In January, Roger Hackett was told his services at Microsoft were no longer needed. But instead of getting too upset, this Bellevue father of two turned his attention to his dream of writing children's books.

"It is a bit of a blessing in disguise that I have the time now to devote energy to Ryan and Robbie," he told KOMO News reporter Travis Mayfield.

"Ryan and Robbie's Bike Ride Adventure and Lao Lao's Chinese Secret" is Hackett's first book, and it's based on the stories he's been telling his own two boys.

"I was telling these stories to my two sons who were a little bit active in the back seat of the car," Hackett says. "I started telling them these stories that were based on the activities that they would do."

Then Hackett says he started fictionalizing their adventures and trying to use the stories to teach his children important lessons.

"My wife really encouraged me to take it forward and to make a book out of it," he says.

Hackett's own family is a mix Chinese-American family and he felt that kind of multicultural family was under-represented in children's literature.

Hackett says since publishing his first Ryan and Robbie book he's heard from many local multicultural families that "really do feel like it gives their kids characters they can relate to, and they are just giving me glowing feedback."

Listen to the full interview between KOMO News reporter Travis Mayfield and author Roger Hackett.

More information on the book can be found at Ryanandrobbie.com or you can meet Hackett at a book signing Sat., March 21, at 11 a.m. at Mockingbird Books, 7220 Woodlawn Ave NE in Seattle.