M.B. Paradise has always been a fan of stories, Santa, and the beach… so combining the three made perfect sense. A chance encounter on the beach with her children over 10 years ago with a man who looked like Santa Claus gave her the idea to one day write a book. As it were however, life got in the way and the idea was put on the back burner until, she discovered that Eric LeGrand was opening a coffee shop. M.B. had always been inspired by his positivity and fortitude following his spinal cord injury, and felt that if he could open his own business, then she had to "stop talking and start DOING", and that meant finishing her Beach Santa book. ​ As an independent author, M.B. knew it would be important to tie Beach Santa to something bigger than itself. Her humble hope is to share the story, promote children’s literacy, advocate for disability inclusion in children’s books, encourage writers of all ages, AND make a significant contribution to the SCI community. In fact, 25% of Beach Santa profits will be donated to Team LeGrand, which is dedicated to supporting the over six million people living with paralysis through quality-of-life initiatives and supporting research for spinal cord injuries. M.B. has climbed in the Rockies, barely survived two NYC marathons, currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three daughters, and is my guest on this week's episode!