Local kids' advocate Devi Fournier has just published her first children's book, "Peace Polly from Pluto." The 50-year old author is a woman with a social platform that, she said, can be summed up in a single word: Kindness.

Following is an interview with Fournier in which she shares her views on kids, culture and kindness.

Where did the plot for "Peace Polly from Pluto" come from?

I was inspired by my daughter when she asked me one day what people were like on Pluto. I told her I was pretty sure that they're like us humans in that they want to be happy, suffer as little as possible and like it when others are kind to them. So that was the foundation.

How did it grow into a book?

Well, I kept thinking about the story. I asked myself what it would be like if everybody on Pluto was kind and from that I came up with the concept of their having mirrored teeth. I thought that in that way they could see their own reflections, which would keep them from saying and doing unkind things to each other.

Unkind people don't usually see themselves. They don't have the opportunity to see what they look like when they're being unkind.

Many people tell their children stories, but few become published writers. What made you different?

I did it first just for my kids. But then I had teachers and other people who encouraged me to publish. So I self-published because I wanted to have total control over it. It's recently been selected as material to use as part of the fifth-grade human rights celebration in the Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene School Districts the week leading into Martin Luther King Day.

What age do you expect your readers to be?

There is no minimum age - as soon as children are able to conceptualize and someone can read to them. Actually, there's definitely no age at all. Everybody can benefit from Polly's message.

As a member of the Coeur d'Alene School District's Anti-Bullying Task Force, have you yourself ever been bullied?

I was bullied in high school and threatened many times when I was a sophomore. It was done by girls who were older than me. But I actually stood up to them and told them to knock it off. They were stunned I wouldn't back down. But then it stopped and I wasn't hiding from them anymore. I was lucky because I had really good friends and a good support group.

Clearly you've got some strong feelings about bullying.

As adults we have to be more mindful of those (bullying) situations - just be aware of how a child is reacting. If they're withdrawn, ask them about it and let them know that you care.

Something that's important to know about bullying is that the bullies themselves are the ones in very deep pain. They're unhappy people who want to hurt others.

But it's also important for people not be victimized - not to live the same pain over and over. You need to be true to yourself and if you're happy with your intentions and motivations, you can move forward. When you move forward, you can hopefully benefit others.

Where does social media fit into this?

There have to be better ways to cope with anger and pain.

This is probably the toughest - the cyber bullying. It's vast and it's immediate and it's exponentially damaging. They (kids) are doing stuff before they even think about it. They're unaware how long-lasting it can be.

Texting, for example, is so immediate and it comes across without any regard for what's happening on the other side of that phone.

Adults have to be more involved with what's happening to their kids when it comes to texts and things like Facebook.

Does your previous book, a novel titled, 'The Gift Exchange,' express the same passion you were just talking about?

In all my work, in everything I do, it's about connection - the human connection. We're all interconnected and can't live without each other. We're all striving for the same thing, but we spend so much of our time debating our differences.

My book's been doing great. It does better outside this community, though. Readers really have to have an open mind because I kind of take you on a spiritually deep journey in it.

As a community activist -in terms of the work you've done on the Task Force and your involvement with the Human Rights Education Institute - what do you hope to accomplish?

We need to reach parents, employers, community leaders so they can be mindful of what they're putting out. For instance, are they saying negative things toward young, impressionable minds?

I'm passionate about kids - school age kids. You can make a huge impact on them - a lifelong impact. I'm very supportive of human rights and making sure all people are treated with kindness and compassion.

Early in your career when you were an on-air television reporter in Salt Lake City, were you able to be as involved in your community as your are today?

I wanted to be a human interest reporter back then. I left (the station) when I realized I didn't like telling the bad stories - the stories that didn't feel good in my heart. I wanted to tell the ones that enhanced peoples' lives and brought some type of meaningful message.

After I left there, I went to a publishing company and produced a magazine for teens. It was called Exceed Magazine and it was used in the schools. I was very passionate about how we told the stories - with redemption and meaning.

We didn't glamorize celebrities who did nothing to benefit others.

How do you think others see you?

I'm sure people think I'm some kind of Pollyana and I'm definitely not that. I've experienced a lot of pain in my life and I've experienced great things as well. Without pain, we don't know what happy feels like. I can't stay stuck - I have to keep moving forward.

So, what's next for Devi Fournier?

I'm finishing the sequel to the novel I wrote and I'm also hoping to create a costume for Peace Polly that can be worn touring schools.

I'm continuing to dance and to travel and I definitely enjoy motivational speaking.

Any big dreams for the future?

My greatest ambition is to promote peace in all situations. I think there's always an opportunity to choose between being kind or unkind and whether to do something right or wrong.

It's pretty simple, really. I'm not asking for big things - it's the little things that add up. If there's a little moment of opportunity to be kind on a very minuscule level, it can really impact someone's day.