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​Amber Nichole Harrell-Tobey writes with purpose. 

“I like​ to create books for people like me,” she said. By people like her, she means people who are not always fond of reading. When the Mission Middle math teacher and author does read, she wants a book that is straightforward and gives you the answer - just like a math problem. 

“That’s why Daddy Daughter Q&A is in the format that it is, because I’m a math person,” she said. Ms. Harrell-Tobey also favors a manual-like structure because, as a teacher, she wants to “educate on all levels.” 

Daddy Daughter Q&A, which Ms. Harrell-Tobey published this past September, is a Q&A style book that celebrates father/daughter relationships and offers tips on how fathers can strengthen bonds with their daughters. Whether the reader is a new father, a stepfather, or a father that wants to better connect with his daughter, the book holds a bit of wisdom for everyone. 

The author’s first book, Hey Jasmine! Let’s Go To The Park, was inspired by her daughter, who has cerebral palsy. For her second project, the inspiration was also personal: she has an amazing father, and she knows many amazing dads whom she felt needed to be showcased, especially the fathers of color.

“A lot of times they get a bad rap,” she said. “I wanted to highlight and celebrate the fathers that are out there doing an amazing job.”

The process of completing the book included interviews and photo shoots with the featured fathers and their daughters. Photo shoots are more common with mothers and daughters, but the sessions with Ms. Harrell-Tobey and her photographer, Jennifer Ferrante, gave fathers “a chance to let their hair down,” while daughters were able to see their dads in a new light.

Ms. Harrell-Tobey wants her Q&A to provoke conversation and get fathers to think about ways they can engage in quality time with their daughters. And not all quality time must be strictly educational. 

“Some of the fun stuff [fathers] do is very important and crucial,” she said, asserting that play between parent and child helps build character and confidence, and teaches that child how to interact with others. 

She hopes the book reaches daughters as well. “We’re used to confiding in our moms,” she acknowledged. “We don’t always see our dads as someone we can lean on or confide in.” But Daddy Daughter Q&A shows there are daughters who depend on their fathers and feel comfortable being vulnerable with them.

Ms. Harrell-Tobey said that interview responses from fathers transcended age, race, and culture. Above all, the experience “showed that we are human and we relate to each other the same way.”

The author’s next project will be a followup to Hey Jasmine!, inspired by her daughter’s participation on a special needs baseball team. She plans to title the sequel, Hey Jasmine! Let’s Play Ball.

“It’s amazing and tear-jerking to see the strength of all these kids and their enthusiasm [for] baseball,” she said. “They do not let their physical makeup or their mental makeup hold them back.”

To purchase a physical copy of Daddy Daughter Q&A, please visit Amber Nichole Harrell-Tobey’s website​, or get the Kindle version from Amazon​.