Author: blogespresso

Q1.  Hello Ma’am, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

I have been teaching yoga and meditation to children and teens for over ten years.  My award- winning book Worry Bee I wrote in 2011 for my preschool yoga class that told me often they were worried which was 4 and 5 year old children.  I could not find  book that applied the principles of yoga  breath-work along with laughter for children to use in everyday life to relieve stress and anxiety so I made my own paper book and used it in classes with songs that went with it.  They would keep telling me then “Miss Ann I won’t be a Worry Bee.”  It was then published in 2018 by Pear Tree publishing.

Q2.  Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Mindful Moon’?’

Oh this is pretty funny story the book was originally a mindful spider and I had writers block.  I love spiders and my favorite book in elementary school was Charlotte’s Web.  However, I was sitting at our  lake home in New Hampshire watching the sun set as a full moon was rising, and I rewrote the book to be Mindful Moon.  Colleen Sgroi who illustrated the book came up to our home in NH and really saw my vision for the book.  The book won a Moon Beam children’s best illustration and I am very proud of it.

Q3. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?

My work with children inspires my writing.  Children love to be read too and when I work in therapeutic or paediatric hospital settings doing meditation and yoga therapy I see how they relate to using mindful breathing or calm cantering with a book.

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

The White Mountains of New Hampshire where I was inspired by the view of the moon rising over the mountains while the sun was setting to write  Mindful Moon.  I get to see this in every season. Right now is truly one of my favorite Fall with all the gorgeous colours.

Q5. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Worry Bee’ book?

I wanted to make sure that parents, caregivers and educators could really easily follow the directions to do mindful breathing like Worry Bee and use it in a way that supports calming children’s worries.

Q6. Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?

I AM ….. It is called Mind Buzz another bee theme, but it is a meditation workbook for teens.  Stay tuned everyone.  It is great for adults too!

Q7. What does success means to you?

Finding  joy in the present  moment  not because everything is perfect, but because you choose it.

Q8. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

I meditate every morning even if it is only for five minutes and when I get stuck in the process I  leave the work and go meditate more!

Q9. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Oh this is a great story as my parents were teachers and educators their entire careers, so reading was instilled to be very important in our household. When I was a young girl my mother bought me the book Ann Likes Red by Dorothy Seymour it was my favorite book as a young child especially with my name being Ann. Then my father bought me Charlotte’s Web in elementary school by EBWhite and I am a big animal lover spend every week in a barn with my rescue horse and rescue donkey.

Q10. Lastly, do you want to give any advice to someone wanting to write and publish a book?

Oh yes… when you think of what you are writing is a gift to the reader  you have a whole different idea of  gratitude for the process.

Author’s Profile

Books are Available On Amazon

Q1.  Hello Ma’am, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

I’m from a small town in the Southern United States. I hold dual degrees in business and psychology and read or write about almost anything. I began writing when I was four, before I knew how to write words- Like Hey, somebody, write this down! I’m married to my high school sweetheart and we are parents to two wonderful grown children. Together, we own a large, nationa-award-winning family farm. I enjoy yoga, world travel, and outdoors in my spare time.

Q2.  Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Lainey Cash’?

“Lainey Cash“ was the first novel for which I sought publishing out of twelve novels I completed in a twenty-year period. For the cover, I wanted to stay with the story’s prevailing themes of grief, greed, rivalry, and romance. I also wanted a photographic cover because we are a picture-posting society! The title was a cinch: This is the story of Lainey Cash, a female farmer, which is still quite revolutionary, and her evolution into adulthood- her education, career, and love life. Lainey Cash could be any woman.
*Interesting side note: My sister is an artist, and we have since collaborated. Her illustrations will be featured on future books I publish. It’s hands down the coolest part of my author journey. See her amazing work on the cover of “Sunshine and Lev” and “RETURN”.

Q3. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

My husband and I are adventurous travel buddies. Everywhere I go, big or small, busy or rural, I view life and my surroundings and other people as a possible story or character. Planting those seeds in my mind (and heart) delivers cool twists and vivid plots regularly. I also majored in psychology, so I’m not shy about delving into human emotion. That makes the possibilities endless.

Q4. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

I wrote before I could read and finished most of my early novels before I drew a connection to other authors. Whenever I would try to read growing up, I would resort to writing. You can’t do both at the same time! As an adult, I try not to read books and think about how or what I would write. Therefore, if and when I read, it can be a lovely escape out of my life, even my author life. With that perspective, I am glad to say that as far as exemplary writing, I will forever be captivated by The Great Gatsby, Gone with the Wind, and The Scarlet Letter. Such passion and clear visuals! My genre is romance-suspense. Nora Roberts and Sandra Brown are queens.

Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?

Oh no, not for me! I’m a pantser, as in- I fly by the seat of my pants and garner passion and energy from that frenzied, instinctual writing process. With “Lainey Cash”, I woke up early one morning in 2000, and wrote about twenty hours a day for eight days to finish. I completed the trilogy in less than three months. With “RETURN”, my latest dive into the time travel/magic genre, my husband suggested I write about Halloween on Halloween night 2019 because it’s my favorite holiday. By November 30, the book RETURN was written.

Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Sunshine and Lev’ book?

“Sunshine and Lev” was the next novel that I started AND finished writing (an accomplishment for an author, right?) after I finished the Lainey Cash trilogy in 2000. I woke up during the night in January 2001 and began writing “Sunshine and Lev” the story of an artist and an architect on the South Carolina coast. It was finished in mid-March 2001 writing 5-10 hours per day.

Q7. What do you think your readers take away from your books?

I am unattached to a specific outcome. Let it be what you want it to be when you read my books. Maybe someone reminds you of your father, your grandmother, your last boyfriend. Maybe you’ve been to Mexico and that chapter in “Sunshine and Lev” takes you back to your trip there or maybe you want to go one day OR think you’ll never go, so you go with me on the page. …I’ve heard from a lot of readers- that they laugh, cry, yell, cuss, dream, love, travel, smile, and live vicariously through my stories. Perfect!

Q8. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Lainey and Jed’ book?

“Lainey and Jed” is Book 2 of the Lainey Cash trilogy. I knew in my heart of hearts that “Lainey Cash” Book 1 would be the first book I published out of all the books I’d written. To follow up with something as jaw-dropping, heart-wrenching, and adventure-filled, to keep up the drama, suspense, and pace while keeping their love alive and hot (wink) was my aim. That’s not easy. It took longer to write Book 2 because I meant it would be a worthy second book in the trilogy, not just the middle filler to get from the beginning, “Lainey Cash” to The End, “Delaina” Book 3.

Q9. Are there any secrets from the books (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Secrets, hmm. Sure! I wrote “Lainey Cash” in 2000. I sought publishing in 2019. When I revisited the manuscript, there were no smartphones back then. Haha! I edited the trilogy to include modern technology but kept the original. Maybe there’ll be a “Lainey Cash” trilogy prequel, the way things really were when I wrote it. In “Sunshine and Lev,” you’ll find out that main love interest Lev is cousins with Lainey Cash’s main love interest, Jed! Both books are part of my Fifteen Thousand Times for Fifty Years series. Bombshell: All the main love interest men are cousins; therefore, you will see some of your favorite couples from previous books make cameo appearances in future books in the series.
“RETURN” is my latest release with a delve into time travel. In that book, Halloween night is required to time travel. It’s going to be part of a six-book series. This is the first time I’ve admitted that each new book in the series is related to a specific holiday in order for characters to time hop.

Q10. On what all platforms your books are available to buy?

My books are always available at Amazon and Barnes&Noble in print and eBook. I was invited to London and New York to promote the Lainey Cash trilogy, but Covid stopped that from happening, as well as a nice run of book signings on hold. As soon as it’s possible, my husband and I will take this book career on the road! Can’t wait to meet you!

Author’s Profile

Books are Available On Amazon