Q&A with Caris Snider

Caris (think of “Paris” only with a “C”) is not a typical debut author. She has three published books and one devotional available for pre-order! However, she is debuting - in a mere EIGHT days - her picture book, THERE’S AN ELEPHANT ON MY CHEST.

If you or your child lives with anxiety I highly recommend checking out Caris and her line of books.

Here is a bit of behind-the-scenes of There’s An Elephant on My Chest and Caris’ writing process. Enjoy!

Why did you write THERE'S AN ELEPHANT ON MY CHEST?

“I wrote There’s An Elephant on My Chest to help our younger children deal with their big emotions of anxiety, nervous-feelings, and worry. I want them to see that it is normal to feel these types of things in different situations and that they are not alone. As they read through the book with parents or at school, they will learn ways to respond to these big elephant emotions and not be afraid of what they are feeling. ”

Other than how you depict it in your book how would you have parents explain anxiety to their child?

“I would encourage parents to let their children sit and explain what they are experiencing in a situation or feeling in their bodies. If they talk about having stomachaches, headaches, or their heart beating really fast, allow yourself to pause and ask your children how they are feeling about certain situations taking place like going back to school, making new friends, or some changes happening at home.

Let them know that the thoughts and emotions they are experiencing is sometimes their brain misreading a situation. When that happens, that’s when their brain needs them to take over and be the boss...kids love to be in charge!

As parents, we never want to dismiss what our children are facing so sometimes just letting them voice their frustrations, not with us giving a solution but simply just listening, helps remove the heavy weight they may feel.”

Was it a hard transition to go from writing for adults to writing for children?

“It was definitely different writing for children versus adults. I had to use less words but still provide a power-packed manuscript that would encourage and equip. Remembering how to use onomatopoeia became important and going back to my Child Development years did help me in writing this book. ”

Why did you pick an elephant to symbolize anxiety?

“ I started out this journey as a speaker. When I share my story and describe the anxiety I felt, I always use the visual of an elephant sitting on your chest to help the audience picture just how big this weight feels. ”

Did you always want to be a writer and, if not, how do you feel about being an author?

“Writing was never on my top 10 things list to do with my life. I had always wanted to have my own preschool and actually did accomplish that...for one entire year, HA! I very quickly realized that was not something I wanted to do...parents are not always the easiest to deal with and I say that laughing at myself even now as a parent.

After that chapter closed in my life, God opened a new one in writing and I had to trust Him. It was humbling to see how He used my situation of dealing with anxiety and depression to help others through written form.

Now, I have more ideas I want to write about and speak about. I couldn’t imagine doing life any other way! Being a writer has allowed me to connect with so many across the world that I never would have met. Words on a page have truly put gratitude in my heart. ”