The Creators
Nicole Pusateri
Michel Hales
Fun Facts About Nicole:
#1 – The inspiration for the Naughty Nicole Series came when Nicole was 50 years old, and she figured out one of her unique gifts, talents, and abilities is to write stories encouraging children to understand that they, too, have a unique and beautiful purpose in life. It’s never too late to shine your light!
#2 – One of Nicole’s favorite authors as a child was Judy Blume, who wrote: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”. In middle school, Nicole would read for hours at a time. She was a genuine bookworm!
#3 – Up until third grade, Nicole struggled with reading. She could read the words but had a hard time with reading comprehension. Luckily, she had good teachers, and reading finally clicked. Now, not only is she an author, she teaches kids how to read. Always believe in yourself! Anything is possible!
#4 – Naughty Nicole’s character is loosely based on Nicole herself. All of her problems as a child ended up being a gift. Without her problems, Naughty Nicole wouldn’t exist. Nicole refers to this as the “gift in the garbage.” Whenever something ‘bad’ happens, look for how you can learn and grow from the situation.
#5 – Pappa’s Pizza (mentioned in Naughty Nicole’s Magic Castle in the Sky) really was her favorite as a child, except she never ate a whole slice of pizza. Instead, she would take at least 3 slices of pizza and scrape the cheese off onto a plate. Then she’d eat the mound of cheese and toss the crust! Mmmmmmm, cheese!
#6 – From the time she was 2 years old, Nicole wore glasses. She had a lazy eye. Her parents tried to get her to wear a patch that would have corrected her vision. But she was way too stubborn to keep a patch on her eye, even when her mom, dad, and sister Michelle tried to play pirates with her. Sometimes, parents do know best.
#7 – She can stand on her head for several minutes, and actually did climb the walls and flip over the living room couch when she was little. Her shenanigans did cause her to run headfirst into a heater when she was 4, and she had to get stitches. She still has a scar on her forehead from the incident.
#8 – When Nicole gets ideas for a new book, they flow out of her like water from a faucet. She wrote the first Naughty Nicole book in one sitting, stopping only to eat some, you guessed it – pizza – for dinner.
#9 – Nicole moved to California from Pennsylvania in 1997 and was an elementary school teacher. She taught altogether for over 30 years. She loves kids!
Fun Facts About Michel:
#1 – She changed the spelling of her name from Michelle to Michel, just for fun.
#2 – Michel is a graphic designer. One of her talents is taking what Nicole writes and making it look pretty.
#3 – She really was the “good” child growing up.
#4 – Michel majored in photography in college. She’s always been an artist in one way or another.
#5 – She has two cats, Nini and Kiki. They are both black and sleep on her pillow at night.
#6 – Michel makes bracelets out of beads. They are beautiful! It’s just one of her hobbies.
#7 – She’s obsessed with plants! She ha over 30 plants in her home. It’s like a jungle in there!
#8 – When she was in high school, Michel became an exchange student and spent a year in Brazil.
#9 – Michel is VERY organized. Nothing is ever out of its place in her house.