I'm Charona.
Mum, maker & author.
I didn't plan to become an author. I just wanted a way to work that fit around the life I wanted: at home, with my son, building something of my own.
Where it started
Ten years in retail
For ten years I worked in retail, on minimum wage. I learned how people shop, what makes them stop and look, and what makes them buy. Later I moved into marketing, and I loved it.
Then I got pregnant. My employer wanted me in the office five days a week, and childcare would have cost almost everything I earned. I didn't want to choose between my son and my work.
Something of my own
Hola Kiki
My husband is Spanish, and I wanted to help families learn Spanish together: everyday Spanish you can use straight away, for the whole family, instead of taking a course and still not speaking it a year later. That's why I started holakiki.nl.
My first book was Hola Kiki en het supermarkt avontuur. My second, Abuela's Kookboek – Mi dulce corazón, is now in its first stores, and Germany is looking at it too.
How I did it
No print shop. No stock. No design degree.
I learned so much just by doing and trying. I wrote with Claude, designed in Canva, and sell through print on demand. And because I specialise in marketing funnels, I also know how to get a book in front of the right people.
Why I teach this
Now it's your turn
So many women have an idea for a book: a children's story, a family cookbook, a journal. They just don't know where to start. In Your Book Journey I show you the exact steps I took, from your first idea to your launch, one small step at a time.
Start your Book Journey