faq
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michelle Kincaid?
Michelle Kincaid is a writer, creator, accidental frog manager, and professional overthinker based in Northern California.
She creates books, songs, characters, activities, journals, and creative projects for kids, families, and curious humans. Her work blends imagination, humor, culture, storytelling, emotional intelligence, and occasional technological chaos.
She is also the creator of Coquí Chiqui, a tiny Puerto Rican frog with very large feelings.
Why use a pen name?
Many writers use pen names, especially when working across very different genres or audiences.
I write children’s books and creative family projects as Michelle Kincaid, while other parts of my writing life focus on much heavier topics. It simply makes sense to keep those spaces somewhat separate.
The pen name also gives me a little more creative freedom. Michelle Kincaid is probably the slightly braver, more playful, more adventurous version of me.
She also rides a motorcycle, just like my dad did.
We do, however, both have two naughty cats.
Are your projects AI-generated?
No. My projects are human-created and human-directed.
I work with professionals and collaborators across different kinds of projects. Some use AI-assisted tools. Some do not. It depends on the project, the medium, the budget, the timeline, and the creative goals.
I see AI as one tool among many — like editing software, digital illustration tools, spellcheck, cameras, synthesizers, or research databases.
The heart, humor, storytelling, emotional perspective, and creative direction come from real human experiences, real relationships, and occasionally real exhaustion.
Also, AI has never attended one of my family dinners, so there are limits to what it brings to the table.
Why do your projects mix technology and imagination?
Because technology is not going away, and honestly, I don’t think it should.
Good parenting, creativity, curiosity, boundaries, conversation, movement, and a little supervised technology can work wonders together.
I’m not interested in shaming families for using screens. Most parents are exhausted, busy, overwhelmed, and doing the best they can.
What I am interested in is helping families use technology more intentionally:
to create,
to imagine,
to laugh,
to explore,
to learn,
to tell stories,
to make memories,
and occasionally to survive rainy Saturdays without losing their minds.
I also want kids to understand something important about AI specifically:
it can be an incredible tool for brainstorming, learning, organizing ideas, researching, practicing skills, exploring creativity, and overcoming fear of the blank page.
But trying to cheat by having AI do all your work for you — especially in school — is a terrible long-term strategy.
Use the tool.
Do your own thinking.
Do your own work.
Because eventually, people can tell the difference.
I believe kids still need boredom, creativity, movement, imagination, and real human connection.
But I also think technology can absolutely be part of that when used thoughtfully.
Why do your projects sometimes feel emotional as well as playful?
Because children are emotional human beings, not tiny robots with juice boxes.
Kids experience embarrassment, anxiety, loneliness, excitement, jealousy, curiosity, fear, imagination, wonder, disappointment, pride, grief, creativity, and enormous feelings they often don’t yet have words for.
Honestly, adults do too.
I think humor helps difficult things feel safer.
I think imagination, storytelling, music, creativity, and play can help children feel more connected — not just entertained.
And I think many children, especially sensitive or neurodivergent kids, spend a lot of time feeling misunderstood, overwhelmed, “too much,” “too loud,” “too emotional,” or simply different.
I want my projects to make room for curiosity, feelings, creativity, mistakes, silliness, imagination, and kindness.
I absolutely want the work to be fun.
But I also want it to have heart.
And honestly, not every project will connect with every child or every family. I wish that were possible, but human beings don’t really work that way.
Still, I will continue trying to create things that help at least some people feel more seen, more connected, more creative, and a little less alone.
Are you fluent in Spanish?
Not fluently, no — though I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by Puerto Rican culture.
I grew up with an extended Puerto Rican family living right next door. Because I was eleven years younger than my next-youngest sibling, and because I did not grow up in Puerto Rico the way many of my relatives did, my experience with the language ended up a little uneven.
I heard the stories, learned the traditions, absorbed the humor, the food, the music, the expressions, and the family dynamics. But while the culture rooted itself deeply, conversational Spanish never fully clicked for me.
My vocabulary is actually pretty strong, and I understand a good amount of grammar and verb structure. I’ve just always struggled with putting sentences together naturally in conversation.
Honestly, part of the reason I love working on Coquí Chiqui is because I’m still learning too.
And yes — I also work with human editors and native or fluent speakers to make sure the language in my projects is respectful, accurate, and culturally appropriate.
Also, I have learned that different Latin cultures sing Sana Sana differently. Some say culita. Some say colito. This disagreement could probably spark an international incident if handled improperly.
My mother said colito.
She wins.
Have you been to Puerto Rico?
Technically, yes. I was there in utero.
My grandparents moved next door before I was six months old, and my father used to joke that shortly after my birth, the entire island of Puerto Rico moved in beside us.
I grew up immersed in Puerto Rican food, music, humor, stories, celebrations, expressions, and family traditions. I absolutely plan to visit Puerto Rico as an adult as soon as life and finances cooperate.
How can you create a Puerto Rican character if you’ve never lived in Puerto Rico?
Because culture is more than geography.
My mother was from San Juan, Puerto Rico. I grew up with Puerto Rican cooking, storytelling, music, humor, family traditions, and community all around me.
I don’t claim to represent every Puerto Rican experience. I’m creating from my own family history, perspective, love, and memories.
Also, if you’ve eaten my arroz con gandules, you’ll probably stop asking questions.
What cultures influence your work?
Strongly Puerto Rican. Strongly Irish American. Apparently also somewhat Viking.
A genetics test later revealed that my father — despite the Irish surname and lifelong Irish-American identity — was actually more English and Scandinavian than Irish.
So now I understand both my love of storytelling and my occasional desire to sail into battle over minor inconveniences.
How does Michelle Kincaid come up with her stories?
Most of the ideas happen organically.
My mother was from San Juan, Puerto Rico and used to sing to me about a little frog butt, which somehow eventually became Coquí Chiqui.
My cousin told me stories about her clever grandson, which helped inspire Stewart.
I created No, Thank You because I think many kids struggle to say “no” politely without fearing punishment, embarrassment, or disappointment.
The activity books grew from the idea that even families with strong screen-time rules still need help fighting boredom creatively. Technology is not going away, and honestly, I don’t think it should. I just think families deserve more tools for connection, imagination, movement, curiosity, and conversation.
The journals are still evolving, but the goal is simple: to help create safe spaces where kids can express feelings, explore ideas, ask questions, and feel a little more understood.
Most of my projects start with something small:
a family story,
a funny moment,
a struggle,
a memory,
a question,
or a tiny idea that refuses to leave me alone.
What happens if one of your ideas doesn’t work?
Then I try again.
Not every idea succeeds immediately. Some projects evolve. Some improve slowly. Some need a different format, a different audience, a better structure, better artwork, better timing, or simply more experience behind them.
I don’t believe creative work has to emerge perfectly on the first attempt to have value.
Sometimes an idea is wrong.
Sometimes the execution is wrong.
Sometimes the timing is wrong.
And sometimes you simply are not ready yet.
That doesn’t automatically mean the idea should be abandoned forever.
Most of my favorite projects changed shape multiple times before becoming something that finally felt right.
Honestly, creativity is often less about instant brilliance and more about curiosity, resilience, revision, stubbornness, and being willing to keep going after something refuses to cooperate.
Also, occasionally, it involves yelling at a cartoon frog at two in the morning.
Do you have children?
No, I don’t.
Life simply went in a different direction for me, though I’ve always loved storytelling, imagination, creativity, humor, and the wonderfully strange way children see the world.
I hope my work encourages kids to think creatively, play more, stay curious, treat people with kindness, and protect their own boundaries along the way.
And honestly, there is a long tradition of beloved children’s creators who did not have children of their own, including Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown, and Beatrix Potter.
Apparently, childhood imagination sometimes sticks around whether you become a parent or not.
Are you a child development expert?
No.
I’m not a psychologist, teacher, pediatrician, or parenting expert.
What I do have is a lifelong love of imagination, storytelling, creativity, humor, curious kids, and the wonderfully weird way children see the world.
I also think a lot about emotional intelligence, kindness, boredom, resilience, creativity, and how children learn to navigate boundaries, confidence, disappointment, curiosity, and relationships.
Maybe part of my own childhood imagination simply never left.
I tend to love curious kids. Imaginative kids. Sensitive kids. Adventurous kids. Emotional kids. Neurodivergent kids. Kids who are learning boundaries, confidence, kindness, resilience, and how to exist in the world without losing their strange little spark.
Sometimes that process gets messy.
That feels more honest to me.
But there is also a difference between imperfect behavior and celebrating cruelty, manipulation, entitlement, aggression, or treating people badly to get your way.
A child should feel emotionally and physically safe with the adults caring for them. If they don’t, that is a very different and very serious situation.
But in general, I’m not especially interested in stories where children scream, manipulate friends, destroy things, disrespect everyone around them, and are still treated like heroes without accountability or growth.
Those are not really my stories.
My characters may make mistakes. They may be stubborn, impulsive, emotional, dramatic, awkward, or occasionally little jerks.
And honestly, kids can sometimes be shockingly mean — even to people they love.
Occasionally, what comes out of their mouths is so accidentally brutal and oddly observant that it becomes funny five minutes later.
I have absolutely seen adults leave the room to laugh, hide behind doors, or actively try not to make eye contact with each other after a child said something horrifyingly accurate.
Such is life.
But even when the behavior is funny, I still think it should be gently corrected, explained, or talked through. Otherwise, little jerky moments can slowly grow into bigger jerky habits.
To me, there is a difference between a naughty kid and a bad kid.
Most children are still learning empathy, self-control, honesty, friendship, emotional regulation, and how their words affect other people.
Underneath it all, I usually believe children are loving human beings who want connection, friendship, kindness, belonging, and understanding.
And honestly, part of growing up is slowly learning that being a good friend tends to help you find good friends too.
Do you have pets?
Yes. Two deeply suspicious cats who alternate between being adorable companions and tiny furry agents of destruction.
Sleek and Poof are based on my real cats: a Siberian Neva Masquerade and a Bengal.
Yes, I got them from reputable breeders.
One is calm, thoughtful, fluffy, and quietly judging the household from elevated surfaces.
The other is always ready for adventure, chaos, and decisions that should probably require adult supervision.
Honestly, neither can fully be trusted unattended.
They inspire stories, interrupt work, walk across keyboards, contribute absolutely nothing financially, and somehow still run the house.
They are perfect exactly as they are, and I hope other people enjoy their videos as much as I enjoy living with these tiny furry lunatics.
Why frogs?
Because Puerto Rican coquí frogs are adorable.
Next question.
Are your recipes authentic?
My Puerto Rican food is authentic enough that people regularly request it.
My St. Patrick’s Day feasts are equally serious business.
Nobody leaves my house hungry unless they made extremely poor personal decisions beforehand.
Are you a hack?
Almost certainly.
Most writers think this at least once a week.
Fortunately, kids tend to care more about joy, imagination, music, frogs, and stories than literary imposter syndrome.