Meet the Author

Shawn Wiltfong has always been a storyteller at heart. As a child, he filled notebooks with characters, adventures, and dreams of one day becoming a writer. Though life led him into the world of business and finance, the spark of storytelling never left him. His earliest inspiration came from his mother, who worked with preschoolers and encouraged him to consider writing for children—a suggestion he once set aside but later returned to with newfound purpose.

Fatherhood became the turning point that reawakened Shawn’s love for stories. Reading to his daughters, experimenting with silly voices, dramatic pauses, and unexpected twists, he discovered the powerful connection that forms when parents and children share stories together. He witnessed how these moments could help kids not only enjoy reading but also navigate the big emotions they face every day.

Out of this realization grew The Feeling Realms Collection, a series of heart-centered picture books that blend rhyming narratives, vivid illustrations, and interactive techniques to help children understand and embrace their emotions. By transforming feelings like anger, sadness, and loneliness into imaginative journeys guided by animal mentors, Shawn offers young readers practical tools for self-regulation while celebrating the value of every emotion.

For Shawn, these books are more than stories—they are a gift. A gift to parents looking to connect with their children, a gift to kids learning to name and navigate their feelings, and a gift from a former “chapter book dreamer” who discovered that children’s books were exactly where his storytelling belonged. Through Omari and the Flame Realm and the rest of the series, Shawn Wiltfong continues his mission to help kids feel seen, supported, and proud of who they are.