole lot - our parents do that for us, and rightfully so, but one area children can make their own choices is in their heart. They can choose to love or hate, they can choose peace or anguish, they can choose laughter or sadness. God has some pretty specific choices he'd like us to make in our heart. If I had been exposed to faith-based choices as a young child I wonder how different my life would have been.

Eva:  Heather, tell me about your initial meeting with Allison and how to two of you came to collaborate on this precious project.

Heather: To be honest, I'm surprised that Allison and I hadn't discovered each other before this time. We are petals from the same flower (or maybe electricity from the same lightning bolt): our high level of energy, passion and creativity led to an immediate friendship. My colleague, Terry Whalin, acquired the God Allows U-turns books for kids and youth for Cook. He told me that Allison was looking for a writer and he knew that I had expertise in that area. Would I be interested in helping out? Meanwhile, Allison's agent was recommending to her that she work with me. The rest is history.

Eva: Okay...we're looking at a cute little family of "doggies." You've called them "The Barkleys," which I think is just way too cute. And you're looking at the Fruit of the Spirit...Laughter and Love, Jingles and Joy, and Picnics and Peace. How did the two of you work together on this project?

Heather: Ha! That was fun. When I first proposed to Allison that we make these characters animals, she thought I was crazy. I'm not sure if it was my power of persuasion ("But, Ali, think of all your favorite children's books. All the characters are animals!") or some gentle prodding from her husband that finally got her to agree to it. When she did, she promptly named them the Barkleys. I love it! Allison also came up with the plan of introducing the U-turns concept by teaching the Fruit of the Spirit. I, then, had the challenge of pulling this off in a fun and interactive way. Riddles in limerick seemed the perfect solution.

Eva: Hey, Heather...I happen to know that author & speaker came up with the name "The Barkleys" while she, Ali, and I were rooming together at Expo in Indianapolis, so there's even one more great mind thinking alike here! Okay...Heather, who did the illustrations for the books?

Heather: My hero: Matt Whitlock. I had worked with him on some other books and knew that he could complete this team. He is a former Disney illustrator with a wacky sense of humor. He's the one who brought the Barkley's to life.