5 Things You Should Know About Vernetta Lopez's New Children's Book 'The Magic Coin Purse'
The Gold 905 DJ wants to teach the world the art of cross-stitching.
2. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the humanitarian group Radion International to help raise funds for the impoverished Hmong tribe in Northern Thailand.
“It’s something that I have always promised myself to do for Radion International. It just so happens that this whole Make Someone’s Day campaign [Gold 905's pay-it-forward movement where the jocks foot the bills of random strangers at a supermarket/hand out school packs to children, among other deeds] came about, so it’s a timely thing to do. I’ve been meaning to get this project off the ground for many years.”
3. The book comes with a sewing kit so that readers can cross-stitch and make their own magic coin purse.
“Cross-stitch was something I grew up with! I don’t know if boys will do it, but I know girls love it. Even [fellow Gold 905 DJ] Jamie Yeo was telling me she loved cross-stich when she was young! So maybe this is a tradition I’m trying to pass on in the book. It just so happens that cross-stitching is a very Hmong thing. Their designs are very distinct. I want to use their designs to promote their culture, which I find is under-represented.
4. The Magic Coin Purse is the first of five books.
“I have all the stories already; I just have to tweak them. But first, I have to look at the feedback from this book — is the sewing too difficult or is there anything else that can be improved on? The subsequent books will definitely contain a ‘craft’ section. I think it is fun working with your hands.”
5. Lopez, who also penned 2012’s Memoirs of a DJ, dreams of writing a crime thriller.
“I would love to write suspense thrillers. Even before CSI came out, there’s this writer, Ridley Pearson, who wrote a series of forensics books. I was like, ‘Dude, this is so interesting!’ So yeah, if I could do all the extensive research, I would give it a go. If not, I’ll come out with my own movie script. That’s something I always wanted to create — my own type of genre!’”
The Magic Coin Purse is available from raulife.com.
Check out Gold 905's Make Someone's Day movement below: