Who is Luna named after in The Hallway of Doorknobs?

Luna is a quiet tribute to singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. Author Lynn A. Haller wanted to honor her without using her name. After meeting Alanis and her then-unnamed puppy, who the family later named Luna, the name became the perfect nod.

What is The Hallway of Doorknobs about?

The Hallway of Doorknobs: A Journey to the Feelings Inside is a children's picture book for ages 6 to 10. It introduces emotional states as friendly characters that children meet behind doors in a hallway, helping kids understand and welcome their many feelings.

What is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?

Internal Family Systems, or IFS, is a model of therapy developed by Richard Schwartz that sees the mind as made up of different parts, each with a positive intention. The Hallway of Doorknobs draws on these ideas to help children meet their feelings with curiosity instead of fear.

Is Alanis Morissette connected to IFS?

Yes. Alanis Morissette wrote the foreword to No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz, the foundational book on Internal Family Systems. Her longtime connection to the idea of parts is part of why Lynn wanted to honor her in the book.

Behind the Name: Luna - Lingua Ink Books

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Lynn A. Haller

Lynn A. Haller, MSW, LCSW, is a trauma-informed therapist and educator with over 25 years of experience bringing Internal Family Systems concepts to life through story. Her first children's book, The Hallway of Doorknobs, helps young readers meet their protective inner parts as characters they can understand and befriend.

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How a child in The Hallway of Doorknobs got her name, a nod to Alanis Morissette and one unexpected puppy

I knew early on that I wanted a nod to Alanis Morissette in this book. Her music has been with me for most of my life. But I didn’t want to use her name in the story, because Alanis is so fully her own.

Her songs first reached me when I was young. She said the things so many young women were thinking, and things I didn’t yet have words for myself.

Years later, after I became a therapist, they reached me again. I was learning about Internal Family Systems, the approach this book grows from, and I found out that Alanis is part of that world too. She wrote the foreword to No Bad Parts, the book by Richard Schwartz, who created IFS. The songs I loved as a girl opened back up and meant something new. The songs hadn’t changed. I had.

Two women with long brown hair stand side by side, smiling at the camera. One wears a black shirt with a guitar graphic and event badges, while the other wears a sleeveless olive-green top. A blue and white backdrop is behind them. Then I got to meet her.

It was a small VIP experience. We meditated together. There were photos, and a chance to ask questions. I asked her whether she thought in parts before she wrote some of her songs. She laughed and said something like, “I’ve always thought in parts. I’m a Gemini.”

Someone else in the group asked what IFS even was, and Alanis explained it to them herself. Watching her do that, easy and generous, is something I’ll always remember.

And right in the middle of all this, a puppy trotted in to say hello. Alanis told us the puppy didn’t have a name yet. Just a soft, unexpected bit of joy in the room.

I found out later that her family had named her Baby Blue Luna.

That was my answer. I had been looking for a way to honor Alanis without using her name, and there it was. Luna. A nod to her, carried through a once-nameless puppy, on a day I will always keep.

So Luna walks the hallway now. One of the children who helps other children feel a little less alone with what they carry.

This is part of a series about how the children in The Hallway of Doorknobs: A Journey to the Feelings Inside got their names.