PURSUING HER PASSION: Alexandra at work on her most recent book; she graduated from Exceptional Minds Academy and Studio in Sherman Oaks, California in 2019. "Whenever I finish a section of writing, it is a huge sense of accomplishment. Drawing and fine-tuning the illustrations is the easy part for me. I am very visual and once I have reached this stage in the process, I have already worked out in my mind what I want each page to look like."

I recently had the opportunity to interview Alexandra Adlawan via Zoom from her Southern California home. A very young looking 28-year-old, she was appropriately and proudly wearing a shirt decorated with characters she created and drew for her books. I found her to be thoughtful, creative, talented, personable, and polite. It was a pleasure talking to this delightful young woman. Her parents were off camera but near by for support. Dude, her service dog was by her side as well. I started off wanting to get to know her a little bit.

Faye Simon: Tell us about yourself:

Alexandra Adlawan: I am an author and an illustrator. I have just finished the fourth book, Backyard Jungle, in my children's book series The Adventures of Maddie and Albert. The other three books in order of publication are Wild Imagination, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, and Flying the Imaginary Skies.

One of my favorite pastimes is reading and listening to audiobooks. I’ve read so many books that I decided to start a book review blog. I have written over 380 reviews over the past seven years, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

I like spending time with my service dog, Dude. I enjoy taking him for walks and brushing his hair. I don’t like the ocean beach because sand gets everywhere. Snow is cold, but Dude likes it, He could stay in it forever.

FS: What were your struggles and successes before the diagnosis of autism at age 15?

AA: I struggled in a classroom setting. Classrooms are one size fits all and I didn’t fit. I tried my best to learn in an environment that I constantly wanted to escape from. The greatest challenge was trying to get help from the school system. Ten years ago, there was still much to learn, and teachers/administrators were not really properly equipped or trained to handle the vast differences of students within the spectrum. My personal challenges are trying to maintain calm to reduce my anxiety when I am around lots of people and noise.

My parents are my strongest advocates fighting for services from whomever they could find and accommodations from

schools. My parents have been and continue to be my greatest strengths. Family is the base for a strong support structure.

I have a passion for drawing, and I created a group of characters that I wrote about and narrowed them down to the characters that my book series is based on.

hat my book series is based on. FS: How did that change post-diagnosis?

AA: Pretty much nothing. It might have even gotten worse. Because they tried to put me in special education. I was an honor student, very smart, and I was treated like I couldn’t do anything. I felt like my education level dropped to basically nothing. Plus, I was still being bullied. Needless to say, I was very glad to finish high school. I was finally able to pursue my passion in art. I attended an art and animation school in California for autistic young adults. At the end of this school, I realized I wanted to be an author and sometimes an animator. Because my parents nurtured my talent for art, I am now a published author and illustrator.

"I RESEARCH A LOT ABOUT THE ANIMALS TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CORRECT. I WANT IT TO BE INFORMATIVE AND FUN."

FS: How did you get started as an author?

AA: Ever since I can remember I have always loved to read and draw, and even as an adult I enjoy drawing in my free time. Despite my interest in literature from a young age, I did not actually start writing stories until later. Writing in school was not enjoyable for the simple fact that the writing prompts were never about something I could relate to or had any knowledge of.

It was not until I attended Exceptional Minds, an art and animation school in California for autistic young adults, that a spark was lit inside me to write and illustrate books as a career. While I was good at animating, it caused me more stress than I could handle. I learned so much about ani