The idea came to me sort of like a lightning bolt (which rarely happens) as I was walking past a swing-set on a playground down by a beach I spend a lot of time at in Los Angeles. I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I rode the swing for a while, remembering how fun it was as a kid to imagine at the top of the swing blasting off into outer space (it was an imagination I always had as a kid). The idea of an upswing and a downswing made me think of the ups and downs of life… and once “Mood Swing” popped into my head, well, the ideas started flooding and it all built up from there.

B.R. Duray – 15 June 2025

The Back Flap

The Mood Swing is a whimsical and heartwarming tale that takes young readers on a magical journey through the emotional ups and downs of grief.

The story follows a young boy, named Peter, as he navigates the challenging feelings after the loss of his father.

A magical swing, tethered to a Moon Tree, propels Peter into fantastical adventures that mirror his emotions. When Peter is happy, with both of his parents by his side, he blasts off into a fantastical adventure through Outer Space – a dream come true! When he returns a year later without his father, the swing descends, plunging Peter into a pit of quicksand. But soon, with the help of his mother, and a reminder that his father is never far, Peter learns to find the balance and simply enjoy riding the swing.

Through its delightful narrative and engaging illustrations, the book aims to provide solace, hope, and joy to families, especially in difficult times.

About the book

What is the book about?

The Mood Swing is a whimsical and heartwarming tale that takes young readers on a magical journey through the emotional ups and downs of grief. The story follows a young boy, named Peter, as he navigates the challenging feelings after the loss of his father. A magical swing, tethered to a Moon Tree, propels Peter into fantastical adventures that mirror his emotions. When Peter is happy, with both of his parents by his side, he blasts off into a fantastical adventure through Outer Space – a dream come true! When he returns a year later without his father, the swing descends, plunging Peter into a pit of Quicksand. But soon, with the help of his mother, and a reminder that his father is never far, Peter learns to find the balance and simply enjoy riding the swing.

When did you start writing the book?

In 2018 I wrote the story as a screenplay for a short film. Over the course of four years of developing the characters and plot in concept art and storyboards, I eventually realized the story needed to be told in a children’s book. So I took the storyboards to an amazing illustrator and good friend, Momes. Working closely together over the course of a year, we adapted the film development materials into a book. Once the book was completed and printed, I used it as the centerpiece of a live-action/animated hybrid short film, where the book comes to life in a young boy’s room and helps give him solace after the death of his father. So… it began as a movie… turned into a book… then ended as a movie. Full circle. (FYI- the short film is complete, and releasing this July!)

How long did it take you to write it?

The first draft only took a few days. I always write very quick first drafts, but it looked entirely different at the start. There were several more characters, and the ending was almost entirely different. Over the process of development, it naturally evolved through the different mediums from film to book, and overall it took 6 years between conceptualization to the final manuscript. Lots and lots of rewrites.

Where did you get the idea from?

The idea came to me sort of like a lightning bolt (which rarely happens) as I was walking past a swing-set on a playground down by a beach I spend a lot of time at in Los Angeles. I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I rode the swing for a while, remembering how fun it was as a kid to imagine at the top of the swing blasting off into outer space (it was an imagination I always had as a kid). The idea of an upswing and a downswing made me think of the ups and downs of life… and once “Mood Swing” popped into my head, well, the ideas started flooding and it all built up from there. Prior to this experience, I knew that I wanted to tell a story for children about how to deal with grief and loss, ever since I lost my dad when I was a child. Stories helped heal my heart, so I wanted to try and offer the same as a way to complete the circle. That’s when I found the heart of the story. I slowly put all the pieces together: a love letter to kids about handling grief, paired with the whimsical magic of a swing-set.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I did wrestle with how implicit or explicit to be with Peter’s father’s death in the story. I eventually decided to keep it more implicit so that readers could relate even if a parent is absent in other ways beyond death (sick, deployed overseas [my father was Army] etc.). I also struggled with the ending, specifically depicting what finding “balance” would mean for Peter. Instead of it being an imagination in his head — like the “high” and “low” the magic swing took him on, I eventually landed on being something he felt in his physical body: “the wind in his hair… the sun on his nose.” That is what balance felt like to me as a kid. When you are in your body, no longer your head.

What came easily?

The beginning. Creating the “Magical Land on Top of a Hill” and “the Moon Tree” — knowing that the exciting part of the journey would be the adventure through Outer Space and that the difficult part of the journey would be falling into quicksand — all that came very quickly, and was based on my own imaginations as a kid during happy and scary times.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Peter is a piece of me and a piece of my father. The mother is my mom, who was my single biggest source of comfort, grounding and strength after the loss of my father. This book is dedicated to her and to all single mothers and single parents who take on the impossible task of filling a deceased parent’s shoes.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Roald Dahl, Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. It’s their freedom and their whimsy. The magical worlds they create, yet the grounded, real, and quite mature human emotions at their cores. They don’t talk down to kids, they raise them up, and they make adults feel like kids again. That’s the good stuff!

Do you have a target reader?

Ages 4-9 (on paper), but I think this is a book for all ages. Because even as adults, when we lose a parent, we feel like a kid again in our hearts. The Mood Swing made a mid-40s bank teller cry in the middle of his shift at Chase Bank (true story)… I truly think a story like The Mood Swing is for everyone; it just depends on how old people feel in their hearts.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I like to write in the mornings when I first wake up with a cup of coffee after a 30 minute prayer/meditation. The most important connections we have to maintain as writers is our brains to our souls, and our souls to God — so I try to write when those channels are as clear and open as possible. I write my first drafts very quickly so I don’t have time to doubt or second-guess my intuition, and also so I can just follow the flow (and follow the fun). After a first draft as a “careless artist” I become a “brutal critic” with rewrites and revisions, making sure that every word and sentence is as strong and powerful as it can be etc. When I’m not at my desk I record voice memos on my phone quite a bit, to dictate stream of consciousness thoughts if an idea pops in.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Depends on the project. For The Mood Swing, it just flowed out from beginning to end, which was easier to do likely because it’s a short Children’s Picture Book. For longer and more complicated stories I’ve done extensive outlines, about 5-10 sentences per scene. But I think the story dictates its own process, not the other way around.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Small edits as I go. Try to wait until I finish to really get into “edit mode”, but on days where the new ideas and words are just not flowing I tend to go back and tinker and change things, but that rarely ends well: I usually end up tinkering a bunch then at the end just going: “undo” “undo” “undo”……

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Always. Usually movie scores. I create a new playlist for every new project — it’s one of the first things I do. I think it’s so critical to use music to stay energetically in the right tone. For The Mood Swing it was a lot of Michael Giacchino, John Williams, Alan Silvestri and Joe Hisaishi. The Inside Out soundtrack was the most frequently replayed album while writing this project.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

No. Because this was a multimedia project and a new brand under my own production company, I thought it would be best to first handle my own publishing so I could control the quality of the execution from beginning to end, and to understand the entire pipeline.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

The Mood Swing began as a story under the development of a brand I started under my own production company. It was conceived as a seed that could grow and blossom across diverse mediums, which made its origin very difficult from traditional book publishing. The Mood Swing is also quite deep for a kids book, and deals with Big Emotions, like grief and loneliness. When I was first soliciting publishers to see if that was the best route, I received feedback and data that made me realize the type of book I was creating was best done independently. By publishing under my own production company, I had the ability to get it into the hands of organizations and families who need it the most, while also ensuring creative control over every part of the process, from writing to printing. I knew how important the design, printing and layout of the actual hard-cover edition would be — I had a keen recollection of what made me want to pick a book off the shelf when I was a kid and very specific ideas of multi-colored foil stamping and embossing (the cover is beautiful!) So after a few nights of research into printing, warehousing, 3PL services and Amazon, I realized it was something I could accomplish on my own. Ultimately, it was important for me to create a foundation for future creations, under one brand. My day job is a film writer and director, so there are several more Peter stories I have developed to be published under Moon Tree, meant to start as books, then to become films and beyond.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

My incredible illustrator, Momes, illustrated and designed the cover, as she did every single page of the book. Everything was hand-drawn and designed on an iPad with ProCreate and Adobe Photoshop. She’s a wizard and put her whole heart and soul into this project. Then I worked very closely with our printer to ensure specific spot-UV, purple foil stamping and matte lamination.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I am currently in the middle of a 5-month PR campaign through BooksForward. They’re fantastic and really understand the message of the book. My publicist, Corrine, has been amazing. I also maintain organic social accounts on Instagram and have done some Amazon ads.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Writing is the easy part, selling is the hard part. Write the book — there’s really no excuse not to these days. Finding an audience for it is the part that requires tremendous tenacity, determination and a bit of patience and good luck. But between Facebook groups, YouTube videos and Google searching all the information is out there, and at your disposal. We live in exciting times!

About You

Where did you grow up?

Encinitas, CA

Where do you live now?

Los Angeles

What would you like readers to know about you?

B.R. Duray is an author, film director, screenwriter and entrepreneur born in San Diego. He has written and directed feature length films for major studios, documentary features spanning 6 continents, docu-series for Oscar-Winning production companies, music videos for A-list artists, nationally televised branded content, award-winning short films, and virtual reality experiences about topics such as death and birth. Thompson is the founder of Moon Tree Studios LLC, a multi-media production company dedicated to bringing light and healing magic to children and families across the world.

What are you working on now?

The Mood Swing – Short Film will premiere in Los Angeles this summer, and will be available soon on YouTube. Five new Children’s Books following coming of age moments with Peter, told in whimsical adventures are in development. On the film side, I am also in development as a writer/director with Pastime Pictures as producers, on a fun suburban monster feature film called Paranormia.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of The Mood Swing from Amazon US or Amazon UK.