Let me introduce you to Dr. Danna Zeiger, Ph.D., one of my on-line critique partners. I admire Danna for so many reasons. She’s a neurodivergent scientist, author, excellent writer, and homeschool mama. I’ve learned so much from Danna, not only by reading her manuscripts, but also as she critiques my work.
Barb: Tell us a little bit about yourself, Danna, and include a tidbit of information not many people know about you.
Danna: Hey there! Thanks so much– it’s lovely to be here. ? My journey into children’s book publishing is probably less traditional than usual. I was a biology professor for seven years! During Covid, our family made the difficult decision for me to resign and I started homeschooling my three kiddos, which has been a real joy. I’ve always been a writer and I’ve always hoped to one day be a prolific children’s book author… and now, hopefully, I have the chance to try! ?
I think if I had to weave a thread through all of my projects (many of which are STEM, but not exclusively) that thread is probably showcasing underrepresented diversity, and making STEM accessible through natural storytelling. They sound like different goals but I don’t think they are! There are many stories—like the one from my debut, about Dr. Kathleen Friel (an award winning scientist who has cerebral palsy), who I think every kid and their adult should meet! She is an important role model for all of us—myself included—on what we are capable of and the hard work it takes. The story also covers brain science that relates to the important growth mindset—essential for kids’ development. It also brings to light science that kids are completely capable of understanding but are not exposed to for decades. These stories’ layers are important in many different ways
I’m constantly working to diversify my writing portfolio so I write both fiction and nonfiction from board book to middle grade, and I’m attempting YA. I have an adult fiction novel outlined and one day, I hope to have the concentrated amount of time necessary to really complete it!
Barb: Your debut nonfiction picture book, REWRITING THE RULES, was recently published in September 2025 by Millbrook Press. Tell us about this book.
Danna: Dr. Kathleen Friel is the subject and inspiration for this book. She was my mentor in my undergrad lab at Columbia Medical School, in Dr. Jack Martin’s lab. We researched corticospinal development and brain injury. Kathleen was the very first person with cerebral palsy I met in science, or even in academia. She is whip-smart, hilarious, and incredibly kind and ethical. However, the ableism she has had to fight against her whole life has been unbelievable. She is vocal about her experiences and is a fierce advocate. As I dove more into writing, I knew Kathleen’s story needed to be shared with kids! I’m eternally grateful to her for trusting me to share her story.
Barb: You were selected as a 2025 Fellow for PJ Library’s Sephardic Stories Initiative. Tell us about this honor.
Danna: Yes, I’m so thrilled and honored to have been selected! Honestly, it has been an incredible experience. The fellowship is yearlong, and we meet once a month for workshops with wildly talented authors that guide us on various aspects of writing or on the Sephardic/Mizrahi Jewish experience, or both. We were paired with a mentor, and I couldn’t be more lucky to have been matched with Terri Libenson as my mentor. She is the wildly talented previously syndicated comic and New York Times bestselling author of the series, Emmie and Friends, that my daughter is *obsessed* with. Terri is so generous with her time, advice, and support, and no matter how insanely busy her life must be, she always makes time for me and has guided me in my project. We also were all brought in (along with mentors) to the Highlights Foundation retreat center and spent in-person nurtured time developing our craft and immersing into Sephardic/Mizrahi life.
For me personally, it has been an amazing journey. I myself am biologically not Mizrahi (which means Jews hailing from the Middle East and North Africa) but I spent a significant amount of my childhood with a Bukhari family. Bukhari Jews come from Central Asia, often from Uzbekistan, or from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. It’s interesting because the Soviet government seized control of those areas for seventy years, so Bukhari Jews living there learned similarly to Jews living in Eastern Europe under Soviet rule—in terms of language, food, and national holidays/propaganda. As a result, the Bukhari family I spent so much time with felt natural to me and I didn’t even realize that my biological family came from a different area, and that there were some differences. Instead, some of those became ingrained in me.
This year of fellowship has been a therapeutic journey for me where I have been unraveling my values and layers of myself to understand how and why I often have different values than my biological family, for example, and the profound influences of the Bukhari family.
Barb: Family is very important to you. How does this closeness affect the topics you write about?
Danna: My kids are an essential part of this publishing journey. They have watched this entire challenging ride and, I think and hope, learned valuable lessons, all while I have learned them as an adult:
- We are not only one thing. I worked hard for my previous career and also, it doesn’t need to define me. Kids can dream of multiple things.
- Dreams take a lot of work.
- Life is unpredictable but there’s always lemonade to be made if you look for the lemons as ingredients.
My kids have been at every book event, author signing, library or school visit. They’re traveling with me to NCTE right now, where I’ll be presenting on a panel and hosting a book signing event. They have watched every rejection and every win, and they have heard each manuscript and contest submission—and given their honest feedback. And, they have often been there as I hit “submit” on a contest or important submission. Their cheerleading has buoyed me, and it has also informed me in my writing. After my husband, my oldest son is my first reader and he always shares insightful feedback. I’m so grateful to have an entire team behind me.
Barb: How do you juggle family life and homeschooling your children with your own writing time?
Danna: Ha, this is a great question! This balance has evolved, mostly as my youngest child has grown. I started seriously writing my children’s books when he was an infant, so I was at the whim of his naptimes or playtimes. I only wrote picture books back then ?. I could do a lot in a 45-minute chunk! However, I definitely could not even think of working on a longer book.
As he has grown more independent, this has become easier. He’s eligible for more activities and programs. I try to balance our homeschool schedule with some time chunks most days (usually a few hours or so) that I can dive into my writing.
An essential component is my supportive hubby, who often takes one drive in an activity so that I can have a longer time chunk to myself.
And the last ingredient is probably my graduate school training. Getting a science Ph.D. was hard. Finishing it with a baby was really hard. I think no one is more efficient than a Mama in science ?. I used every second, often running multiple experiments in tandem that I had planned out to the minute. Every moment of sleep time was used because I was highly motivated to enjoy every minute I had with my kiddo. I think I use these skills now—I don’t experience much dead-time. If I have a quiet moment to myself while driving (haha, not often!) I’m already planning how to use my next chunk. They are precious to me—as is my homeschooling time with my kiddos!
Barb: Tell us about DrZatHome, the education resource you created.
Danna: When Covid hit, parents everywhere were bewildered, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Truly, my youngest baby was not held, changed, or comforted by any hands other than mine and my husband’s for a year and a half!! It was rough.
I quickly started trying to channel some of my college teaching into my kids and trying to think of exciting activities, experiments, and STEM projects. I posted about them on my personal social media (while I don’t love social media today, the connection it offered during Covid was so helpful!) and started getting questions from fellow bewildered parents. After plenty of answers, I decided to catalog our journey and share the resources with other parents, too. I wanted the platform specifically to be free, and even as it grew, I declined any paid sponsorships. I’m glad I did! Every recommendation I made, I truly made with a whole heart. I also felt a lot of freedom to post when I wanted and about content, I felt passionate about. And, when my writing started to pick up, I felt no qualms about pausing for a bit.
Barb: Tell us what you are working on now.
Danna: This is a tough question! I have some exciting vague news (hint hint, wink wink, YAY!) and I have a bunch of things I’m working on. I’m also co-writing a middle grade novel with an author I revere and also personally love, who has many successful and impressive books to her name, so I’m thrilled to be working together! It’s also a hilarious book that is a riot to write, so I am having SO much fun.
As part of the PJ Library Sephardic Stories Initiative Fellowship, I am loving spending the year diving into my childhood growing up with a Bukhari family. I’m working on a MG there, and a couple of PBs.
I have other writing projects, as well. Writing brings me so much joy and excitement. I can honestly say that the cliché of loving what you do actually is true for me, so even though it sounds like a lot, I’m itching to work on it all!
Barb: What advice would you give to someone who is starting out as a new author?
Danna: My top tips are:
- Write as much as you possibly can. Unfortunately, not all stories are equal. Not all stories will be publishable, marketable, hooky, or even good! But there is some kind of organic evolution to the writing process where even the lousy stories are important practice runs for the stories that make it. More than that, some of my worst drafts later became integral parts of other, favorite manuscripts.
- Find the joy in writing. Publishing can be really rough (worse than an NIH grant process!) so this journey must be about finding your joy. There’s no guarantee of publication, but for me, I do have a guarantee that writing is good for my soul, and this is my fuel.
- Look for the signs from the universe. Positive feedback, signs you’re going in the right direction… and stay the course.
- When you think your manuscript is ready, put it down. Seriously! This one is really, really hard for me. I am so eager to birth every story, and of course, I love all of my stories. However, time and distance do amazing things. I see my work in a new light after I haven’t read it for a while, and it helps me to more objectively find what I was missing when I was so close to it.
- READ! And then read, and then read some more. Read as many books as you can get your hands on, especially in any genre you plan to write in. It’s so important to know what the market looks like and to see where your book will sit.
Barb: Thank you, Danna. You are a brilliant role model, and I’m so lucky to get to know you better.
Danna: Thank you SO much for this opportunity, Barb! Thanks for all of your support and feedback over these years—I wouldn’t be where I am without our amazing group!
Go to Danna’s website to read about her many honors and activities, and to order REWRITING THE RULES.
It’s also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Bookshop.