The following is from an interview with Aadila DeSouza, author of  Wonderfully Whole: Embracing Autism with Infinite Love.

1. For anyone who doesn’t know who you are, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born in South Africa and moved to the United States when I was eight years old. I graduated from college and spent ten years in project management. I became a stay-at-home mom when my son was diagnosed with autism. He was two when he received his diagnosis, and I spent years trying to “fix” his differences.

As I continued to grow in my faith, I started to see the gifts in his differences, and I embraced who God created him to be. Not only did my relationship with my son change in incredible ways, but I also got the opportunity to experience the beauty in neurodiversity.

2. What initially got you into writing in general?
I have always journaled to process my emotions, and I’ve always been a big fan of non-fiction. Writing a book that is so reflective of my daily life came easily.

3. What inspired you to write Wonderfully Whole: Embracing Autism with Infinite Love?
My daughter was in kindergarten, and her peers began asking questions about my son’s behavior. She wasn’t sure how to answer these questions. I looked for resources, but I couldn’t find anything that expressed God’s design for neurodiversity. I wrote Wonderfully Whole: Embracing Autism with Infinite Love not only to educate others but also as a resource for my neurotypical children.

4. Can you tell us about your writing process? What is the most difficult part of writing a book?
Setting an intention before I start writing helps me focus on the big picture of what I’m trying to communicate. I also need to limit distractions.

I struggle with perfectionism, which makes it hard to finish anything. Focusing on my intention before writing helps me combat the desire for my words to be “perfect.”

5. What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Make your message more important than your ego. Take your next faithful step and just write. It doesn’t have to be perfect.