Growing up, Pape remembers hearing the same phrase over and over: “It’s okay not to feel okay.” But to her, that sentence always felt unfinished. What happens after that? What do you actually do when “not okay” isn’t temporary, but something that quietly follows you around every day?
Before she ever imagined becoming a writer, Pape found her first outlet in journaling while attending Bloomfield Hills Schools. Reading had been difficult for her growing up, and the idea of becoming an author felt unlikely. But writing became the one place where overwhelming thoughts finally had somewhere to go.
“If I couldn’t find the words to speak, I could write it down, and it didn’t have to make sense to anyone else other than to me,” she says.
There was also Abby, her golden Labrador, emotional support system, and constant companion. Abby’s quiet presence gave Pape a sense of grounding when everything else felt chaotic. Ironically, Abby felt a little anxious as well.
When Pape left Michigan to attend the University of Colorado Boulder, that quiet disappeared. Suddenly, she was far from home and the distance amplified everything she had been carrying emotionally.
Somewhere in that homesickness, making friends at tailgates, and writing in her sorority house, the idea for The Worry Wags began to form. It wasn't about publishing or selling a book. It was about creating tools for children so they wouldn’t feel the way she did growing up.
Pape teamed up with illustrator Ellyana Wills, whose compelling artwork brought her imagined characters to life. Together, they navigated the process during college, figuring things out without a roadmap but with a shared belief in the story. After endless drafts, setbacks, and unanswered emails, they made the bold decision to self-publish to retain creative control. On July 28, 2025, The Worry Wags officially entered the world.
When Pape held the finished book for the first time, the moment was overwhelming. When words usually came easily, there were none.
“There were tears,” she says. “Tears for my younger self, for Abby, and for the coping tools I had to fight to build.”
At the heart of the book is Poppy, a yellow Labrador Retriever learning to manage anxiety with the help of her best friend, Frankie. The story validates big emotions while introducing simple, accessible tools for when feelings become overwhelming. But the impact didn’t stop with the book. After sharing it, Pape launched a Worry Wags book drive, focused on getting children’s books into classrooms, libraries, and community spaces where kids can access them. For her, storytelling isn’t just about creating something beautiful—it’s about making something useful.
Still, becoming an author wasn’t linear. Pape didn’t grow up confident in her words. Early reading struggles and the pressure of choosing a “practical” career made the creative path feel uncertain. Turning The Worry Wags into a real book meant learning everything from publishing logistics to marketing and finances, often with little guidance.
Persistence and a stubborn creative instinct kept her going, along with the people around her who reminded her the book was making a difference.
One of the most meaningful moments came when a child brought The Worry Wags to her mom during a stressful moment and said, “Let’s read this. It will help you feel better.”
That’s when Pape realized the story had grown beyond its original audience.
Today, her creative work extends beyond children’s literature. She writes essays for her blog and online publications, creates content, and is currently working on a fiction novel inspired by the emotional highs and lows of the COVID-19 era. Told with humor and honesty, it explores mental health, friendship, and the chaos of young adulthood, weaving in both negative and unexpectedly positive moments. Journaling, once her personal outlet, remains a central thread. Alongside writing, Pape uses photography to capture emotions words sometimes cannot. Across everything she creates, one thing remains consistent: radical honesty.
“I’m very proud to be known for being undeniably myself.”