She's 10, has autism, and she's just finished her 5th book
Calgary girl wants to talk about neurodiversity and she's uniquely qualified
Aside from having the coolest pen name on the planet, author Porsche Ray has already ticked a lot of boxes.
She's just completed her fifth book in a series centred around Melinda, a young girl with autism. Porsche Ray is also a young girl with autism and she's only 10 years old.
"It all started out when I saw my mom writing a book and then I got interested. I asked if I could write a book and she said, 'Yes, open a new one and we started writing," Ray told The Homestretch in a Tuesday interview.
"She is about 11 or 12 and she has autism, like me, and she goes on a lot of adventures," Ray said of her protagonist.
"When she first found out about her talking fish, her whole life had changed."
Wait, what? There's a talking fish?
"His name is Teensie," Ray explained.
"He's a goldfish. It all started out when he got struck by lighting. He started talking to himself but he didn't realize he was the one talking. He thought someone else had snuck into his tank."
Ray's books take the reader on adventures with Melinda and that talking fish.
But it's not all fun and games.
"I wanted people to learn how it feels to have autism so they would understand my worlds better," Ray said.
Fresh off the publication of her fifth book, Melinda and Her Father Go Scuba Diving, Ray says she's aiming for more than 20 in the series. Each book takes about three or four months to complete.
"It felt amazing," Ray said, describing the feeling of holding her first published book.
"When I got the package, it actually felt like my whole life was going to change, and it has changed. I think my entire life I am going to write books. Before, I didn't even know how to write books."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from The Homestretch