Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind

When I had initially started brainstorming about Tomorrow I’ll be Brave, I made a huge list of aspirational words. There were so many good ones that I had a hard time narrowing it down. I also saw two distinct kinds of positive attributes emerge: attributes that mostly impact you—elevate you, fortify you, and help you have courage to take on anything...and attributes that encourage you to help those around you and ultimately make the world a better place. When I talked to Penguin about Brave, I talked to them about both books. That they were two sides to the same coin. First you have to take care of and encourage yourself, and then you can do your part to help others. Tomorrow I’ll be Brave has a light effervescent energy and Tomorrow I’ll be Kind is a low burning flame.

This book also has a deeper meaning for me. As a person who was raised in the Catholic Church but now considers herself agnostic / on a path to her next spiritual calling, I wanted to address these universal morality teachings from a secular standpoint. I wanted to figure out how to drive home the concept that doing good can come from a light lit within, not because of fear of punishment from an external source. I believe religion can be a wonderful and beautiful thing for people, but I also believe that you can be a good person and have a well developed sense of morality without it. Ultimately I'd love for people of every belief and background to feel this book resonates with them. We all can be helpful, patient, gentle, honest, generous, grateful, and kind to each other, and when we try—even a little bit—it makes a huge difference.