A young author who was born and raised in the Bronx is using her own experiences to help inspire others.

Layota Harris, author of "Hello Beautiful," says she didn't always have the confident smile she has now.

"Growing up, I was a foster child, I felt empty because kids used to pick on me," Harris says. It left her with a lot of questions, like: "'Where's my real mother at?' If she loved me I wouldn't be here," she recalls.

Harris says she found answers from the woman she now calls Mom.

"It was the love that she showed me to know that I can grow up to be anything want to be," she says.

Now, Harris is passing that wisdom on to other young ladies through "Hello Beautiful." The book is a journal, and each page has a special reminder for readers -- like a reminder that they are beautiful.

"I wrote the book because growing up I didn't feel that I was beautiful, so I want every young girl to know that they're beautiful inside and out," Harris says.