R.G. De Rouen Interview Published on: 26, Mar 2026

Carmel was actually in my Middle School and university years. My earliest years was in Santa Monica, California where I grew up watching TV shows like Tarzan and Daktari. I dreamed of going on safari. At that time ,I loved learning about animals and dinosaurs. My parents would take me to zoo like Los Angelas Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park or museums such as the La Brea Tar Pits where dinosaurs were trapped in the tar. My parents read to me a lot and encouraged going to the library. Of course, I couldn't wait to receive my Scholastic Book Club sheets in order to be able to pick out some new books to add to my libary at home. However, a special memory for me was my father taking me alone to a bookstore at the Santa Monica peer to buy a copy of, The Enormous Egg (a dino chapter book famous at the time). What made this special was that my father, and army officer,

took time out from his busy schedule. I still have this book today with my name proudly written inside.

I was born in South Korea to an American father and a German mother. I spent my early childhood overseas and consider myself a "Third Culture Kid." I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience different cultures early on. Although I grew up on military bases, my parents ensured that my brother and I met local kids. This shaped my writing. My first book, Books For Benjamin, encourages kids to find the global copyright symbol. Mother to Elephants is a picture book biography describing an elephant orphanage I visited in Kenya. Currently, I'm writing a chapter-book mystery series about twins who travel the world solving puzzles.

Having lived and taught in international schools for 30 years, I've learned so much from students worldwide. I'm fortunate to still receive emails from them; they often recall most enjoying the stories I told and my attentive listening. What they may not realize is how much I learned from them. I found that everyone has something to offer. I often watched shy students gain confidence to speak out or perform on stage. My students taught me not to prejudge and to expect the unexpected.

My multicultural background has made me appreciate languages and the world's cultural diversity. I try to bring these different perspectives into my characters’ actions and their friendships.

The inspiration for Books For Benjamin (Book 1) came during a visit to the Library of Congress. Learning about Thomas Jefferson's contributions and his love for books inspired me to create Benjamin, a bookworm character. Jefferson’s personal library of books was purchased, which started the LOC’s collection.

To me, it is all about following your passion by not giving up on your goals. Another theme that goes along with this is that it’s OK to be different. Having friends is very important, but being true to yourself is the key to finding happiness.

I relate to Benjamin’s story through my love of books. Like him, when I arrive at the library, I feel a thrill to be surrounded by so many stories. My wife shares this enthusiasm. Throughout all our years of moving to different countries, we always took our books with us. Parting with them was difficult, though we donated some. Now, retired from teaching, I find myself buying more mentor texts to inspire my writing.

I am no longer teaching. After over 30 years of teaching, I retired from elementary teaching to pursue a career as an author. However, looking back, what I valued most about my classes were the discussions and, most importantly, the laughs we shared. Whether it was in our morning meetings, our book talks, or guided reading sessions, it felt like telling stories at a campfire (one of the oldest forms of storytelling).

I had an incredible mentor teacher who was so patient and provided excellent assignments to hone my skills. Next to my wife and children, I also dedicated my first book to her, for she was the one who pushed me to pursue the story.

I would love for kids to follow their passion. It can be fun to try different things with no pressure to discover new things. At the initial stage, I hope that they can get lost in several books and try different genres to see what they like. I created Benjamin because I felt the joy of "getting lost in books" (both fiction and non-fiction).

I encourage a love of reading and creative writing in my classroom by making literacy lessons interactive and creative. Watching my students' creativity grow during these lessons has been a highlight for me. The international school system I worked for promoted reading and writing in a variety of genres, exposing students to many ideas. I particularly enjoyed helping them incorporate similes and metaphors in their poems and teaching persuasive writing. We also enjoyed writing mysteries and historical fiction together.

Looking back, I faced many. One of the most surprising things new authors learn is how much time marketing takes. I didn’t realize there were so many ways to do this. This, not the writing, was the real challenge. Children’s picture books are tough to market, as they’re for children but bought by caregivers. You cannot directly market to children. I call myself a "social media misfit" because creating content takes me a long time. I’m overcoming this by trying different strategies and reading a lot. I’ve learned to step back and focus on one platform—Pinterest. Taking breaks outside also matters to me. I now draft by hand to get away from the computer for healthy breaks.

Travel and exposure to different cultures have greatly influenced the themes in my book. There's a quote I often see: "Travel is one of the greatest legacies a parent can give a child." I relate to this deeply, grateful that my parents introduced my brother and me to other countries. My wife and I have made similar efforts with our two daughters, who now have international friends they regularly meet. I also feel fortunate to have taught students from all over the world.

Initially, I hadn't planned a series, but during school visits, children encouraged me to continue Benjamin's story. I'm excited to share that book 2 is now out, and the series is now called Benjamin and Friends. Book 3 is in development. It’s wonderful to see kids connect with Benjamin—some have dressed up as him for Book Week and brought in drawings of Benjamin and his friends.

Absolutely, I love AllAuthor not only for marketing my books but also for discovering other authors from around the world. The site really offers a lot, so it is hard to pick which feature is the best. I particularly love all the seasonal book mockups that are available. They are quite stunning. I need to do more with the video part, where you can create review content for posts. Even if an author doesn't have much time, as long as they have some mockups selected, AllAuthor will automatically tweet these out during a book feature. This service is also a handy feature. I also appreciate all the stats you get in the analysis of each book, which help gauge how potential readers are engaging with my books.