Author Ra Harmon Sends Positive Message to Kids in Her Latest Book “You Are Perfect The Way You Are”

In today’s world, children are under immense pressure to conform to societal norms. They are bombarded with images of what is “normal” and told that anything outside of that is wrong. This is where Author Ra Harmon comes in. Her message is simple yet profound: “Be yourself, love yourself, and accept yourself for who you are.”

In her book You Are Perfect The Way You Are, Harmon sends a powerful message to children to love everything about themselves. By teaching children to love and accept themselves unconditionally, Harmon helps them to develop a strong foundation of self-confidence and self-esteem. This ultimately enables them to lead happy and fulfilling lives. In a world based on social acceptance, Harmon’s message is a breath of fresh air. It is one that every child deserves to hear.

Harmon is a socially conscious author who writes about issues that are important to her. In an interview, she talked about her latest book, which addresses the importance of self-acceptance. Harmon said she wanted to write about something important to her and that she felt passionate about. She has a strong passion for talking about social issues, and she is very articulate when it comes to discussing them.

Tell me a little about yourself and what you do.

I am from the Eastern Shore of Virginia and am the mother of four children and one fur baby. I am an aunt, a sister to a few, a friend to some, and a family member to many. In addition, I’m a member of the illustrious sisterhood of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

I attended Accomack County Public Schools and graduated from Arcadia High School. Go Firebirds! After graduating high school, I furthered my education — obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Services from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Go Hawks!) and a Master of Education with a focus in Elementary and Secondary School Counseling from Wilmington University. I am currently working on my Doctorate in Applied Behavioral Analysis at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

I am School Counselor and have held a variety of titles within the field over the last 14 years. My free time is spent with my family, writing books, attending book exhibits, singing with youth and young adult choir members at my home church, attending sorority events, and traveling with my siblings.

How do you develop your plot and characters?

I develop my plot and characters on whatever my story is about and/or the storyline. In addition to how I am feeling and envisioning the story. I have more of a free-flow writing style. For instance, for my new book that will be published this year, I was walking and thinking and walking and thinking. I knew my overall storyline was focused on the result, which was a picnic; however, I didn’t know how I would get my characters to that point. I had just to let it flow.

How did you come up with the title for your books?

The way that I come up with the title of my books varies. For a few of the books I have written, I came up with my titles after coming up with the content/meat of my book. However, for a few of the other books, I came up with the titles first and then flowed into the content/meat of the book.

Who is your target audience for your book? Why did you decide to write to this demographic?

The target audience for my books is usually children between the ages of 5 and 13. Choosing this age group was due to my desire to give them something short enough to keep their attention but with just enough content to motivate and inspire them.

What was the inspiration for the story?

The inspiration for my book, You Are Perfect The Way You Are, came from my children, nieces, and nephews, in addition to other children I come in contact with/connect with. I have been around children who think they are ugly because they are in bigger clothes. I have also met children that do not like their natural hair, think they are too skinny, feel as though they do not fit in because of their skin complexion, and so on. So, I created a book discussing those topics, reminding children time after time that they are perfect the way they are.

What is the key theme and/or message in the book?

The key message of this book is that the reader is perfect the way that he and/or she is.

What inspired your children’s book?

What inspired me to write children’s books is the same thing that inspired me to write ‘You Are Perfect the Way You,’ which is my children, my nieces and nephew, and other children I meet.

What was your experience writing children’s books, and did you have any challenges?

My writing experience was overall fun and rewarding. I enjoyed seeing my children’s reactions and working with my illustrator Paul Jerry. Paul gave the illustrations deep thought from our original thoughts to him, asking me what I thought of him, saying, “Ra, I have an idea; I know what I am going to do.” There were some challenges with the publishing company when it came to me wanting Paul to be my illustrator, the format of the book, and a few other things. However, there was nothing that with God, collaborating, and a few woooo sas’s that we couldn’t and didn’t overcome.

What would you like your reader to learn from reading your book?

I want my reader to learn they are perfect the way they are no matter their color, size, hair type or texture, height, or teeth condition.

What is next for you in the next year or so?

In the next year or so, I hope to have published another book and have begun the publication process for my fourth book. In addition, I hope to have successfully completed my thesis and move towards my third residency for my doctoral degree. Besides those things, I am not sure; however, I hope and pray that great things are in store.

Where can people pick up your books, and where can people connect with you?

My book itself can be found online on Amazon, Walmart.com, and barnesandnoble.com. I can be connected from my website theharmonleagcy.com and on Instagram at ra.harmon. Lastly, I can also be contacted via email at racharmon@gmail.com and link tree at https://linktr.ee/racharmon.