Today we’d like to introduce you to Charity Harris
Hi Charity, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey into the world of children’s literature began with a deep passion for storytelling and a desire to make a positive impact on young readers. My first book, What If We Were All The Same!, was born from a personal mission to promote diversity and inclusion. I wanted to create a story that resonated with children and taught them the value of accepting differences. The overwhelmingly positive response to this book, including its selection as a “teacher’s pick” on Amazon and recognition from the San Francisco 49ers, reinforced my belief that there was a need for books that embrace these essential messages.
Over the years, I’ve expanded my work through Purple Diamond Press, publishing a series of books focusing on themes of kindness, empathy, and understanding. My own experiences, including living with Charcot-Marie Tooth Disease, Trigeminal Neuralgia, and navigating life as a wheelchair user, have profoundly influenced the stories I tell. I aim to create books that entertain, educate, and inspire.
The journey hasn’t been without challenges. I faced a major setback after contracting COVID-19 and almost losing my life, which required a lengthy recovery period and caused a dip in my work. However, this experience only strengthened my resolve to continue writing and sharing stories that matter. Through perseverance, support from my amazing family, friends, readers, and collaborations with organizations like the San Francisco 49ers and school districts, I’ve reached a broader audience and continued growing as an author.
Today, I am focused on expanding my book series, launching new projects, and exploring creative ways to connect with my audience through in-person vendor markets and social media. My goal is to keep writing stories that leave a lasting impact on children, helping them grow into kind, empathetic individuals.
After searching for employment for three long years, I started my children’s book publishing company, Purple Diamond Press. Since graduating from Cal Poly Pomona and unsuccessfully gaining employment due to my disability, I decided to make a difference, raise awareness of disability bias, and share the importance of friendship and kindness with children and families worldwide. I am a firm believer in giving back and enjoy giving back by offering internships to local university students allowing them to gain real-world marketing experience to help prepare them for their journey after graduating. My company loves engaging with families and children by visiting libraries, bookstores, and my favorite, visiting elementary schools and reading my most popular book, “What If We Were All The Same!” We share our books and engage the students in fun presentations focusing on being a good friend and achieving their goals.
As an author and entrepreneur, it is my mission to make a difference and continue publishing stories that are positive and engaging for children around the world, both at home and in the classroom.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey as an author and entrepreneur has been marked by significant challenges, many of which stem from living with Charcot Marie Tooth Disease and Trigeminal Neuralgia, often referred to as the “suicide disease” due to the excruciating pain it causes. Despite these hurdles, I’ve remained determined to create a space where I could make a positive impact on the world through my writing.
While studying at California Polytechnic University, Pomona, I experienced my first episode of Trigeminal Neuralgia. The pain was debilitating, and it struck during what should have been an exciting time in my life as I prepared for my educational career. It was during my last semester at the university that I made the difficult decision to undergo brain surgery—Microvascular Decompression—to alleviate the pain. Balancing my health and education was incredibly challenging, but I was determined not to let my condition dictate my future. Two weeks after the surgery, I started a marketing internship, refusing to let this setback prevent me from pursuing my dreams.
After graduation, I encountered a harsh reality: the bias against people with disabilities in the workforce. Despite my qualifications and professional portfolio, I was repeatedly turned away from job opportunities once employers realized I used a wheelchair. This experience was a painful reminder that, even in today’s world, people with disabilities are not always given the same opportunities as others.
The challenges didn’t stop there. In 2022, I contracted COVID-19, which nearly took my life. The recovery process was long and grueling, lasting over a year and significantly slowing down my business. This period saw a dramatic decline in sales and forced me to take a step back just as I was gaining momentum. To add to this, I faced issues with Amazon incorrectly listing my products under other sellers for over four months, leading to a significant loss of sales and an additional frustrating obstacle in my journey. Another battle that I faced during the pandemic was the loss of my service dog, Gareth. I had Gareth for over 10 years and he was literally my best friend, we graduated together and spent many wonderful years enjoying life. After his passing I wrote the book, “Gareth Gets A Job” to honor his memory, educate readers on the important jobs that dogs have, and also donate a portion of proceeds to the amazing organization I received Gareth II from, Canine Companies.
Living with these conditions and facing these challenges has been incredibly difficult, but it has also fueled my passion for my work. I’ve channeled these experiences into my writing, creating children’s books emphasizing diversity, inclusion, and kindness. My goal is to ensure that the next generation grows up with a strong sense of empathy and acceptance so that one day, no one will have to face the barriers that I have.
Currently, we are running a GoFundMe campaign to help us raise funds to continue sharing these valuable stories. The money raised will also allow us to donate books to low-income schools, ensuring that all children have access to the educational and inspiring content we create. More about my journey and information about the GoFundMe campaign can be found on my website, CMHarrisBooks.com.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Purple Diamond Press, Inc?
At Purple Diamond Press, our mission is to make a difference in the lives of children worldwide by emphasizing the importance of children’s literature. We believe that stories have the power to shape young minds, and we’re dedicated to creating positive, engaging stories that not only teach important life lessons but are also fun and silly. Our books cover a wide range of topics, including friendship, acceptance, diversity, financial literacy, disability awareness, conquering fears and anxiety, environmental safety, dental hygiene, tenacity, forgiveness, anti-bullying, and more. Our amazing authors include Nycole Freer, Imeisha Williams, Caroline Kjos, Marci Carrasco, Steffanie Najera, and more.
We are a small but passionate children’s publishing company that offers services to independent authors, helping them bring their unique stories to life. Our approach sets us apart from others in the industry because we focus on creating content that resonates with children and parents, ensuring that each book is fun, engaging, colorful, educational, and enjoyable.
One of the achievements we are most proud of is our bestselling book, What If We Were All The Same!. This book has received significant recognition, including features on ABC7 News interviewed by Rachel Brown, support from the San Francisco 49ers, and a spotlight on the BBC reading program. These accolades have reinforced our commitment to producing meaningful content that makes a real impact.
Looking forward, we are excited about the upcoming release of several new series, including the What If We Were children’s book series, The You Matter series, The Weirdots, and My Teacher Says series. Each series will continue exploring important themes while providing entertaining and educational experiences for young readers. Some of our forthcoming and exciting books include “What If We Were All Friends!”, “What If We Were All Kind!” and “My Teacher Says: Kindness Is Cool And So Is School.” We are also launching some great merchandise for teachers, parents, and children coming soon.
Our proudest moments come when we have the opportunity to speak at elementary schools, read our stories to students, and share the importance of literature and being a good friend. These interactions remind us of the power of storytelling and the influence we can have on the next generation.
At Purple Diamond Press, we are committed to making a positive impact through children’s literature. We are excited to continue growing and reaching more young readers with our stories.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
While hard work and determination have been vital to our success, we’ve also experienced some fortunate breaks that have helped Purple Diamond Press thrive.
One of the most serendipitous moments came at the start of the pandemic. In early 2020, as the world was preparing for an unprecedented lockdown, staff members from the San Francisco 49ers visited a multicultural bookstore in Oakland, California. There, they discovered our book What If We Were All The Same! Moved by its message of diversity and inclusion, they purchased over 2,000 copies to donate to schools in the Oakland school district. This generous support not only brought our book into the hands of thousands of children but also highlighted the importance of our work.
During the pandemic, as the world was confined to their homes and our nation grappled with deepening racial divisions, What If We Were All The Same! found a resonant audience. The message of unity and acceptance struck a chord, leading to a significant boost in sales. We were able to reach a much broader audience during this challenging time, sharing the critical message of diversity when it was needed most.
Another incredible piece of luck came when the BBC contacted me at the start of the pandemic. They asked if they could feature “What If We Were All The Same!” during their children’s lunchtime story hour. This opportunity allowed us to connect with an even wider audience, spreading our message across different countries.
We also consider the timing of launching Purple Diamond Press in early 2019 a stroke of luck. Just before the world changed dramatically due to the pandemic, we established ourselves and continued reaching our readers despite the challenges that followed.
These moments of “luck,” which I would consider more as blessings, have been instrumental in my journey, helping us amplify our message and positively impact the world through our stories.
I must also give a huge thank you to my family, especially my father, who has helped me through everything when it comes to this business. He has been a huge rock and support, and without him, I would not have been able to be on this incredible journey. I am forever grateful to my family for tagging along with me, and I cannot wait to see what more is in store for Purple Diamond Press and C.M. Harris Books.
Pricing:
- $18.95
- $12.99
- $6.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.purplediamondpress.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmharrisbooks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PurpleDiamondPress
- Twitter: https://x.com/purplediamondp?mx=2
- Youtube: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-cm-harris-share-stories-of-friendship
- Other: https://www.cmharrisbooks.com/
