Author Missy Robertson, one of the stars of the reality show Duck Dynasty, has teamed with daughter Mia to write a series of children’s books. The Faithgirlz series Princess in Camo follows the adventures and challenges faced by 12-year-old Allie Carroway and her cousins. The second book is Allie’s Bayou Rescue (Zonderkidz). In this interview, Missy and Mia discuss the real-life inspirations behind the stories, the fun (and hard) parts of writing together, and the role that faith plays in every story…
Missy, share how the Princess in Camo series came about. Are the characters inspired by members of your family, or are they all made up?
Missy: Actually, all the characters are inspired by members of our family. Allie and her cousins are heavily inspired by Mia and the cousins closest to her in age. Mia and her cousins have been very close their entire lives. They’ve experienced almost everything together, even including filming a reality show. The emotions and struggles depicted by them in these books come from their own experiences.
Learning how to incorporate a new member of the family is hard enough, but having that new member be a middle school boy? That seems impossible on its face. But they have all embraced Rowdy and tried to include him in their lives. This is portrayed in Allie’s Bayou Rescue.
In Running from Reality, the demands of filming every day while trying to keep a normal life with normal friends and activities also poses a challenge to this group of cousins—as well as the adult family members. We all wanted to run at least once or twice during the five-year long series.
The kids, however, were allowed to experience a break from filming, but with restrictions. It was the perfect scenario for them to understand the responsibility that comes with the blessings God gives us.
Where do you get your inspiration for the storylines?
Missy: From our real lives. The treehouse depicted in the first book is right across the street from our front window. The challenges of filming for Duck Dynasty was the inspiration behind the second book. The cousins’ love for their dogs—and there are a lot of them—was the inspiration behind book number three, and our family’s love and commitment to Camp Ch-Yo-Ca was the inspiration behind the last book.
What can you tell about the story of Allie’s Bayou Rescue and your main character, Allie?
Missy: Allie struggles with allergies and learns that certain things trigger her body to react to them in a way that threatens her health and her life. Her parents know they need to do something drastic to help her, so they plan to move out of their mold-infested house. No one likes change, and Allie is no different. She does not want to move away from her cousins.
She’s also forced to make a decision about letting a new family member into her all-girl cousin club—a boy, no less. This book helps us realize how much God loves each of us and wants the best for us. It also teaches us the importance of becoming part of His forever family.
Mia—is Allie like you at all? If so, in what ways?
Mia: Allie isn’t shy, and she tells it like it is. I would say that is definitely like me. She is also a risk-taker, just like me. And she really loves her family, just like me.
What was it like to collaborate on the series as mother and daughter? Was it fun, challenging, or both?
Missy: Both. Hearing all the kids excitedly tell their stories, picking their character names and personalities, and incorporating their funny quirks was all a fun part of this collaboration. The challenge was combining the fun with the serious lessons to be learned.
We want this not only to be fun and interesting to read—which they so are—but we also want the reader to feel like she has a purpose in this life and that she is worth it. God made each of us a valuable part of His plan.
How does faith play a part in the Princess in Camo series?
Missy: Faith is the biggest inspiration behind the entire series. God blessed our family with many things. But the biggest thing is the blessing of family. It helps us all understand that we are a part of God’s family. He takes us in, forgives us, challenges us, and loves us no matter what.
What are some of the main themes or life lessons in Allie’s Bayou Rescue?
Missy: Two things: trusting in God to take care of us through the crucial times in life, including a health crisis. We may not get what we ask for, but we have to trust that He knows what’s best for us.
The second is accepting new people into our lives. We may not agree with, understand, or even like everyone’s personalities. But we should love and accept them and have mercy on them, just like God does with us.
What do you hope your readers will take away when they read Allie’s Bayou Rescue and the other books in the series?
Missy: We hope they laugh hard, smile a lot, get scared, and maybe even let a tear or two drop. Emotions can lead our hearts to search for the truth in certain situations. We hope these readers search for the Truth of Jesus. He loves us all so much. He wants the best for us. He also wants us to give our best to each other.
Visit Missy and Mia Robertson’s author page here: https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/missy-and-mia-robertson
Allie’s Bayou Rescue
Princess in Camo #2
Missy and Mia Robertson, with Jill Osborne
Zonderkidz