Author: blogespresso

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

My name is Nalini Raghunandan. I am married and have two wonderful daughters and an adorable 3-year-old grandson.  I was born in Guyana and currently live in Markham, Ontario. I currently work in telecommunications; however, prior to working in telecommunications, I was an elementary school teacher and an early childhood educator for 15 years, both in Guyana and Jamaica. This is where my passion for literacy and cultural diversity started.
When I am not working, I enjoy writing, travelling, reading and spending time with my family.

Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Fanny the Champ’ book?

I had the idea to write a children’s illustrated book since my early years as a teacher/educator.  The story and images have been on my mind for several decades now, so as you can imagine, articulating my abundant thoughts in a limited number of words for age appropriate readers was the greatest challenge.  However, this led to the book series.

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

I loved reading as a child however there wasn’t a library where I grew up. My father bought us books even though owning our own children’s books was such a luxury at the time.  
I was fascinated with classic fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Rumpelstiltskin. However, as you can imagine there wasn’t much diversity in those books and I want all children to be represented in my stories.

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

My favourite spot is Bluffer’s Park in Toronto.  It has a 5KM walking and biking trail. The water is blue and there is lush greenery in the summer. I find tranquility and peace just looking at the lake.

Q5. Are there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?

Before I begin to write I make sure my work space is quiet with no clutter.  I would try to formulate the story/scenes in my mind, create a title/placeholder for the book—then the magic begins with a pencil and paper.

Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Fanny Saved the Day’ book?

Because of my full-time job, it took me approximately 6 months to complete the final transcript of Fanny Saved the Day.

Q7. On what all platforms readers can find your books to buy?

My books can be found on Amazon, Good Reads, Barnes & Noble, Books Depository and Abe Books.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the cover and the title of your books?

Growing up, we had a dog named Fanny.  He was a rescue we found him lying on the side of the road.  He was just a tiny puppy. Fanny was gentle, loving, funny and adventurous, so the name “Fanny” was an easy pick. The remainder of the book titles emerged from the story. I have a few names for Book 3, but the title will depend on how the story evolves.

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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.

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