Mom’s Choice Awards is excited to announce another post in our interview series where we chat with the inventors, designers, publishers, and others behind some of our favorite family-friendly products.
Hello, Mom’s Choice readers! Thank you for joining us and welcome to another segment in our interview series. For this interview, we were able to speak with Michael Pellico, author of the Mom’s Choice Award-winning book, Princess Sabrina and the Pot of Gold. Princess Sabrina and the Pot of Gold is a beautifully written adventure story that is full of stunning illustrations, by illustrator Malane Newman, that also teaches great lessons along the way. This book tells a story about American children who, while on a trip in Ireland, stumble upon magical leprechauns that take them on a journey to a parallel realm filled with all sorts of whimsical characters. This book is perfect for girls and boys of all ages and will make them want to follow every rainbow to find the pot of gold that will lead them to the land of the Leprechauns. Continue on to read our full interview with Micheal Pellico!
MCA: Hi Michael! Congratulations on receiving an MCA for Princess Sabrina and the Pot of Gold! This book is an exciting story that takes the reader on such a captivating journey that it makes it hard to put down once started. Can we first start the interview by finding out a little bit about yourself, such as your background and interests?
Michael Pellico with his Niece, Sabrina.
Michael: I am by nature a creative person. I have a degree in Biochemistry and although popular stereotypes depict scientists as introverted nerds or “mad scientists” with wild hair; for me, biochemistry has been and still is a fantastic creative outlet. For instance, I hold over 60 patents in the medical field. And I’m president of a company where we research, develop, and manufacture innovative new products.
For hobbies, I write and produce T.V. shows and movies. I also enjoy writing and publishing children’s books that expand children’s imaginations, nurture strong minds, and reaffirm core values.
MCA: I read that the publishing company you used to publish Princess Sabrina and the Pot of Gold, Moonbow Publishing, is one that you started yourself. What was your motivation for starting your own publishing company?
Michael: I found it difficult to work with large publishing companies and I needed an avenue to publish the children’s stories that I write, so I started Moonbow Publishing.
MCA: The best creations are born out of necessity. Where did the inspiration for writing Princess Sabrina and the Pot of Gold come from?
Michael: I was in Hawaii with my niece (whose name is Sabrina) and we saw a beautiful rainbow. She pointed at it and said, “tell me a story about a rainbow.” Using a background of Irish folklore, I wrote a story about a Leprechaun Princess. To my knowledge, there’s never been a Leprechaun Princess.
MCA: I think I can also attest to that, very creative! All your stories have very interesting and unique concepts. Where do the ideas for your stories come from?
Michael: I was the oldest of 11 siblings. Both of our parents worked long hours and it was my responsibility to help raise them. Growing up poor and having no TV, I would entertain my siblings by telling stories in the evenings. They would point to some object in the room or outside and it was my job to instantaneously create a story about that object. I’ve always found inspiration in everyday life, so creating stories without any notice really helped expand my creative thinking.
MCA: 11 siblings, you come from quite a large family! I can see how that environment must have been a breeding ground for creativity. I noticed that all of the lead characters within your stories are named Sabrina or Stephen, what was your reasoning behind this?
Michael: After all my siblings grew up and had children of their own, I began telling stories to their children. Sabrina and Stephen are my niece and nephew that happen to live the closest to me. I see them nearly every day and Sabrina loves to point to different things and insists that I tell her a story about whatever she was pointing at. Plus I thought it would be a wonderful experience to read my books to them where the lead characters had the same names as theirs.
MCA: What are some of the key lessons that readers can find in Princess Sabrina and the Pot of Gold?
Michael Pellico reading to his niece, Sabrina.
Michael: In Princess Sabrina and the Pot of Gold, there is a moment in the story where the visiting children realize they were in a unique position to help Princess Sabrina battle the evil King, take back her rightful kingdom and restore the forest to its natural beauty…so three key lessons are:
- Helping others is the right thing to do.
- All children have special abilities in times of need, and
- There’s an adventure around every corner!
MCA: Those are life lessons that anyone could look to learn from, regardless of age! Where do you see yourself and Moonbow Publishing in 5 years?
Michael: I treasured telling stories to my siblings growing up, and later in life telling stories to their children. Now I want to share those stories with children everywhere. So in 5 years, I will continue to write stories and publish children’s books and eventually turn some of my stories into TV shows and movies.
MCA: We can’t wait, please keep us posted!
You can learn more about Michael Pellico and his award-winning book, Princess Sabrina and the Pot of Gold by visiting his MCA Shop pages.
