Better Late Than Never: The Story Behind A Family Full of Love (And Why I Finally Started This Blog) - Representation Matters!

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School Visits

I'll be upfront with you: this website has existed for almost two years, and this is my very first blog post.

I know. I know!

Here's the thing — I've been busy. Busy sharing my book at schools and libraries, doing virtual read-alouds with kids across the country, speaking at events, and connecting with families who needed to hear that their story matters. Also, trying to figure out social media, marketing, while working full-time, doing a crazy commute into NYC, raising 2 kids, etc. Somewhere in all of that, the blog kept getting pushed to the back burner. I'll stop with all the excuses now!

But there were always stories I wanted to tell. Moments I wished I had written down. Conversations with kids and parents that deserved more than a quick social media caption. So here I am, two years in, finally carving out the space to share them — starting from the very beginning.

Who Am I?

My name is Melissa Prince-Barry, and I am the author of A Family Full of Love, a children's picture book that celebrates an Asian-Black biracial family.

I am also, if I'm being honest, someone who never planned to write a book.

I wasn't a children's book author. I'm not someone who has a publishing deal waiting in the wings. What I was — and still am — is a mother who noticed something missing.

The Moment Everything Changed

It started simply, the way the most important things often do.

I was looking for books for my children back in 2020. Books where they could see themselves — their family, their faces, the beautiful mix of who they are. I searched and searched, and what I found was a gap. A significant one.

There are wonderful books about Black families. There are beautiful books about Asian families. But books about a family like ours — Asian and Black, woven together, whole and full of love? They were nearly impossible to find at the time.

And I thought: if this book doesn't exist, maybe I'm the one who needs to write it.

So I did.

As a first-time author, the process was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. I had no roadmap. I just had a story I believed needed to exist in the world — for my kids, and for every child out there who deserves to open a book and think, that looks like my family.

Where We Are Now

A Family Full of Love has been out in the world since November 2024, and I won't pretend I knew what to expect.

The best part of it all?

Parents reaching out to tell me their child grabbed the book and said, "That's us, Mommy." Kids at school visits who light up with recognition when they see the family on the page - Representation Matters! Families who have told me this book sits on their nightstand and gets read again and again. Those moments are why I wrote it. And they're why I keep showing up — at schools, at libraries, at events, and now, finally, here.

What's Coming on This Blog

Going forward, this is the space where I'll share the things that don't fit anywhere else. You can expect:

• Stories from school visits and speaking events

• Thoughts on raising kids in multiracial families

• Resources and activities for parents and educators

• Behind-the-scenes moments from the journey of being a first-time author

• And honestly? Whatever feels worth sharing.

  
  

Thank you for being here. Whether you found me through the book, a school event, or stumbled across this site — I'm glad you're here.

Better late than never, right? =)

— Melissa Prince-Barry, Author of A Family Full of LoveA Family Full of Love